Grove Press -- tpb
New York -- ©1965 -- 280pp
A collection of theatre, reviews, essays, and fiction by the grandfather of the absurdist theatre movement.
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Alfred Jarry is an acquired taste, most certainly.
If you are familiar with the works of playwrights such as Eugene Ionesco, Samuel Beckett, Harold Pinter, or the novels of Andre Breton, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, or Stanley Elkin or Harlan Ellison, then reading Jarry will be a treat. The works of Alfred Jarry are considered precursors to the surrealist, dada, and absurdist movements.
I'd read very little Jarry before this, but I was most impressed with his plays. The 'Ubu' plays are outrageously funny and much more cohesive than I expected (I was anticipating something more akin to Ionesco's "The Bald Soprano"). Ubu is a childish despot. He is greedy and vain and a delicious poke at power, greed, and politics. For the plays alone it is worth reading.
The writings on theatre are also a delight. How fun to read his own take on the theatre of his time.
His essays tend to show his off-beat sense of the world and where his Ubu plays are coming from (see..."How to Construct a Time Machine").
The fiction is a little more difficult to read (for me), mainly because of the style and era from which it was written. A bit dry and confusing. Even so, to read more of his pataphysics (his invented science) is a delight.
Friday, September 10, 2010
OH, COWARD!: A MUSICAL COMEDY REVUE -- Noel Coward
OH COWARD! A Musical.
Doubleday -- hc
New York -- ©1974 -- 100pp
ISBN: 0385084455
A weak attempt at a story in order to get many Noel Coward songs together.
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Although I read a lot of plays, this may be the first musical review that I've read. And yes...it is strange to read a musical revue.
By its very nature, a musical revue has even less story (or 'book') than an opera. It's generally a compilation of songs by composer or lyricist that were written for other purposes. They are usually assembled in a way to generate some kind of story-line, albeit quite simple. In this case, the storyline was too simple. Nearly non-existent.
Musical Revues are quite popular and have evolved into their own genre. Good ones are essentially new musical plays with old songs from a variety of other sources (Crazy for You is one of my favorites). In the early days of this new genre, most didn't bother with much of a story.
And so...why read a book of a musical revue? The answer...I don't know. I wasn't aware that's what it was when I started, but I sure bored quickly.
Coward's lyrics are a delight, but without the music to accompany them, it was even harder to read this than a normal play, or even a typical musical comedy (in which case the lyrics lend themselves to furthering the storyline).
I wouldn't recommend the read, but it would be fun to see this staged some day.
Doubleday -- hc
New York -- ©1974 -- 100pp
ISBN: 0385084455
A weak attempt at a story in order to get many Noel Coward songs together.
#####
Although I read a lot of plays, this may be the first musical review that I've read. And yes...it is strange to read a musical revue.
By its very nature, a musical revue has even less story (or 'book') than an opera. It's generally a compilation of songs by composer or lyricist that were written for other purposes. They are usually assembled in a way to generate some kind of story-line, albeit quite simple. In this case, the storyline was too simple. Nearly non-existent.
Musical Revues are quite popular and have evolved into their own genre. Good ones are essentially new musical plays with old songs from a variety of other sources (Crazy for You is one of my favorites). In the early days of this new genre, most didn't bother with much of a story.
And so...why read a book of a musical revue? The answer...I don't know. I wasn't aware that's what it was when I started, but I sure bored quickly.
Coward's lyrics are a delight, but without the music to accompany them, it was even harder to read this than a normal play, or even a typical musical comedy (in which case the lyrics lend themselves to furthering the storyline).
I wouldn't recommend the read, but it would be fun to see this staged some day.
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