Striptease, Repeat performance, and The prophets;: Three plays,

by Sławomir Mrożek

English, Polish (translation)

Genres: Plays, Drama

166 pages, Loose Leaf

First published January 1, 1972

About the author

Sławomir Mrożek (born June 29, 1930, died August 15, 2013) was a Polish dramatist and writer.

Mrożek joined the Polish United Workers' Party during the reign of Stalinism in the People's Republic of Poland, and made a living as a political journalist.

In the late 1950s Mrożek begun writing plays. His first play, "Policja" (The Police), was published in 1958. Mrożek emigrated to France in 1963 and then further to Mexico. He traveled in France, England, Italy, Yugoslavia and other European countries. In 1996 he returned to Poland and settled in Kraków.

His first full-length play "Tango" (1964) – a family saga – is still along with "The Emigrants" (a bitter and ironic portrait of two Polish emigrants in Paris) his best-known work, and continue to be performed throughout the world. Director Andrzej Wajda made a theatre production of "The Emigrants" in 1975 at the Teatr Stary in Kraków. In 2006 Mrożek released his autobiography called "Baltazar".

Mrożek's works belong to the genre of Theatre of the Absurd, intended to shock the audience with non-realistic elements, political and historic references, distortion and parody.

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Controversy

An illustration by Daniel Mróz for Mrożek's book „Słoń” ('The Elephant'), 1957

In 1953, during the reign of Stalinism in Poland, Mrożek was one of several signatories of an open letter to Polish authorities participating in defamation of Catholic priests from Kraków, three of whom were condemned to death (but never executed) by the communist government after being groundlessly accused of treason.

Reviews

[Säde Einasto · Rating 4 out of 5]

lugesin "striptiisi". eraldi raamatuna polnud.

ma tahaksin öelda geniaalne, aga ei julge. vist ütlen seda liiga kergekäeliselt. aga ikkagi on geniaalne!
need kaks suundumist, kuhu, ei tea, miks, ei tea, kõrvalekalle, kokkujuhtumine, selle kõige absurdsus. armastan mrozekit. võtan oma elu eesmärgiks kõik ta näidendid läbi lugeda

"Teie ei tee midagi, et võiksite kõike teha, loomulikult järelejäänud võimaluste piires, mina püüan teha seda, mida veel saab."

"TEINE MEES: Ei, ma kordan veel, et pole üldse teada, kas mina provotseerisin teda meie rõivaid ära võtma või oli see tal nagunii plaanis.
ESIMENE MEES: Vähemalt nüüd võite veenduda, et minu seisukoht on palju parem. Palun: ma ei koputanud, ei laulnud, ei kerinud püksisääri üles, aga näen välja samamoodi nagu teie. Isegi triibud on samad.
TEINE MEES: Kuidamoodi see siis parem on?
ESIMENE MEES: Vähem energiakulu, aga needsamad tulemused. Pluss, loomulikult, sisemise vabaduse tunne, mis...
TEINE MEES: Veel üks sõna sisemisest vabadusest ja ma löön teid maha."

[Stephen Rowland · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are the 3 best Mrożek plays I've read. I had been thinking of him as something of an amusing mediocrity based on the work compiled in his "Six Plays," but between "Repeat Performance" and "The Prophets" it is hard even to pick the superior.

[Crash Solo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just re-read Striptease; fantastic satire that feels relevant to the current moment in the US. I’d love to see it staged someday

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

It has been ages since I've read any Slawomir Mrozek and I was a little worried that either he, or I, might not have aged too well. Fortunately my fears were unfounded. A good playwright tells a story in a strong fashion, and Mrozek is a good playwright.

Theatre of the Absurd is certainly not something that is commonly popular. In fact, I often wonder if it's only popular as history ... studied after the fact. But while I agree that Mrozek's play are absurdist, I'd rather label them Theatre of Metaphor, for he tends to be telling us something by showing us something slightly different. In "Striptease" we learn about power (the power of a single white glove), imprisonment, and the fear of the unknown.

"The Prophets" is a wonderful, humourous, absurdist metaphor for our popular religions.

"Repeat Performance" is the weakest of the plays in this collection. The only two act play (the others are both one acts) in the book, this one seems to try just a little too hard to make a point. There is little, to no subtext or subplot, but Mrozek wears it all on his sleeve. If we, as an audience, don't have to think about it and say "Ah ha! I think I know what you're doing" then we just don't have fun.

Still, the U.S. and Britain just don't produce fascinating works the way Poland does. Not since Jean-Claude van Itallie have we had a playwright expound so metaphorically.

[Ali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mrożek's is usually classified as of the „Theatre of the Absurd”. Audiences immediately recognized all the political allusions in his plays. He explores important social issues, but simultaneously touches upon the realm of ethics. The absurdity in Mrożek's plays derives from inter-human relations. „Mrozek is an observer of the contradictions inherent in man, questions about morality and the ethical principles, seek out faults in social, political or cultural norms, with ironic consequence". His heroes have often been described as marionettes, chess figures, as transparent reflections of social, cultural, moral, literary, stereotypes, but above all ethical and existential.


در مورد "تیاتر ابزورد" اینجا را بخوانید
http://www.goodreads.com/author_blog_...

[Ryan Hizer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Especially liked Striptease, but all three are strong.

[Dani Kass · Rating 3 out of 5]

Striptease and Repeat performance weren't great, but I absolutely loved The Prophets.