Few plays have generated more controversy or had a more extraordinary performance history than Molière's Don Juan. David Whitton's study examines ways in which this enigmatic masterpiece has been interpreted in performance through the vision of different directors and in a variety of cultural and social contexts ranging from pre-revolutionary St Petersburg to post-revolutionary Prague. In a series of critical studies, key productions are reconstructed using prompt books, production notes, photographs, contemporary reviews, memoirs and the author's own experience as a spectator. Among the interpretations discussed are those of Meyerhold, Brecht, Ingmar Bergman, Jouvet, and Chéreau. Each of these productions, in addition to shedding new light on a familiar text, is a theatrical landmark in its own right. The book is illustrated with numerous photographs and contains a geographical-chronological table of productions.
| ISBN: | 9780521432962 |
| Publication date: | 27th April 1995 |
| Author: | David Lancaster University Whitton |
| Publisher: | Cambridge University Press |
| Format: | Hardback |
| Pagination: | 222 pages |
| Series: | Plays in Production |
| Genres: |
Theatre studies Literary studies: plays and playwrights |