Guare, << gwahr, >> John (1938-…), is an American playwright known for his brilliant use of language and the imaginative style of his best works. Guare often mixes broad comedy with serious, even tragic, elements. He frequently satirizes elements of American life, especially marriage and the family. Guare has also written motion-picture screenplays.
Guare was born in New York City. He graduated from Georgetown University in 1960 and earned a master’s degree from the Yale School of Drama in 1963. He first gained attention as a dramatist with his one-act play Muzeeka (1967). Guare’s first full-length play, The House of Blue Leaves (1971), earned him further acclaim. The play uses wildly comic techniques to satirize American family life. He adapted and wrote the lyrics for a popular musical version of William Shakespeare’s comedy Two Gentlemen of Verona (1971). Guare has written a series of plays about life in New England during the 1800’s–Lydie Breeze and Gardenia (both 1982) and Women and Water (1984).
Guare’s biggest commercial success has been Six Degrees of Separation (1990). The title refers to a theory that everyone in the world is connected to everyone else by a sequence of six people. The play is a satire on big city living and the conflict between generations as well as the guilt some white liberals feel in dealing with black people.
Guare wrote the screenplay for Atlantic City (1981) and the movie adaptation of Six Degrees of Separation (1993). His other plays include Rich and Famous (1974), Landscape of the Body (1977), Bosoms and Neglect (1979), and Four Baboons Adoring the Sun (1992).
