Theatre Books and Plays discussion
Strongest Script of All Time?
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Ehm....for me it's CYRANO DE BERGERAC. It's a purely personal choice. But it says things about creativity, honor and struggle, themes which continue to resonate with artists today. Reading it for the first time in my early twenties, made me feel....at last, there had been someone, somewhere who understood the fires which drive my soul.
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After a marathon year and a half of reading many new, classic and for me, just plain neglected plays and playwrights, I still find myself drawn to Patrick Marber's 'Closer'. Solid characterization and a heart breaking plot that seemed to successfully deal with the issues surrounding relationships, fear of being left alone, and the difficultly of ever really knowing someone. Arther Miller: 'Death of a Salesman' and 'The Crucible' still scan really well. I also still really love 'True West' (among much else) by Sam Shepard.
This year I discovered 'Disgraced', 'Other Desert Cities' and 'One Man, Two Guv'nors', various authors. All very solid writing for their purposes; just managed to see an encore NT Live screening of 'One Man..' with James Corden in the main role. Laughed so much it hurt.
Anything penned by Shakespeare sits on an unshakeable pedestal to me, but also I adore the work of Robert Bolt, particularly in A Man For All Seasons (both the play and the film) and the film The Mission, which is my favorite film of all time in the history of planet earth.
Luke wrote: "Anything penned by Shakespeare sits on an unshakeable pedestal to me, but also I adore the work of Robert Bolt, particularly in A Man For All Seasons (both the play and the film) and the film The M..."Loved the Robert Bolt's play.
I think the plays of Luigi Pirandello should not be missed in this section. His plays are very innovative and they criticize plays. They discuss about reality and performance. If you have not read try his Six Characters in Search of an Author and Absolutely Perhaps.
Luke wrote: "Anything penned by Shakespeare sits on an unshakeable pedestal to me, but also I adore the work of Robert Bolt, particularly in A Man For All Seasons (both the play and the film) and the film The M..."Loved the Robert Bolt's play.
I think the plays of Luigi Pirandello should not be missed in this section. His plays are very innovative and they criticize plays. They discuss about reality and performance. If you have not read try his Six Characters in Search of an Author and Absolutely Perhaps.
Equus by Shaffer. Based on a true story, haunting, psychological and a damned good show.
I had the pleasure to see Daniel Radclyffe do the title role and he was fantastic!
I usually take a more reserved tone in questions like these. To me, any number of famous plays can conceivably be mentioned; and we all like scads of modern plays, I'm sure. I have my faves from O'Neill, Miller, Williams...
...but privately-- to my way of thinking--only classic plays can be rated with praise like, 'the most solid play of all time'. After all, classics are the only plays which have stood any rigorous test of time.
They often come from entirely different cultures, from generations of people who are utterly alien to us today. Take someone like Wilde...his plays come down to us from 100+ yrs ago, 150 yrs ago... and they still charm and ring true. They are still intelligible and deft; and they provoke our laughter or tears as they did with their original audience. That's what I consider 'solid'.
I commend any product proven and tested by repeated productions, appreciative critics, and satisfied audiences. And my example of Wilde (above) is not e'en as far back as Shakespeare or Moliere, much less the Greeks. Those are truly the men and the works which have --without question--had measurable impact on culture and history.
Maybe the classic plays are not very familiar to our ears and maybe they're too long and too archaic. Maybe they're not 'fun'; and maybe they don't speak to our culture. Granted.
Modern plays wield better psychology and address topical themes. But which plays from our time will last as long and enjoy as much influence as something from Athens?
I couldn't confidently name one modern play (written since WWII) which is likely to last very long in current cultural memory.
For instance: let's say I'm on lunch break with co-workers. They certainly wouldn't recognize the name of any playwright I happen to name-drop. They know Superman and Batman and Walt Disney and Pixar. All else draws a blank look. They're certainly not going to recognize a modern name like Paddy Chayefsky. From our own timeperiod, and an Academy-winner to boot! Frankly--with some of these very typical nitwits today--they can't remember a summer blockbuster movie if its over 10 yrs old. No matter what box-office records it broke, either.
With the rise of modern media culture and 'instant' entertainment...I just don't think its the kind of society where comparative judgment holds any sway. People seem not to have a 'mental history' longer than fifteen minutes into the past. They know what they had for lunch today. That's about it. So can a brain with a goldfish attention-span evaluate a question like 'Aristophanes vs Neil Simon, pound-for-pound who was more solid?'
