Greenland (1988 play)

Greenland is a 1988 play written by Howard Brenton. It is a political drama exploring themes of utopianism, environmentalism, and the collapse of communist ideology. The play's narrative spans centuries, beginning in Greenland in the distant past and moving through various potential future scenarios.

The play follows characters through different periods, including projections of a future communist society established in Greenland, and depicts their struggles and disillusionment with the utopian ideals they initially embraced. Greenland examines the complexities of political and social engineering, questioning the viability of imposed ideologies and the potential for unintended consequences.

While not one of Brenton's most frequently revived works, Greenland is notable for its ambitious scope and its grappling with major political and environmental issues of the late 20th century. It reflects anxieties about the future and critiques the failures of both capitalist and communist systems to deliver true human happiness and ecological sustainability. Critical reception was mixed, with some praising its intellectual ambition and others finding it overly didactic and dramatically uneven.