Play Suggestions

Plays and other dramatic works
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Tchaikovsky
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Joined: October 29th, 2020, 5:29 am

Post by Tchaikovsky »

I was thinking of proposing Maurice Maeterlinck's tragic play "Pelleas and Melisande". The play was turned into an opera by Claude Debussy in 1902. I heard a reading of some of the love scene many years ago where one of the readers was actor Richard Thomas (best remembered as John Boy Walton) I think it would be an interesting project. There are 5 main characters and a handful of smaller roles.

Here is a link to an English translation of the work at Project Guttenberg
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13329

anyone other than myself interested?
alanmapstone
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Post by alanmapstone »

Tchaikovsky wrote: October 29th, 2020, 9:57 am I was thinking of proposing Maurice Maeterlinck's tragic play "Pelleas and Melisande". The play was turned into an opera by Claude Debussy in 1902. I heard a reading of some of the love scene many years ago where one of the readers was actor Richard Thomas (best remembered as John Boy Walton) I think it would be an interesting project. There are 5 main characters and a handful of smaller roles.
Here is a link to an English translation of the work at Project Guttenberg
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13329
anyone other than myself interested?
I think this would be a good addition to the catalogue. I would be interested in reading a role (Arkel?) I know the opera well
Michelle (wib66) is currently BCing another Maeterlinck play and might be prepared to do this one later.
Alan
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Salvationist
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Post by Salvationist »

I agree with Alan that "Pélléas and Mélisande" is a great play suggestion. I would likely sign up to read a part.
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Scarbo
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Post by Scarbo »

I was just reminded of Aleksandr Ostrovsky's The Storm (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7991/7991-h/7991-h.htm), which I read some time ago and remember enjoying. It looks like there's not any Ostrovsky in the catalog yet. Continuing the theme above of plays adapted into operas, Janacek's Kat'a Kabanova is based on The Storm.

Anyone interested?
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ToddHW
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Post by ToddHW »

Sorry to say I am too busy at this point to offer some of these great new suggestions. Soon... though I will help anyone that wants to offer one.

Thanks, Todd
jennlea
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Post by jennlea »

Tchaikovsky wrote: October 29th, 2020, 9:57 am I was thinking of proposing Maurice Maeterlinck's tragic play "Pelleas and Melisande". The play was turned into an opera by Claude Debussy in 1902. I heard a reading of some of the love scene many years ago where one of the readers was actor Richard Thomas (best remembered as John Boy Walton) I think it would be an interesting project. There are 5 main characters and a handful of smaller roles.

Here is a link to an English translation of the work at Project Guttenberg
https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/13329

anyone other than myself interested?
Great suggestion! I hope someone picks it up. I’m not super familiar with the Opera since it wasn’t part of my repertoire but anything in the realm of Opera is of interest to me!
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TriciaG
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Post by TriciaG »

I believe one act play suggestions go in this thread: viewtopic.php?f=27&t=40887

(I moved your previous post there without comment, but this latest post seems to be more one-acts.)
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SonOfTheExiles
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

Other plays of Hannah Cowley (her play "The Belle's Strategem" is a current DR project).

A Bold Stroke for a Husband: A Comedy in Five Acts: https://archive.org/details/boldstrokeforhus00incowl

Which is the Man? A comedy, as acted at the Theatre-Royal in Convent-Garden: https://archive.org/details/whichismanacome00hangoog

The Runaway: https://archive.org/details/runawaycomedy00cowl

A School for Greybeards; or, The Mourning Bride: a comedy, in five acts. As performed at the Theatre Royal, Drury-Lane: https://archive.org/details/schoolforgreybea00cowliala

The town before you : a comedy, as acted at the Theatre-Royal, Covent-Garden: https://archive.org/details/townbeforeyoucom0000cowl/page/n1/mode/2up

Who's the Dupe? : A Farce: https://archive.org/details/whosdupefarcebym0000cowl
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SonOfTheExiles
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

The Plays of Thomas Morton (1764 – 1838)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Morton_(playwright)

Speed The Plough: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19407/19407-h/19407-h.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speed_the_Plough

Town and Country, a comedy in five acts: https://archive.org/details/towncountrycomed00mort/mode/2up

The School of Reform; or How To Rule a Husband: https://archive.org/details/schoolofreform00mort

The Factory Girl, or, All that Glitters is not Gold : comic drama in two acts: https://archive.org/details/factorygirlorall00mort

The Angel of the Attic: https://archive.org/details/angelofatticseri00mort

A Roland for an Oliver: https://archive.org/details/rolandforoliver0000mort/mode/2up
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SonOfTheExiles
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

"The Unchastened Woman", by Louis Kaufman Anspacher (1878 – 1947)

Lobby Card for the 1925 silent film of the play: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Unchastened_Woman#/media/File:Unchastened_Woman_lobby_card.jpg

https://archive.org/details/unchastenedwoman00ansp/page/n7/mode/2up

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Two plays of J.M. Barrie (author of "Peter Pan" and "The Admirable Crichton"), as yet undone by Librivox:

"What Every Woman Knows" https://archive.org/details/whateverywomankn00barr_0

"Alice Sit-by-the-Fire" https://archive.org/details/alicesitbythefir19barr/page/n1/mode/2up

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"The Animal Kingdom", by Philip Barry (1896 – 1949)

"Tom has mistakenly married the wrong woman, for his wife Cecilia acts more like a "kept woman", while Daisy, his former sweetheart and mistress, is a truer spouse. He thinks marriage should be a union of spiritual and intellectual equals rather than just a physical relationship. He therefore casts off Cecilia and returns to Daisy, thru whom he seeks to recover his soul." 3 Acts, 5 men, 4 women

https://archive.org/details/animalkingdomcom00barr/page/6/mode/2up

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A Woman's Way, by Thompson Buchanan (author of "Civilian Clothes")

A woman wins her husband back in an ingenuously plotted story about smart society people.

https://archive.org/details/awomansway00buchgoog

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Last edited by SonOfTheExiles on December 22nd, 2020, 2:47 am, edited 1 time in total.
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AngeliqueAnja
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Post by AngeliqueAnja »

How about "Hassan: The Story of Hassan of Bagdad and how he came to make the Golden Journey to Samarkand"?

As far as I can tell it is PD: https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/3834/pg3834.html

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SonOfTheExiles
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Post by SonOfTheExiles »

"The Cinderella Man", by Edward C. Carpenter (1844 – 1929)

"The poet and playwright lives in an attic and will have naught to do with his rich neighbours. But the millionaire's daughter next door pretends she is a servant, as over the roof she brings him food and even inspiration. She will doubtless succeed in winning his love in this reversal of the sexes in the old fairy tale". 4 acts, 8 men, 3 women
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mightyfelix
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Post by mightyfelix »

SonOfTheExiles wrote: December 24th, 2020, 7:17 pm "The Cinderella Man", by Edward C. Carpenter (1844 – 1929)

"The poet and playwright lives in an attic and will have naught to do with his rich neighbours. But the millionaire's daughter next door pretends she is a servant, as over the roof she brings him food and even inspiration. She will doubtless succeed in winning his love in this reversal of the sexes in the old fairy tale". 4 acts, 8 men, 3 women
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