SOURCE: Witham, Barry B. “Images of America: Wilson, Weller and Horovitz.” Theatre Journal 34, no. 2 (May 1982): 223-32.

In the following essay, Witham considers Fifth of July, Michael Weller's Loose Ends, and Israel Horovitz's Alfred Dies with respect to their treatments of Independence Day to dramatize the American temperament of the mid-1970s.

American playwrights are fascinated by the 4th of July and their attempts to articulate its significance are among the most intriguing aspects of the contemporary theatre. It would be convenient to attribute this fascination to the influence of Eugene O'Neill whose Ah Wilderness! explored the dramatic possibilities of Independence Day fifty years ago, but it probably has more to do with the recent Bicentennial celebration. Since the close of that euphoric national party, American dramatists have produced Israel Horovitz's Alfred Dies (1977), Lanford Wilson's 5th of July (1978) and Talley's Folly (1979), Michael Weller's Loose Ends (1979), and Tom Eyen's Independence...