[Note: This review only concerns the public domain eBook from the Gutenberg Project as opposed to the commercial combination of three works pictured h[Note: This review only concerns the public domain eBook from the Gutenberg Project as opposed to the commercial combination of three works pictured here.]
Although we often speak or write about foreign terms being “Anglicized,” The Cid is a “Castilianized” version of al-sayyid, an Arabic honorific which means, “Lord”(in this case, more of General, Commander, or Hero). The Cid is a play by the famous French playwright, Pierre Corneille, based loosely upon the legend of Don Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar, a general who was unjustly exiled from Castille and ended up as a famous mercenary who fought on both sides of the semi-Crusade (the pope gave “Crusade”-level penance to those who fought on the alleged “Christian” side (which, in turn, had many Islamic allies as the religious excuse for the war wasn’t really what it “appeared” to be)) misnamed the Reconquista that swept Iberia at the conclusion of a civil war between the three sons of the great Ferdinand I.
Corneille’s drama provides a five-act format following the typical tropes of the upside-down U of tragedy, though there are hints of the U for (romantic, in this case) comedy. The great irony of the play is that “honor” and defending “honor” proves to be the tragic flaw that separates the two lovers, indeed, even the royal Infanta who secretly loves Don Rodrigo, but sacrifices her love (since he is not noble enough to become her husband anyway) for the good of the kingdom. A strange romantic triangle, indeed. Even the precious female prize of a fateful duel doesn’t know what she wants: (Loc 766 and Loc 779) Her lady-in-waiting puts matters succinctly: “Beware lest, to punish this strange pride, heaven may at last permit you to revenge yourself.” (Loc. 779) Of course, this dilemma is adequately foreshadowed with lines like: “If love lives by hope, it perishes with it; it is a fire which becomes extinguished for want of fuel, …” (Loc. 72) and “But he who lives dishonored is unworthy of life; the dearer the offender the greater the offence.” (Loc. 156) Even late in the play, there is an eloquent lament: “Love this sweet author of my cruel punishments, puts into [lit. teaches] the minds of lovers too many strategems.” (Loc. 758)
The crisis in The Cid comes about because of the hubris of two old nobles—both distinguished war heroes, though the one who causes the offense is rather full of himself. “[The sovereign power] of a sceptre which, without me, would fall from his hand. He himself has much interest in my person, and my head in falling would cause his crown to fall.” (Loc. 195) One of these two principals recognizing the effect time has had on his skills, lamenting, “…when the frosts of old age ha numbed my nerves—” (Loc. 117). Alas, when one of these old nobles realizes that the avenging of his own honor will destroy the romantic happiness of his son, he attempts to console his scion with, “…there are many mistresses. Love is but a pleasure, honor is a duty.” (Loc. 516)
Further, the play is full of colorful statements. “Whether I die in combat or die of sadness, I shall yield up my blood pure as I have received.” (Loc. 172) “He who fears not death fears not threats.” (Loc. 195 and my favorite line in the play) “In conquering without danger we triumph without glory.” (Loc. 226) “Our most fortunate successes are mingled with sadness; always some cares, [even] in the [successful] events, mar the serenity of our satisfaction. In the midst of happiness my soul feels their pang; I float in joy, and I tremble with fear.” (Loc. 493) There is even a cynical wisdom when His Majesty observes, “Time has often rendered lawful that which at first seems impossible, without being a crime.” (Loc. 846)
To be honest, I was expecting the play to deal with “El Cid’s” ignominious and, very likely, unjust exile after Alphonso had captured Toledo (Iberia, not Ohio) rather than this romantic/tragic situation. To me, it appears that Corneille’s The Cid is even more speculative than the history plays of Shakespeare. Of course, what can one expect when the play is built upon what is likely an overgrown legend? Still, legends make the world go round by inspiring the would-be courageous and heroic to look beyond the immediate circumstances and look toward the hope of a wide-open future. The Cid is an experience in time-travel for both its subject matter and the dramatic writing of the famous French playwright. ...more
You’ve probably heard of the difference between “technical” acting (using externals to convey the character) and “method” acting (drawing from your inYou’ve probably heard of the difference between “technical” acting (using externals to convey the character) and “method” acting (drawing from your internal being to project the character to those observing). The “Stanislavski Method” or the “Stanislavski System” would be the proper name for the latter, named for Konstantin Stanislavski’s approach, derived from over 40 years of directing in the Russian theater of the early 20th century. Sonia Moore was the foremost instructor in this method and her name was synonymous with her New York studio where many famous actors of stage and screen were exposed to the “Stanislavski System.”
