Chat about Plays

[Greg]

Laura, Death of a Salesman really affected me when I re-read it recently. I loved it!

[Jenny]

Laura, I've been meaning to read Death of a Salesman forever! What sparked the play-reading-streak?

[Leslie]

I am reading Robert Lowell for my November poet due to a cross-over with drama -- my dad and I are going to see the play "Dear Elizabeth" by Sarah Ruhl next week, which is based on the letters between American poets Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop. I thought I should read some of his poetry before seeing the play!

(also posting under poetry, sorry for the duplication)

@Jenny - I had seem Godot performed years ago but found I liked it even more than I remembered this time around. I think I will try to tackle his trilogy Malloy/Malone Dies/The Unnamed sometime soon...

[amber]

Dear Elizabeth is really good!

[Leslie]

@amber -- It got good reviews in the Boaton Globe and I liked her play "Art", so I am looking forward to ir. I'll post my rhpughts after I see it.

[Leslie]

Sorry for the terrible typing -- I am using the app and don't do well with the iPod's tiny touch keyboard!

[Greg]

Wow Leslie, that play sounds like it would be right up my alley as I like both of those poets!! I wish that play was also being performed over here! Enjoy! :) I'm going to do research online to see if maybe I'm lucky and it's going to tour different areas.

[Bionic Jean]

It's actually most entertaining Leslie :D

(I couldn't begin to use that, so who am I to talk? LOL)

[LauraT]

Jenny wrote: "Laura, I've been meaning to read Death of a Salesman forever! What sparked the play-reading-streak?"

???

[Jenny]

LOL, let me re-phrase: what prompted you to read so many plays this month?

[LauraT]

Short read. Could be done from the office pc wating for translation to come!!!

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "Wow Leslie, that play sounds like it would be right up my alley as I like both of those poets!! I wish that play was also being performed over here! Enjoy! :) I'm going to do research online to see..."

The run ends here on Nov. 9th but I don't think it is a touring company but rather a repertory group.

[Greg]

That's too bad Leslie, but I'll keep my eye out. Hopefully a production will pop up here someday!

[dely]

I started reading "The Trial of Jesus" by Diego Fabbri (the book isn't on GR). I couldn't find informations about it in English on the internet. In this play the actors make again the trial to Jesus to see if he is guilty or if he can be absolved.

[Leslie]

Dad & I both enjoyed seeing Dear Elizabeth: A Play in Letters from Elizabeth Bishop to Robert Lowell and Back Again yesterday. The two actors did a good job and the playwright, Sarah Ruhl, did a marvellous job keeping the dialogue true to the actual letters and yet winnowing down the content (the printed correspondance, Words in Air: The Complete Correspondence Between Elizabeth Bishop and Robert Lowell, is over 800 pages so obviously couldn't all be included in a single 2 hour play!).

At the beginning I recognized much of the dialogue from the letters but as I have only gotten to 1949, much of the material was new to me. Robert Lowell & Elizabeth Bishop met in 1948 and corresponded until Lowell's death in 1977.

I offer kudos to Ruhl as the material was not very fascinating and yet it kept both of us interested throughout. In fact, when the intermission came I felt surprised that an hour had passed already!

[amber]

Leslie wrote: " In fact, when the intermission came I felt surprised that an hour had passed already!
"

Isn't that a wonderful feeling. :)

[Greg]

Sounds great Leslie! Hopefully I will get the chance to see a production of it one day!

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "Sounds great Leslie! Hopefully I will get the chance to see a production of it one day!"

I hope that you do get the chance Greg. It turns out that I hadn't seen a Ruhl play before (I had mistakenly thought that she had written "Art" but it turns out that play was by Yasmina Reza).

[Leslie]

I am thinking about what plays I should choose for 2015 Group Plays. I want to have a Chekov (probably Uncle Vanya), a Shakespeare (maybe Two Gentlemen From Verona?), a comedy and an American play (I'm thinking Edward Albee).

Anyone have a strong preference, either pro or con?

[Greg]

Those sound great Leslie!

I've both read and seen The Cherry Orchard, but I don't think I've read Uncle Vanya yet; so I'd totally be up for that! I love Chekov's stories, and I'd enjoy reading another of his plays.

I think you already know I like Albee - plus there'll be a lot to discuss because there's always so much underneath the surface of his stuff. Another enthusiastic thumbs up.

And I for one would never turn down Shakespeare!

Thanks Leslie for this thread! Cheers!

[Katie]

Same for me as Greg in relation to Chekov.
I need to read more Shakespeare. I've only read Othello so anything by him would be great.

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "I think you already know I like Albee - plus there'll be a lot to discuss because there's always so much underneath the surface of his stuff. Another enthusiastic thumbs up..."

:) Yes, indeed! It was your enthusiasm for him that made me think of him!

Thanks Greg & Katie for your feedback.

[amber]

I really like Uncle Vanya. I also really like The Seagull. Two Gentlemen From Verona is cute, as is Love's Labor's Lost. I don't really have a take on Albee as I haven't read him. I do own Three Tall Women. I saw Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf on stage a few years ago.
I'm going to throw out a suggestion for the play Closer even though it doesn't really in the comedy opening. :)

[amber]

Katie wrote: "Same for me as Greg in relation to Chekov.
I need to read more Shakespeare. I've only read Othello so anything by him would be great."

Katie I just went to a lecture. Part of which was on Othello. The lecturer put forth the theory that Othello the play is all a nightmare Othello has the night before the planned elopement. I found that a really interesting take on the play.

[Katie]

amber wrote: "Katie wrote: "Same for me as Greg in relation to Chekov.
I need to read more Shakespeare. I've only read Othello so anything by him would be great."

