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Plays and other dramatic works
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fink
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Post by fink »

[DRAMA] The Beggars's Opera - John Gay

Greetings fellow actors and - Now wouldn`t this be a lovely project to do? For those who are not familiar with this work please do not be put off by the word "opera" in the title.
This,if anything,is almost "anti-opera".I myself would describe it as a drama with karaoke.I shall gladly BC and edit this.The music arrangements I shall also do.Now though this is 18th century I am seriously thinking of arranging the music for a sleazy,smokie and tipsy band.1940 to 50ish.Band line up would be Rhythm section,Hammond/Accordion(Piano),Guitar,Alto sax, Clarinet.I look forward to hearing your opinions and ideas.

The Beggar`s Opera - Simple synopsis and lots of general info about this work
http://www.umich.edu/~ece/student_projects/beggars_opera/

Source text:
http://www.gutenberg.org/files/25063/25063-h/25063-h.htm
This also includes midi of all the songs.Melody only!!

Cast:
MEN.
Mr. Peachum - 3 songs
Lockit - 5 Songs
Macheath - 18 songs
Filch - 1 song
Beggar
Player

Macheath’s Gang.
Mat of the Mint - 2 songs
short speaking parts:
Jemmy Twitcher
Crook-finger’d Jack
Wat Dreary
Robin of Bagshot
Nimming Ned
Harry Paddington
Ben Budge

WOMEN.
Mrs. Peachum - 4 Songs
Polly Peachum - 18 songs
Lucy Lockit - 15 songs

Women of the Town.
Diana Trapes - 1 Song
Jenny Diver - 1 Song
short speaking parts:
Mrs. Coaxer
Dolly Trull
Mrs. Vixen
Betty Doxy
Mrs. Slammekin
Suky Tawdry
Molly Brazen

[Merged two threads on same work into one. TriciaG 1/2013]
RuthieG
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Post by RuthieG »

Ha! You must be a mind reader. I was looking at that last night!

EDIT:
sleazy,smokie and tipsy

Does that mean I can be sleazy, smokie and tipsy? If so, I'm in. :lol:

Ruth
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fink
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Post by fink »

Haahaa :D
Jenny Diver is the sleazy one.But she only has 1 song.
Lucy Lockit might fit as a vampy,femme fatale.wiki - "alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire, often leading them into compromising, dangerous, and deadly situations"

I see that Archive.org has a piano vocal score by Frederic Austin 30 March 1872 – 10 April 1952.
This is a traditional arrangement of nearly all the originals.
It's labelled as copyright free in US but I reckon it would still be copyrighted in 50 + 70 countries.

http://www.archive.org/details/beggarsoperaasit00austi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frederic_Austin
RuthieG
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Post by RuthieG »

fink wrote:Lucy Lockit might fit as a vampy,femme fatale.wiki - "alluring and seductive woman whose charms ensnare her lovers in bonds of irresistible desire"
:roll: Joseph, dear, I really think I am a little past my prime for that. :lol:
I see that Archive.org has a piano vocal score by Frederic Austin 30 March 1872 – 10 April 1952.
This is a traditional arrangement of nearly all the originals.
It's labelled as copyright free in US but I reckon it would still be copyrighted in 50 + 70 countries.
Yeah. :( No good for me.
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fink
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Post by fink »

Now don`t get frightened by the amount of songs that the main characters have to sing.
We could assemble a few singers together who could take over the singing parts and leave the "actors" to act.
This is a great work and would be a wonderful project.
This work was a milestone in its time and inspired "The Threepenny Opera " and "Beggar's Holiday" .
Even Laurence Olivier(1952) sang in his version and the BBC had Roger Daltry as Macheath produced by Jonathan Miller(1983)
Lets do it lovies :D
Joseph
Landii
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Post by Landii »

[DRAMATIC WORK] Belinda, by A.A. Milne

It looks pretty interesting - subtitled 'an April folly in three acts'.

I haven't read for dramatic works before and would hesitate to do so, but I'm just putting it out there!

Gutenberg text: http://www.gutenberg.org/etext/6992
annise
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Post by annise »

One of the problems with A A Milne is that he died in 1956 - which makes it not PD in most of Europe and in Australia but he is PD in America

Anne
Landii
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Post by Landii »

I see. Thanks Annise. Should I change the topic heading to 'not PD'?
chocoholic
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Post by chocoholic »

Landii wrote:Should I change the topic heading to 'not PD'?
No, it's PD in the USA, so it's OK for Librivox to do. But being under copyright elsewhere means that the pool of readers will be smaller, so casting may be take longer.
Laurie Anne
Lucy_k_p
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Post by Lucy_k_p »

I thought Australia was 50+? In which case 56 would be okay.
So little space, so much to say.
RuthieG
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Post by RuthieG »

It isn't as simple as that, sadly. Australia changed its law in 2005. All works that were public domain under the old system (i.e. author died before 1955) remain PD. Works published by authors who died in or after 1955 will now remain in copyright until midnight on 31 December 2025 at the earliest.

Ruth
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Lucy_k_p
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Post by Lucy_k_p »

So it's become 70+? That sucks. I'm not sure why we need such restrictive copyright laws. I understand protecting intellectual property during an author's life, but it seems wholly unnecessary so long after their death.
So little space, so much to say.
BellonaTimes
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Post by BellonaTimes »

[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.
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sal_armele
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Post by sal_armele »

[PLAY] Charley's Aunt by Walter Brandon Thomas

OK, Plautus is too much.
How about Charley's Aunt.
A stage play at the turn of the last century.
Very popular at the time.
Always a pleasure.
Please, can anyone look into this.

Thanks
BellonaTimes
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Post by BellonaTimes »

Walter Brandon Thomas (24 December 1850 – 19 June 1914) was an English actor, playwright and song writer. He is best known for writing the comic play Charley's Aunt (1892), which broke all historic records for plays of any kind, with an original London run of 1,466 performances. (source: Wikipedia)
Nope, not in PG under Brandon or Walter Thomas. Maybe he's on Archive. Edit: nope to Thomas and the play itself. Its popularity continues, someone must be keeping the copyright up. I remember the Ray Bolger version as a kid.
Last edited by BellonaTimes on July 15th, 2009, 7:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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