Vauthier, Jean (1910-92). French playwright. Formerly a cartoonist with Sud-Ouest, he emerged in the wake of Ionesco and others as the author of plays often classed with the Theatre of the Absurd: Capitaine Bada (1952), Le Personnage combattant (1956), Le Rêveur (1961). Later works include Le Sang (1970), Les Prodiges (1970), and Ton nom dans le feu des nuées, Elizabeth (1976). More a poet than a natural play-wright, he writes searing but unwieldy dramas showing characters undergoing a moment of truth about themselves. In spite of attracting many of the leading contemporary directors (notably Reybaz, Barrault, Vilar, Vitaly, Maréchal, Wilson, and Mnouchkine), his plays have more often than not proved disappointing on stage.
[David Whitton]
