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A place to discuss any plays you might be reading or have seen performed.

I would like to know if there is any interest in having group reads of plays. I am thinking about doing this quarterly, following the seasons for dates so the first play, The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde, would run from Sept. 22 - Dec. 21, 2013.

I would be interested! I would also love a poetry section.

Great, Katy!

We do have a poetry section, located here but maybe it should have a general poetry discussion thread as well...

Well I would be up for that Leslie - I have The Importance of Being Ernest on my kindle!

Thanks Laurel. It is a great comedy - I am planning on listening to the audiobook version this time since I have read it before :)

Cool - we can always have it as a readalong if it doesn't end being a group read - to be honest, I'm a bit disappointed with myself that I've never read it so need to fix that!

I'm in!!!!! There's always time for Oscar!!!
And this summer in England - Cambridge - I had my afternoon tea thinking of him and his cucumber sandwiches!!!

havent watched the play, sounds interesting. would like to join in too, Leslie!

One of the funniest plays.....
We had it in the undergraduate syllabus and we laughed a lot.

OK, seems like there is enough interest to try this. I will send out a reminder closer to the starting date.

Has anyone read any plays by Strindberg? I would like to read one this month to round out my Scandinavian reading. I have Five Plays, Set 2: There Are Crimes and Crimes; Miss Julia; The Stronger; Creditors; Pariah on my Kindle. Any help selecting one of those 5 would be appreciated!

The last play I read was A Doll's House for perks, I will join in re-reading The Importance of Being Earnest as I love that one. Would love to see it in a theatre someday.

I just finished Miss Julie (or, as my translation has it Miss Julia) by Swedish author August Strindberg. What a tragedy in the tradition of the classic Greek plays or Shakespeare! I didn't have much sympathy for the title character at first but I could empathize with her... she made some foolish choices which had terrible consequences.

I watched a 1987 production on YouTube with Janet McTeer which was very well done - the language was modernized a bit, which was a little disconcerting as I was reading the text, but probably a good thing. Here is the link if anyone wants to watch it:

I've read the play Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter which was the only musical I performed in back in 2007 for a local community theater and it was a fun experience for me. I've also read Julius Caesaras we had to read that my sophomore year of High school and my freshman year we read Romeo and Juliet.

Amber wrote: "I've read the play Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter which was the only musical I performed in back in 2007 for a local community theater and it was a fun experience for me. I've also read Julius Caesar a..."

I love the movie version of Kiss Me Kate with Howard Keel - Cole Porter even has a cameo as himself :)

I just finished Love's Labour's Lost by Shakespeare. It was pleasant enough but I didn't think that it was as good as The Taming of the Shrew (which is the basis of Kiss Me Kate).

That's cool Leslie. ^_^ If you ever watch the film Delovely which is based on Cole Porter's Life starring Kevin Kline, he wrote the song "So in Love" in Kiss Me Kate for his wife. It's a very good and sad film.

Amber wrote: "That's cool Leslie. ^_^ If you ever watch the film Delovely which is based on Cole Porter's Life starring Kevin Kline, he wrote the song "So in Love" in Kiss Me Kate for his wife. It's a very good ..."

I have seen that and Night and Day with Cary Grant, which is also a biopic of Porter.

I'd be interested...depending on the play. Did theatre for a number of years and really enjoyed it...but there were just to many to add to my read list.

Amber wrote: "I've read the play Kiss Me Kate by Cole Porter which was the only musical I performed in back in 2007 for a local community theater and it was a fun experience for me. I've also read Julius Caesara..."

Julius Caesar was the first ply by Shakespeare I read wholly. It was in the first year in University and I had a great english literature professor, who not only read it, but gave his way of interpreting it. I still remers his lessons - and the play. Really beautiful! When Caesar, speaking of Cassio with Antonio says that he doen't trust him because "he thinks too much". Great, no more words needed

I just finished Jean Anouilh's play The Lark. Interesting that the only other Anouilh play I have read is also about a tragic female character - Antigone! Joan of Arc is not a subject that I am drawn to but Anouilh made me interested. Some great lines to ponder or quote!

