Category Archives: Theater

THE LAKE BELOW THE OPERA.

Posted on January 7, 2012 by Philip

THE LAKE BELOW THE OPERA. The audience watching The Phantom of the Opera may well think that there are elements of fantasy in the story. However, as Neil Shea points out: “Beneath the Paris Opera House, for example, sits a … Continue reading →

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COUNTING AND COMEDY.

Posted on July 22, 2011 by Philip

COUNTING AND COMEDY. I posted here about how Jim Dale learned to count his pauses in years of working in British music halls. There was a count that would make a joke work and over time audience reactions would tell … Continue reading →

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DO CRITICS KNOW BETTER THAN PLAYWRIGHTS?

Posted on May 24, 2011 by Philip

DO CRITICS KNOW BETTER THAN PLAYWRIGHTS? It’s tempting to make the argument that Tony Kushner and Shakespeare know what they’re doing more than critics do. Kushner seems to like “lengthy digressions and superfluous subplots.” Shakespeare’s subplots seem always to be … Continue reading →

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IS 1700 THE CUTOFF DATE FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE?

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Philip

IS 1700 THE CUTOFF DATE FOR UNDERSTANDING THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE? As a linguist, John McWhorter points out that language change is “a gradual process with no discrete boundaries.” Yet, he says, Congreve writing in 1700 is readily understandable by a … Continue reading →

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SHOULD SHAKESPEARE BE TRANSLATED INTO MODERN ENGLISH?

Posted on April 30, 2011 by Philip

SHOULD SHAKESPEARE BE TRANSLATED INTO MODERN ENGLISH? My friend Joe Foley has long contended that Shakespeare’s language is inaccessible to modern audiences. John McWhorter argues in this essay that for theatrical performance Shakespeare should be translated into modern English. What … Continue reading →

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MARY JANE’S FULL-LENGTH PLAY ABOUT SHAKESPEARE.

Posted on January 24, 2011 by Philip

MARY JANE’S FULL-LENGTH PLAY ABOUT SHAKESPEARE. Mary Jane’s full-length play about Shakespeare—Shakespeare in the Dark—will be given a reading by an excellent cast this Friday January 28 at 7:30 at 5 Gregory Blvd., Norwalk, CT.

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“THE PENSIVE AND AWFUL SILENCE.”

Posted on January 15, 2011 by Philip

“THE PENSIVE AND AWFUL SILENCE.” The final scene of 1776, as I remember it, is silent except for the tolling of a bell and a solemn voice announcing the name of each of the delegates portrayed and the colony he … Continue reading →

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HOW JEFFERSON WAS CHOSEN TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT.

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Philip

HOW JEFFERSON WAS CHOSEN TO WRITE THE FIRST DRAFT. I had known that the songs between John Adams and Abigail Adams in 1776 were based on their letters. I had not known that the song sung by a quintet about … Continue reading →

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THE ACCURACY OF 1776.

Posted on January 14, 2011 by Philip

THE ACCURACY OF 1776. My idea of the signing of the Declaration of Independence comes from the musical 1776, and I was pleased to see how accurate the musical was. The one exception that I found in reading SIGNING THEIR … Continue reading →

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TOO MUCH OSCAR WILDE?

Posted on December 26, 2010 by Philip

TOO MUCH OSCAR WILDE? I have long believed that the New York Times, which has extraordinary power over New York theater, does not like revivals of classic plays. An essay (December 22) by Jason Zinoman provides some evidence. It asked: … Continue reading →

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