Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Bach at Leipzig

I went last night to Shakespeare Santa Cruz, our annual summer play festival up in the redwood groves on the UCSC campus. (And if you think that sounds like an unreal experience, well, yes, it is.) Itzmar Moses recent play was held in the indoor theatre, which is just as well, as this more intimate setting is necessary for the total concentration it requires.

Now this may be a spoiler folks, but Bach is not actually a character in the play. He, or rather his music, is the atmosphere of the play. Among the many interesting things the play attempts to do, is to help the audience understand what a fugue is. In my opinion, it succeeds brilliantly.

Six--or is it seven?--musicians are hoping to acquire the post of organist of the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. That is probably all you need to know about the basic plot structure of the play. Everything else is elaboration.

It has had a great success here in Santa Cruz, deservedly so. This is the second play this year I have seen with an ensemble male cast, the other being the equally enjoyable The Seafarers and against my feminist instincts, I find this five or six person male ensemble idea a sound structure. It is not that there are no women in this world--but they are all addressed, mostly in fear and trembling, in absentia.

I think you could read this play and enjoy it. But it is a little like reading a score of music, and much more so in this instance than in the reading of other scripts. Reading can only take you so far--you have no idea of it's effect until you see it performed.

4 comments:

  1. "Everything else is elaboration"

    Appropriate for baroque music, is it not?

    An intimate setting ought to be required for Shakespeare in this day and age, too. It fosters the concentration on language that audiences in previous ages would not have needed.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    “Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  2. Appropriate for baroque music, is it not?

    Absolutely.

    Sorry I missed your response here Peter. I still haven't figured out how to see new comments if I haven't made one myself and checked off the email follow up box.

    As for Shakespeare, well, yes and no. If you want to go deeper, you may well need less of the carnival aspect of the outdoor performances. But I think they are a great introduction to newcomers--not at all intimidating--and for those who've seen a lot of Shakespeare, I don't think the distractions of being outside really hinder enjoyment.

    But there are certain performances that you would want there to be a kind of hushed silence for. I saw a great 'Corialanus' here a few years back, and they did do it in the indoor theatre. Which I suppose proves your point.

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  3. The carnival aspect could be a wonderful thing. I have not experienced that with Shakespeare. My two favorite performances -- one of "The Tempest" and one of "Coriolanus" -- were both in smaller indoor theaters.

    Re comments, you might want to select e-mail notification on your settings. That way you'll be notified via e-mail of all new comments.
    ==============
    Detectives Beyond Borders
    “Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
    http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/

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  4. Yes, well, in Santa Cruz, there has been some tendency to turn the outdoor performances into revelries. When it works, it's fantastic, but when it doesn't...
    One of my British friends came over a couple of summers ago and went to the festival with us. I might have expected him to poke fun at the accents or something, but he only said, with a slightly baffled look, "I don't think I've ever seen King Lear played for laughs."

    Thanks for that email notification clue, by the way. I think I've got that corrected now.

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