The Life and Death of Tom Thumb the Great by Henry Fielding (1707 - 1754).
Tom Thumb, small of stature, great of heart. This play was written as a parody of the tragic heroic biography of a great man, filled with biting satire as to people and events of the time. Note as warned by the title that this is not a happy-ending fairy tale. (Follow the etext link to see how the script is full of fictitious supposedly real researchy footnotes by "H. Scriblerus Secundus" providing fake references to the events and allusions of the play.) Supposedly Jane Austen put on a family performance of this play.
( ToddHW)
I'm running plays by Racine at the moment, classical style tragedies full of heroic figures and pathos. Here is more of the same, pasted over with seemingly childish characters, as a cover for biting satire a la Jonathan Swift. A chance to spout heroic lines filled with nonsense....
Gender neutral of course.
Kitty will be Queen, drunkenly ensuring we don't read any of the (interesting and funny) fake footnotes that the script - published simultaneously with the play performances - is littered with.
Is there a deadline?
We ask that you submit your recorded sections within 1-2 months of placing your claim. Please note that to be fair to the readers who have completed their sections in a timely way, if you haven't submitted your recording(s) after two months, your sections will automatically be re-opened for other readers to claim, unless you post in this thread to request an extension. Extensions will be granted at the discretion of the Book Coordinator. If you cannot do your section, for whatever reason, just let me know and it'll go back to the pool. There's no shame in this; we're all volunteers and things happen. Please do not sign up for more sections than you can complete within the two month deadline.
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To find a section to record, simply look at point 5. below at the sections. All the ones without names beside them are "up for grabs." Click "Post reply" at the top left of the screen and tell us which section you would like to read (include the section number from the left-most column in the reader list, please). Read points 6. to 8. below for what to do before, during and after your recording.
Please claim roles (the numbers in the first column below)! Please note: All Librivox recordings are in the public domain. When you submit your recording, you will be placing your recording in the public domain as well.
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Sample Rate: 44.1 kHz
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At the end: End of Act [#].
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tomthumb_[role]_[#]_128kb.mp3 (all lower-case) where ## is the act number.
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In early as usual, I would like to read Lord Grizzle.
This text is almost more footnotes than script and the footnotes are not always well delineated so I think some readers may read the footnotes by mistake thinking they part of the role.
I think you may be doing this just so you can play King Arthur
Alan the sixth age shifts into the slippered pantaloon with spectacles on nose
alanmapstone wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2020, 5:54 am
I think you may be doing this just so you can play King Arthur
Drat. My secret plan has been revealed. Though of course anyone else that wanted to play King Arthur could have offered the play themselves over the last ~15 years....
mightyfelix wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2020, 7:36 am
Oh, this is hilarious! I don't know yet in what capacity I'll be participating, but rest assured, I will be! For now, I will commence lurking.
Think you should do the Queen. Then (on p55) you get the immortal line:
Queen [aside]: " __________________________*. Oh! ye gods! "
mightyfelix wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2020, 7:36 am
Oh, this is hilarious! I don't know yet in what capacity I'll be participating, but rest assured, I will be! For now, I will commence lurking.
Think you should do the Queen. Then (on p55) you get the immortal line:
Queen [aside]: " __________________________*. Oh! ye gods! "
Which is footnoted:
* A tragical exclamation.
And which would be read "BLANK. Oh! ye gods."
I am taking a Jane Austen course and it was mentioned that she put on a family performance of this (as well as Wonder by Susannah Centlivre which I also started). Then I saw Excalibur - a 1981 movie covering the entire Arthurian legend - last weekend and here I get to actually be King Arthur! How could I resist?
Lurk away, Oh Mighty One. We know how to find you.
ok I just read the irresistible description of the queen in the MW. I guess I would fit the profile, only I don't drink. But I can convincingly play drunk
I also don't love Tom Thumb...
but I'm entirely faultless, that part fits
I can also assure nobody is reading footnotes, so yes, sign me up as DPL
ToddHW wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2020, 11:36 amYou're just doing this so that once again, you get to be "a little too much a virago towards her husband" - that being me.
would you believe me that this had no impact on my choice *angel smilie*
OooThatsNifty wrote: ↑July 2nd, 2020, 9:51 pm
If you'll have me / didn't already have someone else in mind, I'd love to claim the Ghost of Gaffer Thumb! Let me know