Eugene O'Neill wrote this short play for the Provincetown Players' 1916 season. It is an experiment of sorts, an attempt to see what could be done with pessimistic, modernistic monologue. Mrs. Rowland is the constant focus, as she complains to and about her bohemian, ne'er-do-well husband Alfred, who is in the next room, only his arm ever making an appearance on stage. While the portrayal does not make the main character look like a saint, some of her criticisms are certainly telling. The Provincetown Players' circle was both bohemian and critical of its own bohemianism at times, and it may be significant that O'Neill himself played Alfred. In this audio version, Mrs. Rowland is played by Irene Herzig, and the narrator is Mischa Hooker.
