--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I can't pretend at how much I object to…" description: "\"I can't pretend at how much I object to all of the plays that keep being brought back over and over again, the so-called classic plays. I mean how many..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png" --- # I can't pretend at how much I object to all of the plays… ![“I can't pretend at how much I object to all of the plays that keep being brought back over and over again, the so-called classic plays. I mean how many times can we see 'The Glass Menagerie?'” quote by F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png) > “I can't pretend at how much I object to all of the plays that keep being brought back over and over again, the so-called classic plays. I mean how many times can we see 'The Glass Menagerie?'” [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker criticizes the over‑reliance on repeatedly staged classic plays, questioning their relevance and the lack of new material in theater. **In simple terms:** Classic plays are performed too often, limiting fresh works. Key Takeaway Advocate for new theatrical voices. Themes art culture innovation Mood critical thought‑provoking Type opinion commentary When to use this quote - programming theater seasons - supporting emerging playwrights - audience education Key Concepts repetition canon creative stagnation Questions to Reflect On - What new stories should theater tell? - How can audiences appreciate both classics and new works? A Different Perspective Classics can offer timeless insights; balance is needed. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Actor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) [Being](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/being/) [Plays](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plays/) ## Related quotes > [I started out doing a lot of theater, a lot of Shakespeare, classic plays.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/i-started-out-doing-a-lot-of-theater-a-lot-of-shakespeare-classic/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [Just as I was turning fifteen, in the spring of 1946, my parents took me to see 'The Glass Menagerie,' well into its year-long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-gottlieb/just-as-i-was-turning-fifteen-in-the-spring-of-1946-my-parents-took/) [Robert Gottlieb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-gottlieb/) > [Perhaps because my background is theatrical, I have a great affinity with the classics. Hamlet has always been a character of great interest to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adhir-kalyan/perhaps-because-my-background-is-theatrical-i-have-a-great-affinity/) [Adhir Kalyan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adhir-kalyan/) > [It's funny, oftentimes the really great roles that I enjoy are in classic plays, and there aren't many theatres in New York who will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laila-robins/it-s-funny-oftentimes-the-really-great-roles-that-i-enjoy-are-in/) [Laila Robins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laila-robins/) > [When I was in school, and even after, I did a lot of classic plays, and I guess it sort of extended into film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-holland/when-i-was-in-school-and-even-after-i-did-a-lot-of-classic-plays-and/) [Andre Holland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-holland/) > [I've been blessed by doing classic plays on Broadway, which was one of my great dreams forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/i-ve-been-blessed-by-doing-classic-plays-on-broadway-which-was-one-of/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [Doing classic plays is wonderful. It's a wonderful way of developing style.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-baranski/doing-classic-plays-is-wonderful-it-s-a-wonderful-way-of-developing/) [Christine Baranski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-baranski/) > [My own journey as a writer has been the discovery of different theatrical voices. Chekhov was a revelation. Tennessee Williams was another one. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-karam/my-own-journey-as-a-writer-has-been-the-discovery-of-different/) [Stephen Karam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-karam/) > ['The Glass Menagerie' by Tennessee Williams is a great play. I had to read it for school when I was younger, but I started…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jake-t-austin/the-glass-menagerie-by-tennessee-williams-is-a-great-play-i-had-to/) [Jake T. Austin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jake-t-austin/) > [I'd like to one day play Amanda, the mother, in The Glass Menagerie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernadette-peters/i-d-like-to-one-day-play-amanda-the-mother-in-the-glass-menagerie/) [Bernadette Peters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernadette-peters/) > [The first time I ever acted was in 'The Glass Menagerie' in high school, and my first line was, 'I didn't know Shakespeare had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-hader/the-first-time-i-ever-acted-was-in-the-glass-menagerie-in-high-school/) [Bill Hader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-hader/) > [Angels in America' - which is composed of two three-hour plays, 'Millennium Approaches' and 'Perestroika' - proved to be a watershed drama, the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lahr/angels-in-america-which-is-composed-of-two-three-hour-plays/) [John Lahr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lahr/) > [Like everybody, you get nights where you feel completely depressed. You start thinking about all the bad things and think about the glass half…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/like-everybody-you-get-nights-where-you-feel-completely-depressed-you/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [“I'll just have a glass of water.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/various/i-ll-just-have-a-glass-of-water/) Various > [A poor self-image is the magnifying glass that can transform a trivial mistake or an imperfection into an overwhelming symbol of personal defeat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-d-burns/a-poor-self-image-is-the-magnifying-glass-that-can-transform-a/) [David D. Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-d-burns/) ## More by F. Murray Abraham > [As much preparation as I had made for the old man Salieri, gestures and so on, the fact is after sitting for hours, your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/as-much-preparation-as-i-had-made-for-the-old-man-salieri-gestures/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [If these men decided that they have to go in there and fight, I want them to send their own children and grandchildren. