Play Suggestions
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Re: Plautus
The most famous of his plays in Pseudolus, a classic story of a clever and witty servant having to serve less clever people. It is the basis of Stephen Sondheim's A funny thing happened on the way to the forum.
As the plays by Terence have proved popular perhaps we could also try some of Plautus.
The most famous of his plays in Pseudolus, a classic story of a clever and witty servant having to serve less clever people. It is the basis of Stephen Sondheim's A funny thing happened on the way to the forum.
As the plays by Terence have proved popular perhaps we could also try some of Plautus.
Alan
the sixth age shifts into the slippered pantaloon with spectacles on nose
the sixth age shifts into the slippered pantaloon with spectacles on nose
These look good, maybe run them after the Terence plays end. Note the translator Henry Thomas Riley is associated with the Terence plays as well.
Thanks, Todd
Thanks, Todd
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I came across two plays in the Book Suggestions forum yesterday, while trying to track down something I found ages ago and foolishly failed to bookmark.
Betty's Last Bet
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64327
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64850
Only two female roles, and about fourteen male, but most or all could easily be gender neutral
Both are comedies, and both look like lots of fun!
Betty's Last Bet
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64327
Jeppe on the Hill, or, The Transformed PeasantFor Five Men and Six Women.
Mrs. Darling
A Widow with Four Great Problems.
Katherine
Called "Kitty," Her Eldest Daughter.
Margaret
Called "Peggy," Her Second.
Dorothy
Called "Dolly," Her Third.
Elizabeth
Called "Betty," Her Fourth.
Hannah
A General Servant Who Doesn't Like Men.
Richard Wentworth
Wealthy Man of Affairs and Colonel of National Guard.
Percy Wentworth
His Nephew and Ward; a Student, and Heir to a Large
Portion of the Wentworth Fortune.
Jack Van Loon .
Of the Historic Van Loons.
Hamilton Moriarity
A Rising Young State Legislator.
Edgar Darling
A Cousin Who Is a Student of Archaeology.
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=64850
Only two female roles, and about fourteen male, but most or all could easily be gender neutral
Jeppe, the principal character, is a poor oppressed peasant, abused by his wife and trodden down by his superiors. We are introduced in the opening scene to his wife, Nille, a veritable Xanthippe transplanted to the eighteenth century. With her shrill voice and stout whip,—Master Erik, by name,—she drives him out at an unreasonably early hour to go an unreasonable long distance for an insignificant amount of soap. She is, in fact, a true counterpart of Dame Van Winkle, wielding authority over a poor, weak Rip. Without so much as a cup of coffee, he starts with his dozen pence with which he is to make his purchase. On the way he stops in at the rascally innkeeper's, Jakob Skomager's, who induces the vacillating Jeppe to part little by little with his money until the poor peasant finds himself "broke," and with nothing to show for his departed coin but a "glorious drunk." After a soliloquy in which he calls to mind his past life, especially his brief experience in the army, he is overcome by his intoxication and falls in a drunken stupor by the wayside. In this senseless condition he is found by his "liege lord and master," the nobleman, and his servants. They decide to play a joke on the fellow; they dress him in the baron's clothes, take him to the castle and put him in the baron's bed, and then wait near by to see the show.
Both are comedies, and both look like lots of fun!
Betty would not be PD for a lot of people - Ellis died in 1961. But both look good.
Thanks, Todd
Thanks, Todd
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Looking at the Jeppe (Jeopardy?) play, I see that the womenfolk will be ganging up on Todd again. Though at least this time he gets a skinful or three to dull the pain.
Chris
Chris
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I didn't even notice that.
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I tried finding some interest in recording Pseudolus some time ago. I had trouble getting people to believe that a play written 2000 years ago, and translated 150 years ago was PD.alanmapstone wrote: ↑April 16th, 2019, 12:44 am The most famous of his plays in Pseudolus, a classic story of a clever and witty servant having to serve less clever people. It is the basis of Stephen Sondheim's A funny thing happened on the way to the forum.
But I'd be happy to be a part of it...
