Plays in Production – serie

Few plays have generated more controversy or had a more extraordinary performance history than Molière's Don Juan. David Whitton's study examines ways in which this enigmatic masterpiece has been interpreted in performance through the vision of different directors and in a variety of cultural and social contexts ranging from pre-revolutionary St Petersburg to post-revolutionary Prague. In a series of critical studies, key productions are reconstructed using prompt books, production notes, photographs, contemporary reviews, memoirs and the author's own experience as a spectator. Among the interpretations discussed are those of Meyerhold, Brecht, Ingmar Bergman, Jouvet, and Chéreau. Each of these productions, in addition to shedding new light on a familiar text, is a theatrical landmark in its own right. The book is illustrated with numerous photographs and contains a geographical-chronological table of productions.

This 1995 critical study of Ibsen's A Doll's House addresses fundamental questions of text, reception and performance. What is the definitive 'version' of A Doll's House: original text, translation, stage presentation, radio version, adaptation to film or television? What occurs when a drama intended for recipients in one language is translated into another, or when a play written for the stage is adapted for radio, television or film? And to what extent do differences between the media and between directorial approaches influence the meaning of the play text? Discussions of these issues include an internal analysis of the dramatic text and comparative performance analysis, framed by the biographical background to the play and its impact on dramas by Strindberg, Shaw and O'Neill and on films by Ingmar Bergman. The book concludes with a list of productions and a select bibliography.

This 1996 book is a study of Oscar Wilde's Salome, a play now regarded as central to his artistic achievement. Often drawing on little-known sources, the authors provide a detailed stage-history of this controversial work, and its transformation into opera, dance and film. Beginning with Sarah Bernhardt's aborted production of 1892, the book surveys Salome's principal realisations in the European theatre, including Lugné-Poe's Parisian première of 1896, Reinhardt's Berlin productions of 1902-3, attempts at presentation in pre-revolutionary Russia, and the play's impact on the English stage between 1911 and 1990. A separate chapter explores a wealth of further interpretations, including Aubrey Beardsley's challenging illustrations, Strauss's operatic version and the provocative films created by Alla Nazimova and Ken Russell.

This is the first book to provide a critical history of one of American theatre's most famous plays, Death of a Salesman. Brenda Murphy offers a detailed account of the most significant Salesman productions throughout the world, on the stage as well as in film, radio, and television. The Death of a Salesman that was first realised on stage was the culmination of the creative collaboration among playwright Arthur Miller, director Elia Kazan, and actor Lee J. Cobb, and was the starting point for hundreds of productions in many languages and styles. The play has also provided a number of memorable interpretations by actors such as Dustin Hoffman, George C. Scott, Frederic March, and Mel Gibson. The volume includes a production chronology, bibliography, discography, videography, and photographs from key productions.

This 1995 critical study of Ibsen's A Doll's House addresses fundamental questions of text, reception and performance. What is the definitive 'version' of A Doll's House: original text, translation, stage presentation, radio version, adaptation to film or television? What occurs when a drama intended for recipients in one language is translated into another, or when a play written for the stage is adapted for radio, television or film? And to what extent do differences between the media and between directorial approaches influence the meaning of the play text? Discussions of these issues include an internal analysis of the dramatic text and comparative performance analysis, framed by the biographical background to the play and its impact on dramas by Strindberg, Shaw and O'Neill and on films by Ingmar Bergman. The book concludes with a list of productions and a select bibliography.

Few plays have generated more controversy or had a more extraordinary performance history than Molière's Don Juan. David Whitton's study examines ways in which this enigmatic masterpiece has been interpreted in performance through the vision of different directors and in a variety of cultural and social contexts ranging from pre-revolutionary St Petersburg to post-revolutionary Prague. In a series of critical studies, key productions are reconstructed using prompt books, production notes, photographs, contemporary reviews, memoirs and the author's own experience as a spectator. Among the interpretations discussed are those of Meyerhold, Brecht, Ingmar Bergman, Jouvet, and Chéreau. Each of these productions, in addition to shedding new light on a familiar text, is a theatrical landmark in its own right. The book is illustrated with numerous photographs and contains a geographical-chronological table of productions.

Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus (or Oedipus Rex) has exerted more influence than any other drama, ancient or modern, on the history of theatre, and this influence has extended far beyond the boundaries of the western theatrical tradition to include African and Oriental theatre histories as well. This volume traces Sophocles' paradigmatic ancient tragedy from its first appearance on the stage in the fifth century BC to present day productions. The afterlife of Oedipus has played a key role in the history of ideas, and this volume examines its centrality to the history of stage censorship and political and cultural upheaval across the centuries. More recently, the protagonist has come under close scrutiny in his association with the Oedipus of psychoanalytical theory. Macintosh demonstrates how, by following the fortunes of Sophocles' Oedipus on the world stage, one witnesses its intersection with and impact upon the history of theatre and the history of ideas.