After a brief introduction, Training an Actor: The Stanislavski System in Class is largely a transcribed group of sessions from Mrs. Moore’s classes, followed by some appendices which clarify the scenes the students were working on and demonstrate one or more of the techniques Moore used to help actors find the characters they were to portray. There is a quotation from Tchaikovsky on the frontispiece (p. 30 in my edition, prior to the body of the book proper) that not only applies to Moore’s pedagogy, but should be understood in many disciplines. “Inspiration is a guest who does not like to visit lazy people.” Moore’s emphasis on work, continually thinking and working to craft the character and build the rapport with another (other) actor(s), is consistent with that sentiment. As she notes in one discussion, “Our final objective is to achieve on stage a state of subconscious creativity, which is inspiration. This is our goal, rather than the conscious work. But conscious work is the means which prepares the most favorable ground for possible inspiration.” (p. 98)
Repeatedly, Mrs. Moore emphasizes the need for work and the need for allow one’s view of characters (and inherent thoughts and actions thereof) to change (pp. 186-187). I particularly liked the quotation from director Eugene Vakhtangov which reads: “Art is search, not finished form.” (p. 244) Indeed, Moore and her mentor, Stanislavski, believed in rather a fluid relationship between thought, action, and word, as well as between form and content. “The director is really competing with the author in his search for the most expressive form for the content. Although the director has no right to distort the play, he is not obligated to express himself only for the author. He must express himself through the playwright.” (p. 295)
Perhaps the single most emphasis in Moore’s sessions is the concern with what she calls tempo-rhythm (pp. 60, 61, 195-196, 203, 235, 241, 245, 275, and 306, in particular). By tempo-rhythm, she seems to indicate what some (including myself) call “pacing,” but she obviously means more. She is talking about the inner motivation that governs how fast one does something, a psycho-physical relationship (see also p. 35, 138-139, 196). An actor thinks, immersing oneself in an inner monologue which defines the character and allows that inner monologue to influence the character’s on-stage actions and the pace at which those actions are executed. And there must be action: “If you cannot project something, it does not belong on the stage. It’s as simple as that. There is no art if it does not reach the audience.” (p. 43) That last sentence can apply equally to any form of art.
I am not currently involved in performing or directing. I picked up Training an Actor: The Stanislavski System in Class out of a combination of nostalgia and curiosity. I was rewarded in terms of both. There are many jewels and many quotations in the book which are useful for more than one discipline. We often hear the illustration that for art, the most important thing is what to remove—much like Japanese “ichiban” floral arranging. Moore quoted Soviet director, A. D. Diky, with an even more vivid illustration concerning a watch mechanism: “Even if you place a diamond into the mechanism, the watch will stop.” (p. 304) As a result, I suggest that while there may be more recent volumes on the acting craft/art, Mrs. Moore’s approach is valuable and stimulating enough that it still deserves to be on the shelves of would-be actors, directors, or even artists in other genres of performance/representation. ...more
Plays That’ll Preach is a compilation of one-act plays by a long-time friend, colleague, and mentor of mine. Robert Don Hughes taught my directing claPlays That’ll Preach is a compilation of one-act plays by a long-time friend, colleague, and mentor of mine. Robert Don Hughes taught my directing class during my undergraduate work, was a student in the class where I was grader during my first magisterial degree, was the professor under which I served as graduate fellow during my second magisterial and my doctoral degree, and has been a fellow pastor over the years. He produced a play that I wrote when serving as a professor for a graduate program and was part of a group of gamers in several situations in which we were both involved (strategy games, role-playing games, and that strange social mix called Diplomacy).
So, with the bias duly noted, one wonders why I’m giving only 4/5 stars to such a friend. Simple, I’m jealous. Well, that may be true, but there is one other reason. There are simply a few jarring times when Hughes shakes me out of my suspended disbelief by becoming too prosaic in his prose or too long-winded in the conversational bits. Now, the latter is rare in most of the plays and doesn’t stick out in the ones which portray characters and incidents from the Bible. However, in the only play strictly set in the modern era, the conversation becomes as ornate as my grandmother’s embroidery.
Still, the collection contains much of Bob’s humor, a definite plus when writing about subjects that run the risk of becoming too preachy. I particularly liked the early scenes between Hosea and a fishmonger and between Gomer and the guard in “With Bonds of Love,” based on the life of the prophet Hosea. The sassy wife who begrudgingly offers hospitality to a blinded Saul of Tarsus in “Out of Darkness” is delightful, as is the portrayal of Jonah (with which play, Bob inspired me to perform a monologue sermon of Jonah all across the U.S. and once in India).
And, while this may seem strange to compliment after complaining about some of the prosaic conversations, “A Sculpture in River Mud” is a retelling of the Adam and Eve saga in what is close to free verse. This is the only play in this collection I’ve produced. I must confess that we didn’t do the play justice. Everything that could go wrong in staging, costumes, and dropped lines went wrong. Yet, this play of hope had a profound impact on the two recent converts who played the lead roles. I’d love to stage it again with a stronger cast (and my former cast would probably like to stage it again with a competent director).
I’m hoping to perform one or two of these plays in the near future, even though I’ll have to check with Bob and see if the rights to this book and/or performance rights have reverted to him. So, despite my qualifier on the occasional poetic conversation, don’t let me talk you out of checking out this book—especially if you’re a Christian. ...more
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