I revert back to my initial point: only the classics can truly stand up to the rigorous scrutiny suggested in the OP's thread. As much as I'd like to nominate a play by Tennessee Williams...he's already forgotten by the world. Or nearly is.
Eh. Just gripin', I suppose...pardon me...
You should all also look to where it all started: the greeks. I'm talking not only of the great tragic writers but also the comic ones. Everyone takes inspiration from somewhere, Shakespeare took it, in part, from the classical men. They're theater started what we now call an art of expression. Without them we wouldn't have anything that you cited. I would recommend five names: Sophocles, Euripides, Aeschylus, Aristophanes and Menander.
The Deus Ex Machina, the plot twist, the ridiculously funny physical comedy, everything was born as there.
Classical Greece was the only society where the dramatic stage was given so much honor, that it became the dominant religious expression of the period. It replaced sacrifice, ritual, and prayer in that culture. Playwrights were so influential that they became spiritual leaders of Athens. Its a phenomenon which has never recurred since. During the Italian Renaissance painters and sculptors were given very high status, but even that was nothing like this.
Eric wrote: "Equus by Shaffer. Based on a true story, haunting, psychological and a damned good show.
I had the pleasure to see Daniel Radclyffe do the title role and he was fantastic!"
Saw it myself in Boston some 40 years ago. Powerful.
I love Aeschylus' The Suppliant Maidens, and Hamlet & Lear aren't bad either, and Hedda Gabler should also be mentioned, but I'll go with Beckett's masterpiece Waiting for Godot. Of course, there is the Circe episode from Ulysses presented in the form a play: a bit unactionable, but still a kickin script!
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Track down the recording of Godot Bert Lahr. It is brilliant. Lahr's approach to do it as a vaudeville / burlesque sketch, and it paid off like crazy.
My experience of Godot was with the Beckett on Film project.
The two that spring to my mind are Shakespeare’s Much Ado, followed by absolutely anything by Oscar Wilde because I absolutely adore him!
Reginald Rose's Twelve Angry Men comes to mind. Although the play when read is not as powerful or tight, the film adaptation is one of the greatest I had ever seen. That may be because of Lumet's brilliance, but to hold the attention of a thirteen-year-old with a 'talking film' is no easy feat.Miller's harrowing works are great. All of them, in my opinion. Some might disagree when I say that Death of the Salesman is better than The Crucible.
two that come to mind are Wit by Margaret Edsonand Noises Off! by Michael Frayn.
God, who knows. But what's the most actor-proof script of all time?
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I love that there has been a renewed interest in both Wilde and Shaw recently.
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There is none. Look at the talents who have flopped in the best of plays -- Dunaway and Bankhead in STREETCAR, just to name two.
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Have you seen Glenda Jackson in Hedda?
My only experience of the play has come from reading. I've never seen it performed. - )
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You can see her Hedda on YouTube. It's quite good.
Thank you, Kenny! - ) I'm not sure I want to alter my own imagined images of the play.
Three that have not been mentionedFences—-August Wilson
Piano Lesson —August Wilson
The Importance of Being Ernest
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Fences—-August Wilson
Piano Lesson —August Wilson
The Importance of Being Ernest"
All are brilliant. I wish people realized how intricate and difficult Ernest is to pull off. I've seen so many bad productions of this.
Kenny wrote: "I wish people realized how intricate and difficult Ernest is to pull off. I've seen so many bad productions of this."You're absolutely right. I have, too. Flawless on the page, but very hard to make it work. You need a brilliant comic actor in each role - well, maybe not the butler. Or perhaps, even the butler. Even the wonderful Anthony Asquith film has a few performances that don't quite meet the challenge, I think. But it doesn't matter so much because it has Dame Edith Evans and Joan Greenwood to make up for them!
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Asquith' film is the gold stand for Ernest.
Theatre Books and Plays
Books mentioned in this topic
Six Characters in Search of an Author (other topics)Absolutely Perhaps (other topics)
Six Characters in Search of an Author (other topics)
Absolutely Perhaps (other topics)
My heart and mind speak to Martin McDonagh's Pillowman, an examination on literature that excels in parallel structure, word-play, tension, and imaginative twists. The script grows each read, and I doubt a live performance could live to the standards on the page. His Behanding in Spokane is also a wonderful read, but only Pillowman stands for best script.