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The Shakespeare Conference: SHK 12.2808  Tuesday, 11 December 2001

[1]     From:   David Nicol <drn5@hotmail.com>
        Date:   Monday, 10 Dec 2001 17:43:05
        Subj:   Re: The Comedy of "Lousy" Acting (Jonson)


[2]     From:   Martin Steward <MSteward@mds1974.freeserve.co.uk>
        Date:   Monday, 10 Dec 2001 21:27:40 -0000
        Subj:   Re: The Comedy of "Lousy" Acting (Jonson)



[1]-----------------------------------------------------------------
From:           David Nicol <drn5@hotmail.com>
Date:           Monday, 10 Dec 2001 17:43:05
Subject: 12.2789 Re: The Comedy of "Lousy" Acting (Jonson)
Comment:        Re: SHK 12.2789 Re: The Comedy of "Lousy" Acting (Jonson)

I was also involved in the production of ‘The Alchemist’ that Brian
starred in (hi Brian!), and although I agree that we put on a good show,
I don’t think we should get too idealistic about Jonson’s comic genius.
Making the play funny involved wielding the pruning shears to a brutal
extent, because Jonson’s latent brilliance at comedy is obscured by his
tedious verbosity. Almost every speech had to hacked down to about half
its length, because Jonson can’t write a joke without extending it
beyond the point of endurance.

Maybe I'm wrong though - is it possible to stage Jonson without severe
pruning?

David Nicol

[2]-------------------------------------------------------------
From:           Martin Steward <MSteward@mds1974.freeserve.co.uk>
Date:           Monday, 10 Dec 2001 21:27:40 -0000
Subject: 12.2789 Re: The Comedy of "Lousy" Acting (Jonson)
Comment:        Re: SHK 12.2789 Re: The Comedy of "Lousy" Acting (Jonson)

Kelley Costigan was certain that “the production you saw [of Jonson’s
Alchemist] with Simon Callow was at the Birmingham Rep with Tim
Pigott-Smith and Josie Lawrence as Face’s confederates”. These were
indeed Callow’s colleagues in the production, but I am certain that I
saw the it at the Olivier Theatre, London - we had the added pleasure of
a large fireworks display on barges on the Thames as the curtain came
down. I am glad that the production was just as funny in Britain’s 2nd
City (I have never been there)...

m

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