Katie I just went to a lecture. Pa..."

Wow that is an interesting take! Would never have thought that.

[amber]

Katie wrote: "amber wrote: "Katie wrote: "Same for me as Greg in relation to Chekov.
I need to read more Shakespeare. I've only read Othello so anything by him would be great."

Katie I just went to..."

I never would have thought of that idea either.

[[deleted user]]

Shakespeare's comedies are tragedies and his tragedies are comedies.

[Leslie]

I am going to Boston tomorrow to see a matinee of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang, which won the Tony for Best Play in 2013 amongst other awards. This is an early birthday gift from my parents & I am excited!

I've never seen or read anything by Durang before, but the production (which just started about a week ago) has gotten good reviews in the Boston papers.

[Greg]

Oh Leslie, that play came through here last year, but we were so busy at the time that I missed it! Let us know what you think once you've seen it. I heard it was fun!

[amber]

Leslie wrote: "I am going to Boston tomorrow to see a matinee of Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike by Christopher Durang, which won the Tony for Best Play in 2013 amongst other aw..."

I'm seeing that later this year. We'll have to compare notes.

[Leslie]

Greg wrote: "Oh Leslie, that play came through here last year, but we were so busy at the time that I missed it! Let us know what you think once you've seen it. I heard it was fun!"

Sorry, I forgot to follow up with this. Both my dad & I thought it was very amusing. Whether it is a play that will last, I don't know but it is definitely worth seeing -- sort of Tom Stoppard meets Tennessee Williams...

[Leslie]

Here is my tenative schedule for 2015 plays:

Spring: Uncle Vanya by Anton Chekhov
Summer: The Two Gentlemen of Verona by William Shakespeare
Autumn: The Goat, or Who is Sylvia? by Edward Albee
Winter: Closer by Patrick Marber

I will try to make the final decision sometime in the next week & post the schedule in the group announcements.

[LauraT]

About to start reading again Hamlet as a suggestion for the swap here and also because I want to attend a FAD in Futurelearn on it!

[amber]

I really like this year's plays Leslie!

[amber]

I'm going to see Rapture, Blister, Burn and Dividing the Estate - Acting Edition soon.

[Gill]

I've been to a couple of very interesting talks this week about the history of theatre. The first one was about the development of Elizabethan theatre. The second was about the theatre and plays in the 17th and 18th centuries. I never realised how much the twists and turns in their development linked with issues relating to royalty, Parliament, class et cetera et cetera

[Greg]

Right now we're on the way to a matinee Deaf West performance of Spring Awakening. I'm really excited!! I couldn't get tickets to the first run because it sold out so quickly. But lucky for us, it was so successful that they extended it for a second run in a larger partner theater.

The deaf and hearing actors they use are always amazingly talented, but what really sets them apart is the incredible choreographers & artistic directors they have there. So far I've never seen a mainstream show that wasn't greatly enhanced by the spin they put on it - so unique! When they adapted Pippin, they discovered depths in that show that I never could've guessed were there; they turned the whole show on its head! Can't wait to see what they do with this one.

One of the deaf actors in it (Daniel Durant) was fantastic in their last production of Flowers for Algernon as well. He was so good in it that I've been tempted to give the TV show Switched at Birth a try (he's apparently it it), though I haven't gotten around to doing that yet. LOL! Looking forward to seeing him on stage again too!



Here's the LA Times review of the show.

[Leslie]

Greg, that sounds amazing! Have a fun time.

[Pink]

Greg, enjoy the performance, it sounds great :)

[Dhanaraj]

Read an interesting play that deals with the theme of Truth. Where is the difference between the fantasy and reality? Can we know for certain what is truth? What are facts in relation to Truth? All these interesting concepts are analysed in an interesting and engaging manner in the play Absolutely Perhaps by Luigi Pirandello. Try it and you might like it.

[Leslie]

Dhanaraj wrote: "Read an interesting play that deals with the theme of Truth. Where is the difference between the fantasy and reality? Can we know for certain what is truth? What are facts in relation to Truth? All..."

I saw that you were reading a Pirandello. I really liked Six Characters in Search of an Author so I will put your recommendation on my TBR :)

[Dhanaraj]

@ Leslie: Absolutely Perhaps is less complicated and very direct than Six Characters In Search of an Author. But the theme is treated in an excellent manner. If you liked SIX CHARACTERS, you will also like this one.

[LauraT]

Dhanaraj wrote: "@ Leslie: Absolutely Perhaps is less complicated and very direct than Six Characters In Search of an Author. But the theme is treated in an excellent manner. If you like..."

It is become a way of saying in Italian "Così è se vi pare"

[Dhanaraj]

@ Laura T: In Italian it sounds good. In English, the first time it was translated, it was titled thus: RIGHT YOU ARE! (IF YOU THINK YOU ARE).

[LauraT]

I was wondering how to render it. Translation is impossible. That way could be a way; something like "as you like it"

[Leslie]

Dhanaraj wrote: "@ Laura T: In Italian it sounds good. In English, the first time it was translated, it was titled thus: RIGHT YOU ARE! (IF YOU THINK YOU ARE)."

Oh, good as I already have that on my Kindle :)

[Dhanaraj]

Read it Leslie. It will only take an hour. And you will have your reward.

[Leslie]

Dhanaraj wrote: "Read it Leslie. It will only take an hour. And you will have your reward."

I really liked it Dhanaraj! Thanks for bringing it to my attention :) I also thought that this was a good play to read as there was little 'action' (mostly talking) so you miss the performance slightly less than in other plays.

[Leslie]

As you may notice, this is now in our new Drama section!

[Gill]

I like the new section, Leslie. Well done!