Plays | Raging Biblio-holism

Dunsinane

March 10, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: The tyrant has been o’erthrown, his head upon the battlements. The English army has swept into Scotland and put Malcolm, the rightful(?) heir on the throne… but as it turns out, not everything would be as easy as they were led to believe. Siward, the valiant and well-meaning soldier, finds himself out of his depth in the wilds of Scotland – the terrain and the people are both quite difficult to master. The Review: I deeply regret […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Contemporary, David Greig, Dunsinane, Macbeth, Plays

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The Underpants

February 19, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: When Louise’s underpants mysteriously fall off during a parade for the King, Theo is convinced that he will lose his job and everything he holds dear. Meanwhile, under his nose, two gentlemen who got a view of Louise’s nether regions have arrived to rent their available room – and make off with Louise in the process. The Review: You know, I think there’s a reason we go to the French for our farces and not the Germans. […]

Categories: Classical, Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Adaptation, Carl Sternheim, Classical, Contemporary, Plays, Steve Martin, The Underpants

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Icecream

February 18, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: Caryl Churchill’s late 80s thriller, about an American couple who meet their distant English relations and get caught up in a murder. The Review: The play starts a little slow. The first three scenes are confusing and not entirely cohesive… there’s a 40-something American couple and they’re in England and they’re looking around at something and it gets confusing. You don’t know what they’re doing or why they’re there. But then they meet a 20-something pair of […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Caryl Churchill, Contemporary, Icecream, Plays

Some Explicit Polaroids

February 15, 2012 by Drew

The Short Version: Nick has been in prison since 1984 and he’s just been released. Of course, things have changed – people have changed too. So what’s it mean to be an angry young man when everyone (including you) has grown up and the world has moved on? The Review: My first interaction with Mark Ravenhill was the execrable Over There at the Royal Court in 2009. I hated that play with a passion – it was a heavy-handed parable about […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Contemporary, Mark Ravenhill, Plays, Some Explicit Polaroids

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The Tragedy of Macbeth, Part II

December 27, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Ten years since Macbeth was slain and Malcolm still sits upon the Scottish throne. Things are relatively peaceful, although the anniversary stirs up some still-simmering insecurities about that lingering bit of prophecy regarding Fleance. Malcolm is led by his less-than-good courtiers into a spiral of deceit and murder not unlike that of his predecessor, again leading to the inevitable conclusion that the witches prophesied so long ago. The Review: I’ve been wary of this play for some time – […]

Categories: Classical, Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Classical, Contemporary, Macbeth, Noah Lukeman, Plays, Shakespeare, The Seed of Banquo, The Tragedy of Macbeth Part II

In the Next Room or, the vibrator play

October 9, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Sarah Ruhl’s Broadway debut, set at the dawn of electricity. Mrs. Givings is a new mother with a distracted doctor husband who specializes in curing women’s “hysteria”… by using a vibrator. Meanwhile, she finds herself just wanting to be loved – but finding it hard to find love in these rapidly changing times. The Review: I saw this beautiful play on Broadway, so reading it some two years later only brings back wonderful memories of the production. […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Contemporary, In the Next Room or the vibrator play, Plays, Sarah Ruhl, the vibrator play

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Leaves

August 27, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: an Irish family deals with the return of their eldest daughter after her suicide attempt at school in London. The Review: I realize that my summary is a rather succinct and curt assessment of the plot… but also the most accurate way to describe it. There isn’t really anything else to this play than that plot – or, really, the family dynamic that springs from it. And this play is definitely a family play. It is an impressive […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Contemporary, Leaves, Lucy Caldwell, Plays

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Yellow Face

August 14, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: David Henry Hwang’s semi-autobiographical play about what it means to be Asian-American – and whether or not titles like that should still even apply when we’re all just people who put on different ‘faces’ depending on the day. The Review: I love DHH’s writing. M. Butterfly was a curious and strange play that I’d have loved to’ve seen actually performed and his new play Chinglish should be… well, interesting to say the least. I was only vaguely aware of the […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Contemporary, David Henry Hwang, Plays, Yellow Face

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Hitchcock Blonde

August 7, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: An academic and his student uncover pieces of a lost Hitchcock film while a parallel story of Hitch and Janet Leigh’s body double plays out with shocking Hitch-like twists. The Review: I love Hitchcock. This probably doesn’t come as a surprise to you, although I’ve rarely spoken on this forum of my non-literary preferences. Regardless, I believe Hitch to be one of – if not the most talented director ever to work in the medium. I took a class […]

Categories: Contemporary, Plays • Tags: Contemporary, Hitchcock, Hitchcock Blonde, Plays, Terry Johnson

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The Liar

August 6, 2011 by Drew

The Short Version: Dorante, newly arrived in Paris, is a consumate liar. He manages to spin a web of fantastic stories and get himself caught up in a classic French romantic farce, complete with mistaken identities and identical twins. Fun is had by all and everyone gets married in the end! The Review: In an attempt to get myself back into a Think Tank creative mindset, I’m attempting to dive back into reading plays. Having procured a few from The Public during […]

Categories: Classical, Plays • Tags: Classical, Comedy, David Ives, Pierre Corneille, Plays, The Liar

Raging Biblio-holism

The overwhelming urge to collect, consume, and consider books

Category Archives: Plays

Dunsinane

The Underpants

Icecream

Some Explicit Polaroids

The Tragedy of Macbeth, Part II

In the Next Room or, the vibrator play

Leaves

Yellow Face

Hitchcock Blonde

The Liar

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