Things seen lately

[bromius]

-The New Group's Mourning Becomes Elektra: A play (or, really, a trilogy of plays) legendary in its day as the great epic of American theater, consisting of an intensely Freudian reimagining of Aeschylus' Oresteia transplanted from ancient Mycenae to post-Civil War New Hampshire. It's a rarely revived, six hour (though pared here to four and change

Comments

[fourish]

Hey, I'm gonna be in the city with my folks to celebrate mine and my mom's bday...anything good playing (theatre, dance, etc.) the weekend of March 21st?? Everything I've been able to find closes before then...

I'd say we should hang out, but I'm not so sure how likely that will be with mi familia around.

[bromius]

Yes and yes. I will email you.

[the_lady_lily]

Thanks for the Mourning Becomes Electra review - I'd seen that it was on and was debating if it was worth it, but then saw it was four hours and figured I didn't have the staying power. Uncle Vanya tonight though!

Also, there really, really is something up with recession-friendly theatre - I spotted a Three Sisters production opening in the New Yorker listings. All we're missing now is a Seagull and the city will pretty much have the set worth having.

[bromius]

For some reason this is Chekov's season. We've had two Seagulls in under a year, a Cherry Orchard (I'm seeing next week), the Uncle Vanya down at CSC (I'd be very interested in your reactions) and now a Three Sisters. I guess when money is tight, everyone's a brooding 19th-century Russian.

As for Mourning, it doesn't actually feel like four hours. If you're a big fan of Aeschylus, it's worth it to see how O'Neill handles the transposition; his version of the Eumenides, The Haunted is perhaps the most interesting of the three. Speaking of which, the CSC is doing "An Oresteia" soon, Agamemnon, Sophocles' Elektra and Orestes, all translated by Anne Carson. It promises to be interesting.

[the_lady_lily]

Mmm, we saw the Oresteia advertising at the theatre last night, and having experienced the space, it looks like it should be worth seeing. Must remember to book tickets.

A Chekhov write-up will be forthcoming eventually...

[unforth]

Aw man, I'll argue with anyone who says that Eugene O'Neill isn't the greatest American playwright..."Long Days Journey Into Night" rocks my world...I wish I could have seen Mourning Becomes Elektra, it sounds awesome despite the problems!!

[bromius]

I would not dare to disagree with you (and risk your wrath)! The funny thing is, O'Neill was considered Nobel-worthy in 1936 for stuff like Mourning Becomes Electra, Strange Interlude and Anna Christie before he wrote his real masterpieces like The Iceman Cometh, A Moon for the Misbegotten and, yes, A Long Day's Journey into Night. I can't think of another author who did his best work after getting a Nobel.

Oh, and Electra is only opening tonight, so if you want to get tickets you probably still can.