Bond, Edward

Bond, Edward (1935– ), English dramatist, whose plays have aroused fierce controversy. The first, The Pope's Wedding (1962), like much of his later work, was staged at the Royal Court. Saved (1965; NY, 1970) achieved some notoriety, mainly because of a scene in which a baby was stoned to death in its pram. Both these plays were set in contemporary England and their characters were almost inarticulate; Early Morning (1968), originally banned, was a Surrealist work in which one of the characters was Queen Victoria, and Narrow Road to the Deep North (also 1968; NY, 1972) used Japanese history to attack imperialism. Black Mass (1970) and Passion (1971) were anti-apartheid and Lear (also 1971) was a rewriting of Shakespeare's play in an attempt to give it contemporary relevance. The Sea (1973; NY, 1975) centred on a drowning and Bingo (1974; NY, 1976) was a portrait of Shakespeare (played in London by John Gielgud) which condemned him for lack of political commitment. Bond's adaptation of Wedekind's Frühlings Erwachen as Spring Awakening (also 1974) was seen at the National Theatre (NY, 1978). The Fool (1976) was based on the life of the poet John Clare. The Bundle (RSC, 1978) was again set in historical Japan, while the characters in The Woman (NT, also 1978) were taken from Greek tragedy. Restoration (1981), one of his best plays, was a black comedy with a historical setting, which used the dramatic tradition of Restoration comedy to attack current values. Summer (1982; NY, 1983) was a confrontation between two women set in Eastern Europe; and The War Plays (1985) a trilogy set after an atomic disaster.