Grandma seems to say that although she is old, she is not senile. The conflict between the Grandma and Mommy and Daddy is never explained outright, but her mocking tone toward them when Grandma speaks to the audience helps us to understand. Without the specific stage directions, the actors would have a very difficult time trying to interpret the plot.

There are a lot of stage directions in this play, but they are necessary. The mystery of the plot line adds to the theatrics of the play. As a part of the audience, you do not realize what is really going on in the play. This was comical, but at the same time mysterious. To further emphasize that the two did not know what was going on, Albee had Grandma talk to the audience mocking the two’s stupidity. For example, when they hear an offstage sound, they assume the Grandma had died. These names are of empty affection and point up the pre-senility and vacuity of their characters.” (33) We realize how vacuous Mommy and Daddy are by the way they react to certain situations. Albee notes “when Mommy and Daddy call each other by these names, there should be no suggestion of regionalism. It was strange that Mommy would call Daddy, Daddy, and Daddy would call Mommy, Mommy especially because there was no son/daughter around that would normally give reason to referring to each other with those names. The characters in the play call each other by these names. The names of the characters in the play are: Mommy, Daddy, Grandma, The Young Man and The Musician. I read Edward Albee’s “The Sandbox” this week.

The sandbox by edward albee characters