When Shaw died in 1950; the world lost one of its most well-known authors; a revolutionary who was as renowned for his personality as he was for his humour; humanity; and rebellious thinking. He remains a compelling figure who deserves attention not only for how influential he was in his time; but for how relevant he is to ours. This collection sets Shaws life and achievements in context; with 42 scholarly essays devoted to subjects that interested him and defined his work. Contributors explore a wide range of themes; moving from factors that were formative in Shaws life; to the artistic work that made him most famous and the institutions with which he worked; to the political and social issues that consumed much of his attention; and; finally; to his influence and reception. Presenting fresh material and arguments; this collection will point to new directions of research for future scholars.
#2018311 in eBooks 2015-10-22 2015-10-22File Name: B015QCQWD0
Review
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. ... a deep consideration of the bottomless mysteries of the greatest play in the English languageBy Jim EigoPerforming King Lear is not a book to turn to for a deep consideration of the bottomless mysteries of the greatest play in the English language. The book does not pretend to be that. It is instead a lively. thoughtful consideration of dozens of the most prominent English-language productions of Shakespeares King Lear from the first "modern" realization of the King by John Gielgud in 1931 through recent stagings on both sides of the Atlantic in 2013 and 2014.Each short section is devoted to a particular production. The author does not evaluate a production. though he does present a cross section of contemporary critical reception. Each section instead focuses on the actor playing Lear and on the director of the production. almost always through direct quotation from available source material or from interviews that the author conducted with a score of the principal players. For most productions. many other voices. most often of actors playing supporting roles and members of the productionrsquo;s creative team. frequently chime in as well.If you love this play and if you believe. like me. that a play is only really truly itselfmdash;or rather. one of its numberless selvesmdash;as it is given bodily form by living. breathing actors. then this book is indispensable to you. Very trim but complete sourcing will point you down the path to further investigation into the particular productions of Lear that have captured your imagination. There are eight photographs in the bookmdash;far fewer than the number of productions chronicled. But if you read the book with a computer or a mobile device at hand. you will be able to summon up shots for most of the productions the book considers. and clips for many of the more recent stagings.The author keeps his opinions to himself. But after I finished reading the book. I wanted to interview him. I would love to know which of the many productions that he has researched or has experienced himself have gripped him the most. or amused him. enlightened him. baffled him and. yes. wounded him. King Lear is just that kind of play.
