Classic plays are extremely hard to stage, mostly because they have already been performed a number of times to the point where they seem to have nothing new for directors to explore. However, every new staging of any Moliere’s play reveals new depth in the author’s genius and provides the director with enough room for imagination. Though Stephens’ staging of The imaginary invalid had some problems in terms of lighting and a slightly careless work with the sound, with the help of an amazing cast of actors and the amazing choice of setting and lighting, Stephens managed to reinvent the traditional vision of the famous play. It seems that there is hardly any reason for retelling the lay – the plot of The imaginary invalid seems to have become one of the stories that are included in the traditional baggage of knowledge for any educated person to have. Anyway, an old Argan, who is obsessed with his health and is constantly under impression that he is ill, tells his physician, Dr. Purgon, that the treatment process needs to be enhanced. Arhon’s wife, Belina, considers her husband’s mania a whim, whereas their daughter Angelique keeps silent about her possible doubts. She is enamored in Cleante, which makes her feel rather distracted and makes it hard for her to leave the realm of dreams and return into the world of reality. Toinette, the maid, seems to be the only one to fight against Argan’s ridiculous fears of diseases. Meanwhile, Argan informs his daughter that he wants her to marry Thomas Diaforious. Cleante is hired as a piano teacher by Argan; as a result, Cleant and Angelique confess their love for each other during the duet song. Once their secret is revealed, Argan is furious. Bertald, Argan’s brother, tries to change the fo... ... middle of paper ... ...he key concepts and the original message of The Imaginary Invalid had been worn out by the time that the interpretation under analysis came out, the director and the crew have managed to reinvent the entire play with the help of a range of unique stylistic choices and a very impressive acting. While it would be wrong to deny that the play had its problems, especially in terms of lighting and the sound, the result is obviously impressive, which the actors should be credited for. Each of the members of the cast has managed to capture the essence of their character and display character development in a rather subtle and unique manner. Works Cited Keller, G. D. (1977). The significance and impact of Gregorio Marañón. Tucson, AZ: Bilingual Press. Stephens, C. (2013). The imaginary invalid. Vancouver, WA: Hudson's Bay High School Theater and Video Production.
When Mary Zimmerman adapts a play from an ancient text her directing process and the way she engages with text are woven together, both dependent on the other. She writes these adaptations from nondramatic text, writing each evening while working through the pre-production rehearsals and improvisations during the day with the cast. The rehearsal process influences the text, and the text enriches the rehearsal process, so that one cannot exist without the other. Every rehearsal is structured the same but each production is unique because as Zimmerman states in “The Archaeology of Performance”, she is always “open to the possibilities”. The piece is open to everything happening in the world and to the people involved, so the possibilities are honest and endless.
In conclusion I think that the stage directions and dramatic irony are significant to the play, and without them there would be no need for a lot of the events that happen in the play.
Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night is a comedy that has been interpreted in different ways, enabling one to receive multiple experiences of the same story. Due to the content and themes of the play, it can be creatively challenging to producers and their casting strategies. Instead of being a hindrance, I find the ability for one to experiment exciting as people try to discover strategies that best represent entertainment for the audience, as well as the best ways to interpret Shakespeare’s work.
To realize the vision of the play, the script, set-up, costumes, stagecraft, sound design, and acting have to communicate a unified message with which the audience will relate. The script will be tailored to ensure that the audience can understand the play as it proceeds. This is in terms of the language and terms used. Though the language will not be modern, it will be English that can be understood by the audience. This will be English of antique England as it will give the play a feeling of ancient times. The scriptwriter will carry out research on the level of understanding the local people will have of ancient English so as to ascertain that the script matches this level. Although many plays of that era were sung and accompanied by dance, this play will be acted out with spoken word rather than songs. This is because speaking will ensure the audience hears the conversations as they go on and that they understand. This is ...
... a dynamic talent his interpretation of a distinguish business man who attribute himself, savvy with money and his trademark with finances, who completely overcomes the poverty he was born into was excellent. Although his betrayal of Yermolai was great there were a few moments in the play that I thought he over acted on but his overall performance was wonderful? It was almost unrecognizable. The cast of the play was so prepared there were almost no noticeable mistakes. It was unclear in the second act to me for a while what was exactly going on. The transition while they were speaking in the orchard just seems to be a little confusing and somewhat rambling. I think it did not have much to do with the play direction. The end, however, pulled it all together for me to better understand each Act over all this play was enjoyable and a play I could watch again.
It is difficult to imagine a play which is completely successful in portraying drama as Bertolt Brecht envisioned it to be. For many years before and since Brecht proposed his theory of “Epic Theatre”, writers, directors and actors have been focused on the vitality of entertaining the audience, and creating characters with which the spectator can empathize. ‘Epic Theatre’ believes that the actor-spectator relationship should be one of distinct separation, and that the spectator should learn from the actor rather than relate to him. Two contemporary plays that have been written in the last thirty years which examine and work with Brechtian ideals are ‘Fanshen’ by David Hare, and ‘The Laramie Project’ by Moises Kaufman. The question to be examined is whether either of these two plays are entirely successful in achieving what was later called, ‘The Alienation Effect”.
Overall, I enjoyed this play. Even with the dull ending, I found it to be entertaining and a good use of my time. The cast was great and they made good use of a decent
Brecht argues that the ultimate purpose of play is to induce pleasure and to entertain, and that--because of this purpose--play needs no justification. Plays should not be simply copied from or seen through older performances, but need to develop on their own to better relate to a new audience. Through the use of alienation which aims to make the familiar unfamiliar, play and theatre can be seen under a new perspective, and the actor can feel more free to perform under a new guise.
