Your incessant monologizing fills the castle with ennui

[sovay]

Hey, I've thought of a meme.

Sparked by the fact that I wouldn't actually want to be a Stoppard character—I'd die in a fire or I'd be A.E. Housman—who would you like to be a character in a play by? Why? Whose plays would you absolutely not want to find yourself in? (Nota bene: to be differentiated from the writers whose plays you feel like you're living in already. Given how most of my friendlist seems to be doing, that way lies Oh, yeah? I'll see your O'Neill and raise you Sarah Kane.) No fair just calling Shakespeare.

Otherwise I've stopped sleeping again, which makes the idea of more frequent posts seem even more remote and exhausting. I should still try.

In the meantime: talk to me about theater!

Comments

[handful-ofdust.livejournal.com]

In terms of where you wouldn't want to end up, Seneca seems pretty clear, since you're just there to suffer and die, and shit, you can do that on your own time. OTOH, I've always wanted to perform in a version of The Lion in Winter, one of those few plays in which there literally are no bad parts.

[rax.livejournal.com]

Is it wrong that I would genuinely want to be in {\it Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf}?

[papersky.livejournal.com]

My immediate thought was "Anybody but Mamet!"

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

Sooner Mamet than Beckett any day of the week.

I'd go for Wilde; given that I'm not actually John the Baptist, the odds of an awful end seem low, and the environment in the meanwhile would be congenial.

[larryhammer]

Keep me the hell out of Beckett.

I'd take Pinter over Beckett.

---L.

[rysmiel.livejournal.com]

I could probably also handle being in a Charles Busch play, if need be.

Also, just in case it isn't superfluous; no Sartre.

[cucumberseed.livejournal.com]

Indeed.

[zdenka]

Do want: Corneille, Dumas (pere), Rostand. Because there is a moral compass, people's fates are not arbitrary, and things matter.

Do not want: anyone surrealist, Tennessee Williams, Elizabethan revenge tragedy (I don't actually need to cut my enemies' livers out or whatever), Lord Dunsany (much as I love reading him, his characters are mostly screwed).

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

I'd want to be in Goldman's The Lion in Winter. I love the characters in that play. Anyone except John, please, not that Alais has much interesting to say, but nothing bad happened to her in the historical record.

Also, did you know about http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0319754/ ? With Rafe Spall -- Timothy Spall's son! -- as John? "Nobody'd piss on me to put the fire out!" I feel I must see this posthaste.

[thistleingrey.livejournal.com]

It would be interesting, if uncomfortable, to be a character in one of Young Jean Lee's plays. I like interesting. Mostly.

[sovay]

It would be interesting, if uncomfortable, to be a character in one of Young Jean Lee's plays.

You have named someone I don't know! What happens to you if you're a character by Young Jean Lee?

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

My life has often felt like a Craig Lucas play. I'm okay with it staying that way. And I wouldn't mind being in a Tony Kushner play.

Keep me the hell away from Pinter, Satre, and Beckett. Or Sarah Kane. I looked up a summary of her most famous play, and... uh...

WARNING! GROSS! TRIGGERY! SPOILERY!

Eventually, he crawls into the hole with the dead baby and eats it. The stage direction then reads that Ian dies. It starts raining, and Ian says "Shit".

[movingfinger.livejournal.com]

I went to a Sarah Kane play and I thought, "You know, I don't need any assistance being depressed. I think I'll stay away from this one in the future."

[sovay]

In terms of where you wouldn't want to end up, Seneca seems pretty clear, since you're just there to suffer and die, and shit, you can do that on your own time.

You can achieve a kind of awful transcendence if you're Medea, but I bet you still have more fun if you just skip a couple of generations and go for The Revenger's Tragedy.

OTOH, I've always wanted to perform in a version of The Lion in Winter, one of those few plays in which there literally are no bad parts.

Anyone in particular you'd want to be?

[sovay]

Is it wrong that I would genuinely want to be in {\it Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf}?

I'd love to see you in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

Why that play?

[sovay]

My immediate thought was "Anybody but Mamet!"

That's fair. I liked State and Main (2000), but I would not want to live there.

[sovay]

I'd go for Wilde; given that I'm not actually John the Baptist, the odds of an awful end seem low, and the environment in the meanwhile would be congenial.

Sparkling conversation and cucumber sandwiches. Good call.

[timesygn.livejournal.com]

... who would you like to be a character in a play by?
Mamet, so long as I was the hero because Mamaet's heroes inevitably triumph over sordid situations in believable ways.

Whose plays would you absolutely not want to find yourself in?
Mamet. As a supporting character. Because they succumb to sordid situations in believable ways, and invariably end miserably

[sovay]

My life has often felt like a Craig Lucas play. I'm okay with it staying that way.

Apparently I knew Craig Lucas' plays without knowing his name. Thank you for identifying that Prelude to a Kiss and The Light in the Piazza are the same guy!

And I wouldn't mind being in a Tony Kushner play.

Fair point.

WARNING! GROSS! TRIGGERY! SPOILERY!

I love Sarah Kane, actually, but I would not want to feature in any of her plays unless I could possibly guest-spot as one of the rats carrying Carl's feet away. (It's a great stage direction. I have no idea what anyone has ever done about staging it.)

[sovay]

I could probably also handle being in a Charles Busch play, if need be.

I don't think I've ever seen a play by Charles Busch. Tell me about him?

Also, just in case it isn't superfluous; no Sartre.

Yeah. Just end up in the wrong conversation at a convention if you want to do No Exit.

[sovay]

Do want: Corneille, Dumas (pere), Rostand. Because there is a moral compass, people's fates are not arbitrary, and things matter.

I must admit that my favorite version of Cyrano de Bergerac is the one where the Roxane-figure gets to be furious with him for never trusting her enough to tell her of his love, but you do get beautiful language in the original.

Lord Dunsany (much as I love reading him, his characters are mostly screwed).

I've never read any of Dunsany's plays. (I may not even have been more than generally aware that he wrote plays.) What are they like, other than everyone mostly being screwed?

[sovay]

Anyone except John, please, not that Alais has much interesting to say, but nothing bad happened to her in the historical record.

This is two votes for The Lion in Winter. Maybe we should stage a reading at Readercon this year.

With Rafe Spall -- Timothy Spall's son! -- as John? "Nobody'd piss on me to put the fire out!" I feel I must see this posthaste.

I didn't realize anyone had ever filmed another version!

[rachelmanija.livejournal.com]

If some kid wrote that for the Virginia Avenue Project, we'd use shadow puppets. It would be awesome.

[sovay]

Mamet.

Okay, possibly you win this question.

[sovay]

I'd take Pinter over Beckett.

*snerk*ouch*