Critique 4

THE GOAT, OR WHO IS SYLVIA?
Stage Left, Melbourne's Online Theatre Magazine, 22 February 2003

Reviewed by Narrelle Harris
Edward Albee draws his material from way, way out on the fringe and approaches it from unexpected and disturbing angles.
Sometimes it can be difficult to see beyond Albee's confronting imagery to the underlying theme. And it doesn't come much more confronting than The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? …
It's funny, shocking, disturbing, sad and tragic by turns, and also very literate and entertaining, Albee's trademark obsession with language shining through. Witness the playful word games indulged in by all members of the family, even in the midst of terrible rage and the destruction of their lives. …
It is not a play about bestiality, although this is the kick Albee has used to lay open his story. Instead, The Goat looks at how we treat those who act outside the norm.
He has used an extreme example; but Ross' choice to punish rather than help his friend is a demonstration of the self-righteousness, judgementalism and hypocrisy of society towards anyone who is "different".

艾德華‧阿爾比讓他的素材遠脫離現實的邊界並將之以一種無法預期且令人不安的
角度去處理。有時我們很難從當下在阿爾比劇中看到的意象和潛在的主題連結在一
起，而在《山羊或誰是蘇維亞》此劇中這樣的意象並沒有更加容易解讀。
在本劇中，滑稽的、嚇人的、令人不安的、哀傷及悲劇是輪流呈現的，文學性與娛
樂性兼顧；尤其，阿爾比的商標更是少不了語言光環的包裝。證詞和文字遊戲充分
呈現著這個家庭份子的每一人身上，即使是在極度憤怒、生活即將毀滅的狀況之下
仍是少不了這樣的語言運用。
此劇非關獸性，雖然這是阿爾比使用來開啟這個故事的一擊。然而，山羊代表著我
們如何對待那些行事超乎常理規範的人們。
他用了一個非常極端的例子來呈現。但劇中羅斯選擇用逞罰而非幫助他的朋友正闡
述著一個自以為是、批判主義及偽善的社會如何不公地對待著那些「不一樣」的人們。
翻譯:黃筱筑