Moliere’s “The Imaginary Invalid” is a play about a hypochondriac who is so obsessed with his health and money that he ends up neglecting his family’s needs to better his own.
Besides the fact that I didn't like this play, the actors did do a pretty good job with their acting and memorization of their lines. Couple times Marisol hesitated with her lines but it wasn't too bad. I like the accents they were using. It wasn't to hard to understand what they were saying, but once again there were those times when their accents did effect a little on their pronunciations and my understanding on what they were saying. Overall, I don't think they were too believable with their characters. They didn't reach me.
For being considered one of the greatest English plays ever written, very little action actually occurs in Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The play is, instead, more focused on the progressing psychological state of its protagonist, after whom the play is name, and his consequent inaction. It is because of this masterpiece of a character that this play is so widely discussed and debated. Hamlet’s generality, his vagueness, his supposed madness, his passion, his hesitation, and his contradictions have puzzled readers, scholars, and actors for centuries. In this paper I will attempt to dissect this beautiful enigma of a character to show that Hamlet is much more self-aware than many people give him credit for and that he recognizes that he is an actor in the theatre of life. He understands and accepts the role he is given, he studies it carefully and thoughtfully, he rehearses and even converses with fellow actors, and he gives one final performance.
Trevor Nunn’s (1996) adaptation of Twelfth Night illustrates the complexity of Feste’s character and how important he is to the overall play. Ben Kingsley, the actor, presents Feste as sympathetic and gentle choric figure. It is Feste who allows the audience to see the films respect for the original play, and the existing issues within it. This includes the defencelessness of women, and the attractive, but dangerous, qualities of altering one’s true sexual identity. Interestingly, unlike the original script, Nunn opens his first scene with Feste observing Viola struggle to shore after the shipwreck she has experienced. In this context, Kingsley’s Feste is revealed for the first time. He is shown as a mysterious and isolated individual, who stands afar, waiting and observing, high up among the towering cliffs. He only chuckles and hums a tune, as he silently watches Viola mourn. He holds no facial expression, neither teary nor auspicious and his physical appearance does not represent a common Jester in Elizabethan times. In view of Feste’s silent observation of Viola, one is able to speculate some sort of connection between the two characters. Given that he is a compassionate man, he is not taken aback by what the world has evolved to nor does he accept its change. He shows interest in the obstacles Viola faces as a woman stranded on unfamiliar soil, and wonders about her ability to remain strong after witnessing the brutal loss of her brother. However, what seems to captivate his attention is her ability to maintain the role of a man in a country at war. The true question running through his mind is can she do it? It is through this that one is able to see Feste’s knowledge of women’s ability to achieve higher than their limited p...
...seen were Moliere applied Commedia and were made to fit in the French form in the The Imaginary Invalid. The French had a tight hold upon theater in the 16th and 17th centuries. It was seen as political propaganda and anything that was put on the stage was heavily criticized. Moliere, being a prominent playwright, had to endure these criticisms. Moliere was greatly influenced by this form of theater, and it can be seen where he used it and where he applied Neo Classicism, the other popular art form. By looking at his three most famous plays, Tartuffe, The Misanthrope, and The Imaginary Invalid, through Commedia Dell’ Arte, with the characters, plot line, the authorship or structure, it can be seen where Moliere had his influence and when it was applied. “The tradition in playing Moliere is preserved in France by the Comedie Francaise” (Bertram-Cox,am-cox, 301).
Theater of the Absurd applies to a group of plays with a certain set of characteristics. These characteristics convey a sense of bewilderment, anxiety, and wonder in the face of an unexplainable feeling. These plays all have unusual actions and are missing a key element that would clearly define other pieces of literature. Language and actions differ from the usual and sometimes cannot be explained in the Theater of the Absurd. In the works of Albee and Ionesco language, behavior, and structure are abnormal if compared to other plays. Language is a key factor that is presented as a weak form of communication throughout “The Future is in Eggs,” “The Zoo Story,” “The American Dream,” and “The Leader.”
An Analysis of Moliere’s Satirization of Social Issues A man, or rather a demon in flesh and inhabited as a man, the most notably impious creature and libertine who ever lived throughout the centuries, has had the impiety and abomination to bring forth from his devilish mind a play [Tartuffe]…He deserves for this sacrilegious and impious act…to be burned at the stake as a foretaste of the fires of hell. Pierre Roulle (1664) Moliere lived a life surrounded by controversy. After renouncing his position of Valet de Chambre Tapissier to pursue his acting career, Moliere formed a theater performance troupe called “The Illustrious Theater'; with his mistress’s family, the Bejarts. The troupe struggled for two years before collapsing in 1645 under the weight of massive debts. Moliere was soon arrested for bankruptcy. After bail was posted he fled from France with Madeline Bejart. Moliere returned to France some time later after his father paid his debts. He soon married Armande Bejart, either the sister or daughter of his first mistress, Madeline. His enemies charged him with incest. Not only his personal life, but his plays as well were considered subjects of controversy. Many were considered blasphemous. Tartuffe, for example, was forbidden from being performed for five years. Controversy followed Moliere right up to the day he died, when he was refused burial in the local cemetery because his remains would offend the sacred ground. Moliere thereby left the world in as agitated a manner as in which he had lived (Hobdell 102-105.)