To paraphrase Alistair Beatons Caledonia - the first play in this collection - The English have anthologies; the Spanish have anthologies; the French have anthologies . . . why should not Scotland have its anthology?Scotland is entering a crucial period in its history; where its identity is being debated daily; from everyday conversation to the national and international press. At the same time; its theatre is resurgent; with key Scottish playwrights; theatres and theatre companies expanding their performance vocabularies while coming to prominence in national and international contexts.Caledonia is a tale of hubris and delusion; portraying a crucial slice of Scotlands history and its foray into imperial colonialism told with dark humour and creative flair; by award-winning playwright and satirist Alistair Beaton.Bullet Catch; by Rob Drummond; is a unique theatrical experience exploring the world of magic; featuring mind-reading; levitation; and the most notorious finale in show business.Morna Pearsons The Artist Man and the Mother Woman is a wickedly funny; deceptively simple; surreal portrait of a spectacularly dysfunctional relationship.Rantin; by Kieran Hurley draws on storytelling; live music and an unapologetically haphazard take on Scottish folk tradition; in an attempt to stitch together fragmented stories to reveal a botched patchwork of a nation.First performed at the Royal Court in 2013; Narrative by Anthony Neilson is a theatrical exploration of the the boundaries and possibilities of storytelling.Featuring plays from Alistair Beaton; Rob Drummond; Morna Pearson; Kieran Hurley and Anthony Neilson; this collection is edited by Dr. Trish Reid; a leading critical voice on Scottish theatre.
#1767621 in eBooks 2014-06-12 2014-06-12File Name: B00L7DEMCG
Review
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful. Existential Theatre At Its FinestBy Vanessa ClarkAs someone who saw the original New York Theatre Workshop show before David Bowies passing; my connection to this play will differ from those whore reading this coldly without having seen the play at all; and especially if they havent watched The Man Who Fell To Earth; or read the book.Do you have to have seen the play first before reading this? Not necessarily. Should you watch The Man Who Fell To Earth before reading this? Yes; because since this is a sequel; thats a must.So with all that being said; theres another thing to keep in mind with Lazarus as a play in general: its not perfect. It almost feels unfinished. It doesnt quite work on its own; with a lot of characters that arent developed when they should be; with not much of a plot to begin with; and with the songs not all exactly quite fitting in with the context of the events surrounding it. For that reason; the mixed reviews are indeed understandable; but what does work is this: its one of David Bowies last parting gifts to us; and its perfect just the way it is as a testament to one mans talent and one mans final dream fully realized; that he was thankfully alive to be able to see come into fruition and to see in person before his untimely death. It also works as existential theatre at its finest. Its not meant to have any real plot to it; not meant to really give us answers to anything. Only questions; questions that will only make us think as well as feel and ultimately love. Thats why I wouldnt recommend anyone taking the play too literally or trying to figure out what it all means. Its a play about questioning the meaning of identity; life; love; and death. Even the songs are more or less a glimpse into an alien who is a man who cannot die; an interior dialogue into the mind of Thomas Jerome Newton; told in song. On paper; the play doesnt quite come to life as much as it does in person. The play is very visual; utilizing pretty fascinating special effects that unfortunately and obviously here; its not there; and it also demands a lot from the actors physically; and surprisingly all this is not even described.So if one were to read this coldly; it will understandably turn one off from reading it; and/or from wanting to see it. But one should see this play; because its something more special and very memorable in person. Unfortunately; Lazarus doesnt translate well in print; admittedly. But I still read through it in one sitting; but it helps that I saw the play first with everything about it still so fresh in my head a year since Ive seen it. I loved that they included the lyrics of all the songs in this play; that was fun to read; especially with the three new Bowie tracks "No Plan;" "Killing A Little Time;" and "When I Met You." Maybe that alone is partly why one should own a copy of this play; but Id say this is also a must-have for fans of the play; if they saw it in person. Or if one just wants this because theyre a Bowie fan; to have it as just one other thing as part of their Bowie collection; its great for that too. Love the play or hate it; though; one things for sure: it may not be a play that will stand the test of time; but like the Starman himself; for all who were so lucky to have seen this; it will remain with us; and while we may never have a DVD of Lazarus; at least we have this; and that definitely counts for something.4 of 4 people found the following review helpful. Loving the alienBy Jane DoeKnowing he would not live to see his 70th birthday; legendary musician David Bowie approached playwright Enda Walsh with the idea of creating a play with music based upon the fictional character; Thomas Jerome Newton; with whom Bowie had been obsessed for almost 40 years after having portrayed him in a film. "Lazarus" is the result of their collaboration. Newton; insane from grief and alcohol; is an all too human immortal alien; betrayed and abandoned by his earthly lover; unable to distinguish fantasy from reality; hallucinating wildly; or just possibly actually being visited by an angel who leads him to peace and escape.The story does not flow in a linear fashion; and the music; mostly from Bowies back catalogue; does not draw us along the wild swoops and swirls of Newtons disintegrating mind. The new songs are wonderful; and having all of the the lyrics in front of me as I write lifts me up. Because; in the end; the message is of eternal love and hope. I count myself fortunate to have seen the original New York City production.0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. An awesome transcription of the musicalBy kungfu_kitten77An awesome transcription of the musical! Does not contain the guest appearance from Alan Cumming from the Broadway run.