Sophocles' Oedipus Tyrannus (or Oedipus Rex) has exerted more influence than any other drama, ancient or modern, on the history of theatre, and this influence has extended far beyond the boundaries of the western theatrical tradition to include African and Oriental theatre histories as well. This volume traces Sophocles' paradigmatic ancient tragedy from its first appearance on the stage in the fifth century BC to present day productions. The afterlife of Oedipus has played a key role in the history of ideas, and this volume examines its centrality to the history of stage censorship and political and cultural upheaval across the centuries. More recently, the protagonist has come under close scrutiny in his association with the Oedipus of psychoanalytical theory. Macintosh demonstrates how, by following the fortunes of Sophocles' Oedipus on the world stage, one witnesses its intersection with and impact upon the history of theatre and the history of ideas.

Chekhov's masterpiece, about a Russian family losing its ancestral home, combines a lament for a vanishing past with a hopeful dream of the future. In the century since its first performance, The Cherry Orchard has undergone a wide range of conflicting interpretations: tragic and comic, naturalistic and symbolic, reactionary and radical. Beginning with the 1904 premiere at Stanislavsky's Moscow Art Theatre, this study traces the performance history of one of the landmark plays of the modern theatre. Considering the work of such directors as Anatoly Efros, Giorgio Strehler, Peter Brook, and Peter Stein, Chekhov: The Cherry Orchard explores the way different artists, periods and cultures have reinvented Chekhov's poignant comedy of failure and hope.

This 1996 book is a study of Oscar Wilde's Salome, a play now regarded as central to his artistic achievement. Often drawing on little-known sources, the authors provide a detailed stage-history of this controversial work, and its transformation into opera, dance and film. Beginning with Sarah Bernhardt's aborted production of 1892, the book surveys Salome's principal realisations in the European theatre, including Lugné-Poe's Parisian première of 1896, Reinhardt's Berlin productions of 1902-3, attempts at presentation in pre-revolutionary Russia, and the play's impact on the English stage between 1911 and 1990. A separate chapter explores a wealth of further interpretations, including Aubrey Beardsley's challenging illustrations, Strauss's operatic version and the provocative films created by Alla Nazimova and Ken Russell.

Waiting for Godot is a byword in every major world language. No other twentieth-century play has achieved such global currency. His innovations have affected not only the writing of plays, but all aspects of their staging. In this book David Bradby explores the impact of the play and its influence on acting, directing, design, and the role of theatre in society. Bradby begins with an analysis of the play and its historical context. After discussing the first productions in France, Britain and America, he examines subsequent productions in Africa, Eastern Europe, Israel, America, China and Japan. The book assesses interpretations by actors such as Bert Lahr, David Warrilow, Georges Wilson, Barry McGovern and Ben Kingsley, and directors Roger Blin, Susan Sontag, Sir Peter Hall, Luc Bondy, Yukio Ninagawa and Beckett himself. It also contains an extensive production chronology, bibliography and illustrations from major productions.

Waiting for Godot is a byword in every major world language. No other twentieth-century play has achieved such global currency. His innovations have affected not only the writing of plays, but all aspects of their staging. In this book David Bradby explores the impact of the play and its influence on acting, directing, design, and the role of theatre in society. Bradby begins with an analysis of the play and its historical context. After discussing the first productions in France, Britain and America, he examines subsequent productions in Africa, Eastern Europe, Israel, America, China and Japan. The book assesses interpretations by actors such as Bert Lahr, David Warrilow, Georges Wilson, Barry McGovern and Ben Kingsley, and directors Roger Blin, Susan Sontag, Sir Peter Hall, Luc Bondy, Yukio Ninagawa and Beckett himself. It also contains an extensive production chronology, bibliography and illustrations from major productions.

This is the first comprehensive study of Brecht's Mother Courage. Peter Thomson locates the sources of the play in Brecht's own experience and heritage, and provides a detailed account of Brecht's own production with the newly formed Berliner Ensemble in 1949. Thomson then explores how the play has been transmitted in the English-speaking theatre from Joan Littlewood's production with the Theatre Workshop Company in 1956 to the Royal National Theatre, with Diana Rigg as Mother Courage, in 1995. The book also examines such influential interpretations as those by William Gaskill, Judi Dench, and Glenda Jackson in the English theatre, and by Herbert Balu and Richard Schechner in America. Seminal productions in France and the Germanies are also discussed. A final chapter highlights the new urgency of the text in light of the wars in the former Yugoslavia, and closes with an account of a triumphant staging in Uganda.

One of the most important plays of the twentieth century, A Streetcar Named Desire revolutionised the modern stage. This book offers the first continuous history of the play in production from 1947 to 1998 with an emphasis on the collaborative achievement of Tennessee Williams, Elia Kazan, and Jo Mielziner in the Broadway premiere. From there chapters survey major national premieres by the world's leading directors including those by Seki Sano (Mexico), Luchino Visconti (Italy), Ingmar Bergman (Sweden), Jean Cocteau (France ) and Laurence Olivier (England). Philip Kolin also evaluates key English-language revivals and assesses how the script evolved and adapted to cultural changes. Interpretations by Black and gay theatre companies also receive analyses and transformations into other media, such as ballet, film, television, and opera (premiered in 1998) form an important part of the overall study.

