Theatre Books

Anyone who is into pop-culture trivia will find plenty to love about this book. It's a great introduction to Peter Ivers and the creative mark he made in movies, music, television, and theatre.

Attention all Firesign fans: You must buy this. The way they piece together classic bits with new bits, leading to the end of the world (December 31, 1999, remember?), is brilliant. They use older material, expertly updated, as well as material from their first CD in the CD age, 'Give Me Immortality, or Give Me Death.' I was surprised at how it all works so well. I haven't been impressed by their previous live efforts, which is why I reviewed this. This double CD features a nice balance between old favorites and new favorites. (Check out the Firezine web site, as well as the official Firesign Theatre web site...

a collection of plays. i first became aware of wallace when my university did one flea spare, which i was extremely impressed with for its depth, creativity, emotional focus, and brechtian wit. i really enjoyed one flea spare on the printed page; i truly believe this is a play that deserves to be put in the same class as the other american greats, such death of a salesman, mourning becomes electra, and the crucible. in one flea spare the action involves four people impatiently waiting out a quarantine sentence at the time of the great plague in london and its themes include the loss of innocence and class and gender struggles. the final play, trestle at pope lick creek, is definitely the second best of the plays. set in a rural community, the play's unflinching look at a world of poverty and lack of opportunity is chilling and memorable. there were parts of the other 3 plays that were also well done, although in general they were not as tightly scripted. it is interesting to see wallace's general style becomes more apparent in reading these plays, in her language and her use of such devices as playing with time. in the heart of america is set during the gulf war and the the war boys concerns three men watching the mexican-american border for illegal immigrants. slaughter city is about workers in a slaughtering factory who are trying to preserve their union. all in all this is definitely an impressive collection of plays by a modern master.

Such bleak times in our history. It brings it to life yet pulls you in and makes you feel like you are actually there.

Nothing can really substitute for listening to the accounts of the soldiers themselves who fought in war. Much has been written by former soldiers of their trials in combat but rarely are they recorded in an interview. This is an excellent compilation, well recorded and produced, of such accounts from a cross section the various campaigns of WWII. Not many veterans open up to discuss war to their family or anyone so listening to these heroes is a rare exception. My father, a veteran of the ETO, saw horrible combat as he battled through France and into Nazi Germany but never mentioned a word of it to his children. These interviews help fill in some of the gaps in understanding the war from their perspective. Thanks to those soldiers who reopened those painful moments to be recorded for others to hear. Even if you are not a student of history I recommend these just for the inspiring stories themselves.

In 1986, Paul Simon's album, "Graceland" focused international attention on the music and people of South Africa. The music was not the mournful dirges of apartheid victims but rather the vibrant sounds of a cultural affirmation. Anyone interested the people and culture behind the "Graceland" sound need look no further than David Coplan's "In Township Tonight!"

Those who might shy away from an academic work, for fear of encountering dry-as-sawdust pedantic prose, will be pleasantly surprised. Coplan's writing is clear and unencumbered. Coplan provides a brief survey of the dynamics of Black South African culture in the nineteenth century. This serves a backdrop to the book's primary focus, Black music and culture in urban South Africa during the twentieth century.

Coplan's account is intersting and exciting, sad yet homorous. Through rigorous research and passion for his subject Coplan provides the reader with a compelling look at one of the most unusual societies of the twentieth century, apartheid South Africa. The reader is taken beyond the simplistic South Africa of media sound bites to a world of complex characters where music is part of life and where, in the background one hears the irrepresible peep of a penny whistle.

But what's wrong with that? This very funny play, focussing on a group of children (played by adults) putting on a nativity play, is a welcome antidote to all that tired pantomime malarkey. Each character is skilfully, economically drawn and, with each actor playing a number of parts, there's plenty of fun to be had by all involved. It contains ridiculous but snappy jokes, a smattering of pathos and a giant papier mache Frankenstein head. There is no better recipe for a Christmas trifle.

I think this is Arthur Miller at his best. Outstanding dialog, poignant themes, unrelenting tension. Acting is superb, and I am once again grateful to LA Theater Works for producing such a marvelous list of theater productions.

In this claustrophobic play nine men find themselves trapped in a room after being picked up during document checks in occupied France, during WWII. What do the Germans want from them? Are all those impossible-to-believe rumors about trains transporting Jews to concentration camps in Poland true? Why do people spread such unbelievable but terrifying rumors about furnaces to burn people in their thousands? One by one the men will enter an adjoining room where a "doctor" and a German officer will examine their papers and maybe something else to separate the "undesirable" from the rest. The ones that remain in the room are left wondering about their and Europe's future, the reasons for their arrest, the truth about the terrible rumors about concentration camps, the role of choice and individual responsibility in front of senseless and systematic cruelty.

A wonderful and poignant play, highly recommended.

As a student at St. Lawrence University, it has been to my privlege to have studied under the tuteledge of Prof. Sondergard and to have conversed with students of prof. Berger. As a student, I would observe that, is this books is anything like the way they teach, it will be a supreme accomplishment for all three.

This book was written just after the filming of "From the Life of the Marionettes" and during the planning of "Fanny and Alexander." At the time, Bergman was also drawing up plans for his Project Bergman, simultaneous stage productions of Ibsen's "A Doll House," Strindberg's "Miss Julie," and a stage adaption of his own "Scenes From a Marriage." Of course, Bergman retired from film shortly after, but he has since been producting theater persistently for another two decades, rendering this book a little outdated. *

* The authors did update the book a decade later, in 1992, under the title "Ingmar Bergman: A Life In Theatre."

Nevertheless, this is a fantastic introduction to the theater of Bergman -- a craft more dear to his heart than film-making. The authors stress Bergman's elevation of the actor, simplification of mis-en-scene, pure drama, and direct actor-audience confrontation methods. They also show the intuitive grace of Bergman's ability as a producer and director, and his tremendous sense of "rhythm," which has made him the envy of all directors.

There are some descriptions of Bergman's bold, fledgling productions in the 40s and 50s -- namely Valle-Inclan's "Divine Words," Camus's "Caligula," and Shakespeare's "Macbeth" -- but the majority of the book focuses entirely on his later productions of three authors: Strindberg, Moliere, and Ibsen, with a chapter for each. The most monumental work discussed includes his radical reformation of "The Ghost Sonata" as a dramatic crescendo, with the parts of the Mummy and the Hyacinth Girl performed by the same actress, "A Dream Play," where the stage was stripped bear and cut of all Wagnerian machinery to display the bare consciousness of the dreamer, "The Misanthrope," where rigid angularity and baroque shallowness was contrasted with visceral social drama for comedic effect, and, perhaps most significant of all, his productions of "Hedda Gabler" and "The Wild Duck," stripped of their naturalist clothing and rescued from the museum shelf, and performed as raw psychological dramas, enacting consciousness with innovative direction and design.

Other produtions are briefly passed over -- Buchner's "Woyzeck" and Gombrowicz's "Yvonne, Princess of Burgondy," for instance. Over all, the limited scope of the book allows it to very successfully give the reader a sense of Bergman as a director. It also begins and ends with very telling interviews between the authors and Bergman about his work in the theater.

I should also mention that the book does a great job of keeping Bergman's film work out of the discussion. Only on a few occasions is his film work mentioned, usually only when necessary to compare techniques. Aside from this, I should also mention the book's major failing -- its lack of criticism. The authors clearly admire Bergman (who doesn't?) to a degree that borders on obsequiessness, and one feels some critical debate would have really improved the discussion.

In any case, essential for any Bergman fan.