Here; I will mend thy feast

[sovay]

Returning from tonight's performance by the Actors' Shakespeare Project, I have come to the conclusion that I would like to point Bill Barclay in the direction of Pericles, Prince of Tyre, because he took the problematic, half-structured, textually ramshackle script for Timon of Athens and turned it into a Brecht-black satire and a genuine tragedy whose first act should have been filmed by Fellini and whose second subtitled itself in my head as Samuel Beckett Eats a Parsnip and it was astonishing. Eight actors, three ladders, two songs, and a sandbox. A piece of sky stuck up in a tree. The best spit-take in the history of theater. I don't know why I'm always reviewing shows two nights before they close, but this one is a must-catch if you have the option—if nothing else, it shows the difference that performance (and a good eye with the scissors and tape) makes from text. Frankly, I hope someone filmed it. I have no idea when I'll see the play staged again. I doubt very much I could see it staged better.

Comments

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

That was a brilliant epitome. Yes, the production was that good.

Nine

[ron-drummond.livejournal.com]

Eleven or twelve summers ago, I saw Timon of Athens staged in one of Seattle's parks, and it knocked my socks off, so much so that I decided to see it a second time a week or so later, and followed the troupe to another park on the opposite side of the city; it was even better. I have no idea what or how much of the text was cut, though the production lasted two hours at least; and I have yet to read the play myself. I dearly wish I could see the production you've just seen; though it wouldn't surprise me if it was even better than what I saw twelve years ago, it also wouldn't surprise me if it wasn't. That was one of the best Shakespeare productions I've ever seen.

The issue of cutting not so much for length or spareness or clarity but in order to make a troublesome play even workable on stage intrigues me, and I wonder whether Bill Barclay would be willing to reveal his cuts and transpositions. As for Pericles, I've never read it either, and understand it's even more problematical than Timon. I have been (very slowly) reading or rereading the late plays, so perhaps someday...

[rushthatspeaks.livejournal.com]

The change I thought was best was that Flavius was played not only by but as a woman (though still Flavius), female pronouns, female referents. And this made the terrible misogyny that turns up at random points but has nothing to do with the play's argument defang itself and change into an actual character moment, because when Timon recognizes Flavius as his one true friend you can see him realizing that the things he's said about women earlier are just as arbitrary and untrue and stupid as every other hypocrisy he's seen perpetrated or helped perpetuate. It changes at one stroke the narrative background into something much more unbiased, which makes the whole thing much more tragic; it makes the misogyny part of the poison of Athens.

Also, she was wonderful, sensible in button-boots and fierce and frightened and not wanting to let the world hurt her or anything she loved, faithful in the despite of not only her class and position but (you could tell) What Everybody Said (which had no basis, not a dash of that sort of interest in Timon).

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I'm delighted that you enjoyed it so.