[NEohioPAL] CWRU: Versions (?) of Shakespeare

[Terrence J Smith]

Karel Capek, who wrote ‘R.U.R. (Rossum’s Universal Robots)’, stopped
writing plays for a while because he felt he lost creative control when
directors and actors interpreted his words to mean something other than he
intended.  That doesn’t mean they changed or dropped lines from the
original text.  It’s just that the same passages can be said with sarcasm,
anger, humor, and such, and may not be what the writer had in mind.  I
think Capek and most performing arts participants realize this to be the
nature of writing plays, directing, and acting.

But, moving on to Shakespeare (Romeo and Juliet in this example), when you
start dropping lines in order to make the play run shorter, or because you
don’t like certain passages, or words, then you really should bill the
play as 'based on Shakespeare’s R&J with nontraditional casting and
nontraditional editing', or use some kind of disclaimer.  Since it's in
the public domain (for better or worse, in this case for worse) a director
can do what they like with it.  For example, I’ve seen:  dropping lines,
changing the words 'womanish fear' to just ‘fear’, changing lines and
roles from nephew to niece, dropping exchanges completely (as that between
Capulet and Montague at the end), etc.  But just calling it Shakespeare is
misleading to the audience and the cast.

Those in the audience who do not know of the original text may still like
the performance or may dislike it, but it’s not just Shakespeare they’re
watching.  They might think, “I thought Shakespeare had more rhythm, that
seemed to just stop and start back up again.  He must not be as good as I
thought.”  And those who do know the correct text will know what they're
sitting down to - some Shakespeare, some not.

Also, when casting things like this, the director (or deletor / censor /
de-writer) or organization should bring this out before auditions or
rehearsals.  Just saying ‘nontraditional casting’ doesn’t help an actor
much when he or she gets the role, gets the edited script, then finds out
many of the character’s lines have been dropped.  Some actors may still
want to do it, in which case the director and cast get what they want.

If I go to see Shakespeare, mosquitoes don’t really bother me, nor does
Caesar wearing a suit and tie in ‘Antony and Cleopatra’.  At least the
Cleveland Shakespeare Festival folks used the words as written (as far as
I know).  Many people may like a shortened version, adaption.  But for me,
going forward I prefer, like Frank, All or Nothin At All.

Terry Smith
www.tennisamigo.com