I just finished reading Henry V... I have only read a few of Shakespeare's 'historical' plays as I find I have a slight prejudice against them (why? I don't know). I have seen this as a film though, the famous 1945 Laurence Olivier version, so I was familiar with the content.

I found that the language in this play was generally fairly easy to follow (which I don't find to be true of Shakespeare in general!). A few of the scenes seemed unnecessary, especially as this play is a bit on the long side, and perhaps a bit too much untranslated French (although my high school French of years passed was sufficient to get the gist of most of it).

I loved the 'rally the troops' speeches, which are of course quite famous. "Once more into the breach!" and "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" were quite thrilling!

I always have a bit of a bias against the historical Shakespeare pays but I saw Richard III last year and thought it was fantastic. I think I expect them to be a bit boring, forgetting that they have clearly survived the test of time so probably aren't boring!

Heather wrote: "I always have a bit of a bias against the historical Shakespeare pays but I saw Richard III last year and thought it was fantastic. I think I expect them to be a bit boring, forgetting that they ha..."

That is probably the root of my prejudice, Heather. I am also not well-versed in English history so sometimes I think that there will be references or people that I won't recognize.

On a totally different topic, I am going to the theater today to see The Elephant Man. I saw this years ago on Broadway - I am curious to see how my local repertory theater does.

The last play I read was Rabbit Hole. It was pretty good.

The last one I saw was The Beautiful Dark. It was okay.

Heather wrote: "I always have a bit of a bias against the historical Shakespeare pays but I saw Richard III last year and thought it was fantastic. I think I expect them to be a bit boring, forgetting that they ha..."

I have never read any historical play by Shakespeare, having always prefered his tragedies os comedies. But this year I'm going to see Richard III at the theatre here and I want to read it before going. It's on the second week of next january; I'll read it at Christmas time!

The only Shakespeare I have seen was Romeo and Juliet which was performed by my university's English department. I really enjoyed it considering most of the cast were only studying English and not Drama although a few people from the main cast did.

I just read Wait Until Dark. I gave it two stars. It has too much going on that is totally unbelievable for me to really get into it.

About to start Six Characters in Search of an Author with a readalong; anyone interestes?

I may join the comments...I was in this play in college...was a lot of fun.

I am.

Good!!!!
Here's the link:
/topic/show/...

The play I went to this past weekend was a part of a rolling premiere (a bizarre idea but basically refers to a play opening at select reperatory theaters across the country instead of Broadway); the play is called Rancho Mirage by Steven Dietz.

Here is the blurb from the theater:
"Acclaimed playwright Steven Dietz' black comedy looks at affluent suburban couples whose truths finally catch up with them. At an ill-fated dinner party, these long-time friends are awakened to the secrets of their past with hilarious and farcical results. Written by one of America's most widely-produced playwrights, this National New Play Network Rolling World Premiere comedy asks what remains between us when youth, dreams, and the last bottle of wine is gone?"

Parts were definitely funny but I disliked the ending - it didn't fit at all. Overall, the play struck me as an attempt to be a modern version of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, but didn't quite carry it off. Just one example - the 3 couples supposedly consume 10 bottles of wine as well as a couple of six-packs of beer and then blurt out truths in their drunkenness, but they didn't speak or act drunk! And how coherent could they be after that much alcohol?

Just finished Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore / Enrico IV. Interesting as almost everything by Luigi Pirandello, but complex and to think about. Not an easy read, even if short as plays usually are ...

LauraT wrote: "Just finished Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore / Enrico IV. Interesting as almost everything by Luigi Pirandello, but complex and to think about. Not an easy read, even if short as plays usually ar..."

Laura, you read Henry IV as well? That was included in the edition I got from Project Gutenburg (which was Three Plays by Pirandello - the third play was How Right You Are).

LauraT wrote: "About to start Six Characters in Search of an Author with a readalong; anyone interestes?"


This looks very interesting. Would like to join in too, please.

I've just booked tickets to see a live screening of "Frankenstein" with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the monster and Johnny Lee Miller as Frankenstein on 31st October. Really looking forward to it.

Wow! I wish I could go.

Poornima wrote: "LauraT wrote: "About to start Six Characters in Search of an Author with a readalong; anyone interestes?"

This looks very interesting. Would like to join in too, please."