One of the most important plays of the twentieth century, A Streetcar Named Desire revolutionised the modern stage. This book offers the first continuous history of the play in production from 1947 to 1998 with an emphasis on the collaborative achievement of Tennessee Williams, Elia Kazan, and Jo Mielziner in the Broadway premiere. From there chapters survey major national premieres by the world's leading directors including those by Seki Sano (Mexico), Luchino Visconti (Italy), Ingmar Bergman (Sweden), Jean Cocteau (France ) and Laurence Olivier (England). Philip Kolin also evaluates key English-language revivals and assesses how the script evolved and adapted to cultural changes. Interpretations by Black and gay theatre companies also receive analyses and transformations into other media, such as ballet, film, television, and opera (premiered in 1998) form an important part of the overall study.

This is a detailed study of one of the most important plays in contemporary theatre, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, by Edward Albee. In this fascinating look at the modern stage, Stephen Bottoms draws on original archival material and sources including an exclusive interview with Edward Albee. The Introduction considers the text of the play itself; part one provides a survey of the major productions from 1962 to 1999, with special attention paid to the premiere and the 1966 film version. Part two examines shifting critical responses to the play, demonstrating how changing times and attitudes have altered audience perception of performances. The third and final part offers a detailed examination of five different performances, comparing and contrasting directorial, design and acting approaches to demonstrate how our understanding of the play alters considerably according to its interpretation on stage.

This is a detailed study of one of the most important plays in contemporary theatre, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, by Edward Albee. In this fascinating look at the modern stage, Stephen Bottoms draws on original archival material and sources including an exclusive interview with Edward Albee. The Introduction considers the text of the play itself; part one provides a survey of the major productions from 1962 to 1999, with special attention paid to the premiere and the 1966 film version. Part two examines shifting critical responses to the play, demonstrating how changing times and attitudes have altered audience perception of performances. The third and final part offers a detailed examination of five different performances, comparing and contrasting directorial, design and acting approaches to demonstrate how our understanding of the play alters considerably according to its interpretation on stage.

Since its explosive premiere in Rome in 1921, Six Characters in Search of an Author has gained worldwide recognition. Pirandello's challenge to the very notion of stage representation was taken up by the leading directors of the time. The playwright incorporated details from the early performances into his revised text, which he directed himself in 1925. Jennifer Lorch examines the two texts in the context of different theatrical traditions and traces Pirandello's growing awareness of the development of advanced theatrical facilities outside Italy. She also offers an analysis of selected productions of the play in Italy, England, France, the USA, Germany and Russia in both commercial and avant-garde theatres. This comprehensive study includes a production chronology, bibliography and illustrations from major productions.

Since its explosive premiere in Rome in 1921, Six Characters in Search of an Author has gained worldwide recognition. Pirandello's challenge to the very notion of stage representation was taken up by the leading directors of the time. The playwright incorporated details from the early performances into his revised text, which he directed himself in 1925. Jennifer Lorch examines the two texts in the context of different theatrical traditions and traces Pirandello's growing awareness of the development of advanced theatrical facilities outside Italy. She also offers an analysis of selected productions of the play in Italy, England, France, the USA, Germany and Russia in both commercial and avant-garde theatres. This comprehensive study includes a production chronology, bibliography and illustrations from major productions.

This is the first full production history of Long Day's Journey Into Night, by Eugene O'Neill, one of the most influential plays of the twentieth century. It provides a detailed account of the most significant productions throughout the world, on stage, film, and television. Brenda Murphy examines the unique circumstances that led to the posthumous world premiere in Stockholm, in a Swedish translation. Murphy also explores the subsequent first production in English, on Broadway, which established a standard for future directors and actors. The book conveys the unique interpretations of the Tyrone family by such actors as Fredric March, Jason Robards, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Katharine Hepburn, Colleen Dewhurst, Ruby Dee, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, and Alan Bates, among other distinguished theatre artists. An extensive production chronology provides details about nearly 100 productions throughout the world. This illustrated history also includes an extensive bibliography, discography and videography.

This is the first full production history of Long Day's Journey Into Night, by Eugene O'Neill, one of the most influential plays of the twentieth century. It provides a detailed account of the most significant productions throughout the world, on stage, film, and television. Brenda Murphy examines the unique circumstances that led to the posthumous world premiere in Stockholm, in a Swedish translation. Murphy also explores the subsequent first production in English, on Broadway, which established a standard for future directors and actors. The book conveys the unique interpretations of the Tyrone family by such actors as Fredric March, Jason Robards, Laurence Olivier, Ralph Richardson, Katharine Hepburn, Colleen Dewhurst, Ruby Dee, Kevin Spacey, Jack Lemmon, and Alan Bates, among other distinguished theatre artists. An extensive production chronology provides details about nearly 100 productions throughout the world. This illustrated history also includes an extensive bibliography, discography and videography.