Friday, April 11, 2008

Nuclear Shakespeare

http://bookreflect.blogspot.com/2008/04/nuclear-shakespeare.html

Starting with one of my favorite quotes ("Each line in Shakespeare is an atom. The energy that can be released is infinite – if we can split it open."), Alan K. Farrar sits down to review what, I'm not quite sure.  The transcript of a lecture given by Peter Brook in 1996...but does that mean it's newly published and only just now available, or something he's just gotten his hands on?  Perhaps he'll tell us.

Anyway, I'm becoming more and more fascinated with this Brook character, a name I'd never heard until Rosenbaum's lavish praise in Shakespeare Wars.  I mean, seriously, the man spends the first 50 pages travelling around the world and asking people if they'd seen Brooks' production of Dream, and then saying "Wasn't it awesome?"  Obviously I've got to learn more about Mr. Brook and his influence on our modern understanding Shakespeare.

Why isn't Shakespeare Out of Date?  Alan tells us that this is the question Brooks' short (32 pages) hopes to answer.  I love that question.  I think it's one of the most important questions, as a matter of fact.  At least as far as justifying why we're all still sitting around talking about the man.

I know he hangs out here, so perhaps Alan will tell us a little more about the book.  Unlike us whoring Americans, he doesn't put any Amazon links in his post :).

2 comments:

Alan K.Farrar said...

(Great quote isn't it!)

1) It's a re-issue from 2002 - with an extra added at the end (to be reviewed next episode).

2) Link services are provided discretely (click on the title).

What it is is a 'key document' (in other words I find it hard to classify it too).

Brook's Shakespeare is best understood from his productions - I do recommend his Lear film - and what I've seen of Hamlet is stunning: There are extracts on You Tube (a link in my Shakespeare blog for the lazy).

I've seen a video of the Midsummer Night's Dream - and lived through the revolution in Shakespeare productions it wrought in the UK - but somehow never actually seen a live Brook production.

Anyone who wants to understand the theatrical nature of theatre should read 'The Empty Space'.

Kenna M. Kettrick said...

Peter Brook is AMAZING. & that's all.