Arena (1975)

Eugene Ionesco: The Joke's On Us (1989x7)

: 17, 1989

The absurdity of life has been Eugene lonesco's theme and preoccupation since he wrote the first of his 33 plays and, alongside Beckett and Genet, created a revolution in the theatre. Ironically, that first play, 'The Bald Prima Donna', has become the Parisian 'Mousetrap', running non-stop for over 30 years and 10,000 performances. Tonight's Arena assesses the life and work of one of the century's outstanding dramatists, who, at 77, remains an unrepentant champion of the Theatre of the Absurd.