I copied the likn of the discussion above; here it is again anyway: hope you'll joyin in!!!
/topic/show/...

Leslie wrote: "LauraT wrote: "Just finished Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore / Enrico IV. Interesting as almost everything by Luigi Pirandello, but complex and to think about. Not an easy read, even if short as p..."

No Leslie, I took the wrong edition!!! I only read Sei personaggi in cerca d'autore; could be interesting to read also the other one!

Shirley wrote: "I've just booked tickets to see a live screening of "Frankenstein" with Benedict Cumberbatch playing the monster and Johnny Lee Miller as Frankenstein on 31st October. Really looking forward to it."

What a great play to see on Halloween! Enjoy!

I picked up a book of 6 American plays at the library today (called "New Voices in the American Theater"):

A Streetcar Named Desire by Tennessee Williams
Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller
Come Back, Little Sheba by William Inge
The Seven Year Itch by George Axelrod
Tea and Sympathy by Robert Anderson
and
The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial: A Drama In Two Acts by Herman Wouk

I picked it for the Miller play but couldn't resist reading The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial this afternoon... Very good but slightly less stirring than the full-length movie (and I assume that goes for the novel as well!!).

Leslie, You are very consistent with your reading of plays. I admire your consistency. I have read very few plays after my Bachelor's. I should add more plays in my reading plan.......

Good ideas for my 2014 challenge!

Dhanaraj wrote: "Leslie, You are very consistent with your reading of plays. I admire your consistency. I have read very few plays after my Bachelor's. I should add more plays in my reading plan......."

Yes, I have managed to stick to my 2013 challenges pretty well! Surprisingly well, actually :P

Plays are short, so they are easy to fit in. Although, as several people have commented, it is generally better to see them performed, I can't go to the theater 2-3 times a month! So reading them is the next best thing for me.

I have planned to read two plays in November. Both plays are by the Italians. Six Characters In Search Of An Author and Mistero Buffo (Methuen Modern Plays) or Accidental Death of an Anarchist.

Leslie wrote: "Dhanaraj wrote: "Leslie, You are very consistent with your reading of plays. I admire your consistency. I have read very few plays after my Bachelor's. I should add more plays in my reading plan......"

I've never understood the bias against reading plays. Yes they are meant to be seen, but even if you go to the theatre all the time there are still so many great plays you will never see because no one near you is doing them. Lucy Thurber is one of my favorite playwrights and she has had I think a total of ten performances of one of her plays done here (it was running in rotation with two plays by other playwrights) if I didn't read her work I would have missed out on something really great.

Dhanaraj wrote: "I have planned to read two plays in November. Both plays are by the Italians. Six Characters In Search Of An Author and Mistero Buffo (Methuen Modern Plays) or Accidental Death of an Anarchist."

Oh, I think you will find Pirandello's Six Characters... thought-provoking! And please do comment in the readalong thread when you finish.

I don't know how it is that I have never read or seen Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller before. I found the amount of descriptive commentary by Miller at the beginning of the play interesting, as he included things I hadn't seen in other plays (like bits of suggested backstory). I would like to see a good production of this as it seems to me that it could be fairly challenging to put on, especially the parts with the ghosts (hallucinations? memories? delusions?) that Willie sees but no-one else does.

Perhaps because I read this after finishing Girl, Interrupted, Willie comes across as mentally ill and getting worse. His mood swings and his lies, which apparently pre-date his talking to himself and tiredness, could be symptoms.

Leslie wrote: "I don't know how it is that I have never read or seen Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller before. I found the amount of descriptive commentary by Miller at the beginning of the play interesting,..."

I first read it about six or seven years ago. I was studying English at night school, and this was one of the plays we studied. I found it so moving and very well written and when it came to the exam, I really enjoyed writing about it. I have seen the film version with John Malkovich, which is very good, and well worth watching, if you get the chance.

Willie is certainly suffering from some sort of emotional/mental fatigue - it's such a sad story, isn't it? I loved Biff's speech where he tells his father, "We none of us spoke the truth in this house" (or words to that effect, I don't have the play in front of me now!)

Shirley, you might might want to compare Willie to the guy in the movie "Brasses Off" who lost his job at the mine during the Thatcher era. Same sort of decline and tragic ending.