A Question of Mercy: A Play Based on the Essay by Richard Selzer (Rabe, David) - Softcover

Thomas and Anthony are lovers struggling with Anthony's final, exhausting battle with AIDS. Joined by their friend Susanah and a retired doctor, whose help Thomas has requested, they fashion a heartbreaking friendship as they work through the stages of a plan to relieve Anthony of his illness and his life. Each character does battle with the moral and legal issues that attend the decision to help Anthony die - is this murder or mercy? Rabe creates a passionate depiction of four people confronted with the reality of a loved one's fight with death, and a compelling dramatic event that poses the question: "What would you do?"

David Rabe's work has been honored by numerous Tony nominations and Obie Awards, and he has won critical acclaim from the Drama Desk, Variety, the New York Drama Critics Society, and the Outer Critics Circle. In his new play, A Question of Mercy, which premiered at New York Theatre Workshop, he explores the controversial and emotional issue of euthanasia, delving deep into the ties that bind friends and lovers.

A Question of Mercy ventures into the living room and the lives of Thomas and Anthony, lovers who are struggling with Anthony's final, exhausting battle with AIDS. Joined by their friend Susanah and a retired doctor, whose help Thomas has requested, they fashion a heartbreaking friendship as they work through the stages of a plan meant to relieve Anthony of his illness and his life. Each character struggles with the moral and legal issues that attend the decision to help Anthony die -- is this murder or mercy? A Question of Mercy is a challenging journey into the characters' emotions and the battles that develop from their loving promise to let Anthony die with dignity.

Writing with tremendous clarity and insight, Rabe creates a passionate depiction of four people battling with the love, law, and morality that surround a loved one's fight with death.