"This is the statement of a person who has occupied a central
position in the making of theatre," Clurman says in his
introduction and it's no idle boast. As a founder of the seminal
Group Theatre, as prominent critic, director and teacher, he has as
much responsibility for the state of American theater today as
anyone. And there's the rub: in the first half of this book Clurman
restates every happy cliche, compounds every mistake, and justifies
every misconception that has reduced the U.S. theater to its
present second-rate status. As an ideologue for Broadway and its
farm system, he dissects the art and craft of directing in terms of
its cash equivalent - its ultimate commercial success. But when he
interrupts his common-sense advice to "intelligent theatre goers"
and young directors with frequent references to the bold
productions of the Theatre Guild of which he was a member -
productions more than thirty years old - it can only be considered
a form of aesthetic grave robbing. The second half of the book is
almost redeeming; a fascinating selection of notes on directing
individual plays by the playwrights themselves, Odets on Rocket To
The Moon, O'Neill on A Touch Of The Poet, The Waltz Of The
Toreadors by Anouilh. Finally Clurman edits the work scripts of
directors for several important productions, e.g., Giraudoux's The
Trojan War Will Not Take Place, but all these are presented without
annotation, remaining cryptic ciphers to the layman. Except for its
value as source material, this doesn't deserve the sound of even
one hand clapping. (Kirkus Reviews)
"A straightforward, tasteful, and articulate account of what it is
to bring a play to palpitating life upon a stage" ("The New York
Times Book Review").
In this classic guide to directing, we are taken logically from the
choice of the play right through ever aspect of its production to
performances and beyond. Harold Clurman, director of such memorable
productions as "A Member of the Wedding" and "Uncle Vanya,"
describes the pleasures and perils of working with such celebrated
playwrights and actors as Marlon Brando, Arthur Miller, Julie
Harris, and Lillian Hellman. He also presents his own directing
notes for ten of his best-known productions.
General
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