Conversations with Pinter (Limelight) Review

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(More customer reviews)In a series of interviews between 1971 and 1993 Gussow (longtime _New York Times_ drama critic, who also coaxed a fascinating set of comments from Tom Stoppard) got Pinter to talk about how he works. Pinter refuses to commenton what his work "means," but is eager to clear the air aboutmisperceptions about himself (such as being in a chronic state of outrage).Pinter comes across as generous as well as politically committed,suspicious of audiences, but grateful to (fellow) actors. And he clearlyhas a sense of humor (too rarely appreciated in his plays).

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Conversations with Pinter

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Seeds of Modern Drama (Paperback) (Applause Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)I think it's probably safe to assume that this type of anthology, which offers a sampling of representative authors of certain "schools" or time periods or types of literature, is aimed primarily at college students who are required to imbibe at least a minimum of this sort of stuff in order to be considered well-rounded. And, evidently, when the books have served their purpose of conferring a bit of culture to their owners, said students are eager to divest themselves of the no longer needed baggage, for these little collections are a dime-a-dozen, or more literally, a quarter apiece, at library sales.

After these anthologies have made their descents to the stratum of library sales and garage sales, frugal bibliophiles such as myself guiltily purchase them, knowing full well they will probably collect dust for decades, but still unable to resist such a bargain in critically acclaimed world literature.

I am happy to report this book escaped the fate of bookshelf oblivion. Knowing that I was soon going to watch a film adaptation of Strindberg's "Miss Julie', I retrieved the book, for that is one of the plays contained therein. I was quite impressed with the Strindberg play. Though it was set in the 19thcentury, and the conventions of society were much more rigid and class-conscious than we're used to today, it is evident that Strindberg had a perceptive grasp of psychological influences on behavior, for the people in his play were motivated by the same compulsions, obsessions, and formative familial influences as people in our permissive modern society. The difference is, that people of that earlier age were more apt to suffer horribly for not conforming to their contemporary rules of convention.

But there was something else, perhaps of more importance from an artistic viewpoint, which I noticed about this play. That is that I was surprised at how real and life-like Strindberg made the characters seem, just through the use of dialog. I had avoided reading plays, because of my preconception that dramas were essentially stripped down novels or prose stories. Somehow, the idea had become ingrained that a narrative device which explained the action was necessary to give a full rendering of a story. On the contrary, 'Miss Julie' seemed to be more powerful just because the character of the players was revealed through dialog.

This discovery led me to check out the other plays in the volume, and to my surprise, I found they all were engrossing tales which revealed powerful stories just through the use of dialog and minimal stage descriptions. In a short time I had read all five plays, and was on the internet checking out other works and biographical information on these playwrights. To anyone who, like myself, loves great literature, but has somehow sidestepped drama, I would highly recommend this sampler to see what you may have been missing.

The plays included are: Therese Raquin, by Emile Zola
An Enemy of the people, by Henrik Ibsen
Miss Julie, by August Strindberg
The Weavers, by Gerhart Hauptmann
The Sea Gull, by Anton Chekhov

There is a nice introduction which briefly describes the plays and gives a short biographical glimpse of the authors' lives. All of these plays are supposed to be representative of the naturalist movement, which arose in opposition to what was considered the unrealistic idealism of the romantic movement. But that knowledge is not necessary to the enjoyment of the plays. In all of the plays, we see the characters trying somehow to adapt to the environment in which they find themselves, either by some sort of accommodation, or by trying to change it.

I was particularly struck byHauptmann's 'The Weavers'. Not to be preachy, but I think it would do us all good to consider how well off we are today, in this country at least, in comparison to the abominable conditions exposed in supposedly "civilized" Europe in relatively modern times. But Hauptmann's play is not an ideological pamphlet, but a work of art with vivid existential portraits of the lives of unbelievably exploited workers who had no advocate to defend them against their oppressors.

In reading this anthology, I came to learn why these playwrights merit the stature they have been accorded, and why their reputations have withstood the test of time. These are not stories with happy endings, but they show us vivid and artistically rendered pictures of the human condition.

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Five great forces - Checkhov, Hauptmann, Ibsen, Strindberg and Zola - dramatists whose work define, embrace and transcend the trends and genres of the modern stage, meet here in this extraordinary exhibition of their sustained and sustaining power in todayÃ-s theatre.

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Shaw on Shakespeare (Applause Books) Review

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(More customer reviews)If you like Shakespeare and Shaw, this is a wonderful book. Shaw, who was for more than ten years a theatrical reviewer, mostly for The Saturday Review, was exasperated that the world thought Shakespeare a better playwright, but nevertheless took up his cudgel when someone mounted a brainless and/or wrongheaded production of a Shakespeare play. (This sometimes happens, even today.) Shaw is not kind or gentle, but he is very, very funny. The book was out of print for years; we owe thanks to Glenn Young's Applause Books for making it available again. When people are feeling gloomy I have them read the first page of Shaw's review of A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM. Even if they know nothing about Shaw or that play, they generally burst out laughing.

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"With the single exception of Homer, there is no eminent writer, not even Sir Walter Scott, whom I can despise so entirely as I despise Shakespeare when I measure my mind against his." - From SHAW ON SHAKESPEARE Celebrated playwright, critic and essayist George Bernard Shaw was more like the Elizabethan master that he would ever admit. Both men were intristic dramatists who shared a rich and abiding respect for the stage. Shakespeare was the produce of a tempestuous and enlightening era under the reign of his patron, Queen Elizabeth I; while G.B.S. reflected the racy and risque spirt of the late 19th century as the champion of modern drama by playwrights like Ibsen, and, later, himself. Culled from Shaw's reviews, prefaces, letters to actors and critics, and other writings, SHAW ON SHAKESPEARE offers a fascinating and unforgettable portrait of the 16th century playwright by his most outspoken critic. This is a witty and provocative classic that combines Shaw's prodigious critical acumen with a superlative prose style second to none (except, perhaps, Shakespeare!).

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