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/if-these-men-decided-that-they-have-to-go-in-there-and-fight-i-want/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [One of the great values of the theater is a communal search for truth; I believe that sincerely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/one-of-the-great-values-of-the-theater-is-a-communal-search-for-truth/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I was a hoodlum. I was a gang member, and art saved my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-was-a-hoodlum-i-was-a-gang-member-and-art-saved-my-life/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I'm a comedian at heart, and I really can make people laugh, but ever since 'Amadeus,' all I seem to do is play dramatic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-m-a-comedian-at-heart-and-i-really-can-make-people-laugh-but-ever/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [There are real tricks to getting a job that I just don't like or understand - it feels too close to pandering. I've tried…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/there-are-real-tricks-to-getting-a-job-that-i-just-don-t-like-or/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I trust that the president will try, just give it one more shot, some revolutionary way of not doing this, of bringing all those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-trust-that-the-president-will-try-just-give-it-one-more-shot-some/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I love parties. I love a good time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-love-parties-i-love-a-good-time/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I'm passionate about politics, but when it comes to political parties, I'm despondent. I'm disappointed at the absence of a sense of humanity and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-m-passionate-about-politics-but-when-it-comes-to-political-parties/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [Milos said, You're my first choice. From my point of view, that doesn't pay the rent. I said, Tell me what I have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/milos-said-you-re-my-first-choice-from-my-point-of-view-that-doesn-t/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I have two brothers buried in the military cemetery in Texas. I don't want to see any more of that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-have-two-brothers-buried-in-the-military-cemetery-in-texas-i-don-t/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I'd like President Bush to think maybe there's another way to think, that maybe Kissinger was wrong when he says we had to go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-d-like-president-bush-to-think-maybe-there-s-another-way-to-think/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [The difficulty is capturing surprise on film.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/the-difficulty-is-capturing-surprise-on-film/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [I'm a very proud actor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-m-a-very-proud-actor/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) > [Once I looked into a mirror at my face I felt like it was completely convincing. I was Salieri.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/once-i-looked-into-a-mirror-at-my-face-i-felt-like-it-was-completely/) [F. Murray Abraham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) [Explore all 49 F. Murray Abraham quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/) ## More Actor quotes > [I actually think acting is a form of self-hypnosis. You have to be hyper, hyper aware of what's going on around you. You have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julianne-moore/i-actually-think-acting-is-a-form-of-self-hypnosis-you-have-to-be/) [Julianne Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julianne-moore/) > [When you step out and do a song in a musical, the easier thing to do is make it funny. But when those transitions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelli-o-hara/when-you-step-out-and-do-a-song-in-a-musical-the-easier-thing-to-do/) [Kelli O'Hara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelli-o-hara/) > [I once told someone I could act. They totally bought it. I've been getting away with it ever since.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akshay-kumar/i-once-told-someone-i-could-act-they-totally-bought-it-i-ve-been/) [Akshay Kumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akshay-kumar/) > [There has got to be a way for me to have a role on TV or in film that is just as normal as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adeel-akhtar/there-has-got-to-be-a-way-for-me-to-have-a-role-on-tv-or-in-film-that/) [Adeel Akhtar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adeel-akhtar/) > [I love casting against type and doing things you wouldn't expect, because I think you get more interesting performances that way. Hollywood loves to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-s-goyer/i-love-casting-against-type-and-doing-things-you-wouldn-t-expect/) [David S. Goyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-s-goyer/) > [I'm an actor, so I'm never going to feel like I've done enough.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/italia-ricci/i-m-an-actor-so-i-m-never-going-to-feel-like-i-ve-done-enough/) [Italia Ricci](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/italia-ricci/) > [I am tired of our characters being so incomplete. When do we ever save the day in a film? When does a Latino actor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esai-morales/i-am-tired-of-our-characters-being-so-incomplete-when-do-we-ever-save/) [Esai Morales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esai-morales/) > [When I was 13, I auditioned for the theater school, and I was there for four years. In the meantime, I did my first…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-de-armas/when-i-was-13-i-auditioned-for-the-theater-school-and-i-was-there-for/) [Ana de Armas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-de-armas/) > [If you stood me in a costume next to a computer graphic of the same-looking character, I think there would be a difference. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warwick-davis/if-you-stood-me-in-a-costume-next-to-a-computer-graphic-of-the-same/) [Warwick Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warwick-davis/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [I'm a character actor - always have been, always will be - and historically, character actors don't come into their own until later in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/annie-potts/i-m-a-character-actor-always-have-been-always-will-be-and/) [Annie Potts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/annie-potts/) > [Actors don't hate acting. Most people don't hate acting! Whether you're a child mucking around with your friends or a grown up being paid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liv-hewson/actors-don-t-hate-acting-most-people-don-t-hate-acting-whether-you-re/) [Liv Hewson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liv-hewson/) > [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/) [Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/) > [I never planned to do female roles. It just happened. I was typecast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divine/i-never-planned-to-do-female-roles-it-just-happened-i-was-typecast/) [Divine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divine/) > [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/) [Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/) [Browse all 21,590 Actor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/actor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I can't pretend at how much I object to all of the plays that keep being brought back over and over again, the so-called classic plays. I mean how many times can we see 'The Glass Menagerie?'", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "F. Murray Abraham" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to-all-of-the-plays-that-keep/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Actor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to-all-of-the-plays-that-keep/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7d4/f-murray-abraham-13832_actor_i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to_518096.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I can't pretend at how much I object to all of the plays that keep being brought back over and over again…” — F. Murray Abraham", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "F. Murray Abraham", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/f-murray-abraham/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I can't pretend at how much...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to-all-of-the-plays-that-keep/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/f-murray-abraham/i-can-t-pretend-at-how-much-i-object-to-all-of-the-plays-that-keep/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```