Truth,
James
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James
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It’s not belief, but proof that matters. Finding an online text which is demonstrably PD can be harder for older texts - every time someone copies text and makes their own edits it muddies the water. Even Shakespeare can be a pain - lots of people upload an online text, slap their own intro or commentary on it and get a new copyright!ZamesCurran wrote: ↑May 3rd, 2019, 9:27 amI tried finding some interest in recording Pseudolus some time ago. I had trouble getting people to believe that a play written 2000 years ago, and translated 150 years ago was PD.alanmapstone wrote: ↑April 16th, 2019, 12:44 am The most famous of his plays in Pseudolus, a classic story of a clever and witty servant having to serve less clever people. It is the basis of Stephen Sondheim's A funny thing happened on the way to the forum.
Fiction: Regiment of Women
Non-Fiction: History Philosophy English Literature Hellenic History
FULL: Gondoliers W&D Sherlock Holmes PSmith Dr Dolittle French Revolution
Non-Fiction: History Philosophy English Literature Hellenic History
FULL: Gondoliers W&D Sherlock Holmes PSmith Dr Dolittle French Revolution
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Does it have a part for a smooth-talking villain? Ever since Fantome got expert coaching by that character in “The Drummer”, he’s been wanting to try out this sort of part. Look, he can do the smoothie chat now.alanmapstone wrote: ↑April 16th, 2019, 12:44 am Re: Plautus
The most famous of his plays in Pseudolus, a classic story of a clever and witty servant having to serve less clever people.
“Abigal is her name,
Sweeter than aspartame...”.
Currently on sabbatical from Librivox
Dr Johnson started.alanmapstone wrote: ↑January 16th, 2019, 9:24 amCan I put in a word of support for the Dr Johnson play. Unusual but interesting. Being mostly dialogue it would suit an audio recording and has fascinating characters like David Garrick, Oliver Goldsmith and Joshua Reynolds as well as Boswell and Johnson. Difficult to decide which one I would like to play most.ToddHW wrote: ↑January 15th, 2019, 5:20 amI like Crossings and Dr Johnson, and will offer them (unless someone else wants to). Dr Johnson is sorta like an "epistolary" play - the character lines are all words from letters to or from Johnson (or so I learned from wikipedia and the play's introduction) - so little plot but lottsa good words.SonOfTheExiles wrote: ↑December 30th, 2018, 1:13 am Bandicooting around in archive.org yielded the following 1923 plays.
Dr Johnson -: https://archive.org/details/docjohnson00newtrich
Cheers,
Chris
Thanks, Todd
Thanks, Todd
Yup, getting ready to launch another Terence and Eunuchus it will be. Offensive nowadays as you say; shows that hopefully times have changed!alanmapstone wrote: ↑March 8th, 2019, 11:20 pm As the play by Terence proved so popular can I suggest that another Terence play would be equally popular. Eunuchus looks interesting but it does include scenes of "ravishing" (i.e. rape) and buying and selling of female slaves which some may find too offensive. The summary at the beginning also suggests an incestuous marriage but that may be a misprint.
We would of course be relying on Todd and Sonia (our heroes) to do the hard work as usual.
Thanks, Todd
Launched.Peter Why wrote: ↑March 31st, 2019, 10:35 am I'm definitely not able to judge the quality of this, but W.S. Gilbert (1836-1911) wrote a comic play about Rosencrantz and Guildenstern:
Wikipedia entry about the play is here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosencrantz_and_Guildenstern_(play)
The play is available in the collection of Gilbert stories called "Fogerty's Fairy and other tales": https://archive.org/details/00189951.2023.emory.edu/page/n1
Peter
Thanks, Todd
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I’ve noticed that while the 1902 novel “Brewster’s Millions” has been read as a solo book recording several times, the 1906 play version doesn’t seemed to have been done in DR form yet at LV.
Chris
Chris
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Can anyone find the text for Eyes Wide Shut?BellonaTimes wrote: ↑June 24th, 2009, 9:04 pm [PLAY] Anatol, by Arthur Schnitzler
http://www.archive.org/details/anatolsequenceof00schniala
translation published 1913. I've been interested in reading this since I heard Orson Welles' Mercury Theater version The Affairs of Anatol http://sounds.mercurytheatre.info/mercury/380822.ra
Schnitzler's adult themes were also adapted into the films La Ronde and Eyes Wide Shut.