NYTimes.com: Two women, robed in black, gazed at each other across a low table at the Alexander Kasser Theater at Montclair State University. They were rehearsing “Imagining O,” Richard Schechner’s reinvention of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” and Pauline Réage’s novel “The Story of O,” which opens next Wednesday as part of the Peak Performances series. Mr. Schechner, as brash as he is gentle, asked the actresses to work the scene again. “I want absolute intimacy,” he said.
3 comments:
This is such an interesting idea! I only wish I was back in New York so I could see the actual production. The concept of following a character from scene to scene reminds me of Quantum's Tamara which closed recently. I do believe that Ophelia is often over-sexualized. I feel that this director did just that in making the actresses be very provocative and forcing the audience to participate in the sexual activities.
I once had the opportunity to play Ophelia a few years ago. I agree with his view of her--that she's a woman highly dominated by men who is unable to express herself and then commits suicide. Still, I feel that Ophelia's sexuality is pretty straight-forward (no pun intended). I'm intrigued to know what the characters in this production are--are they all Ophelia, as in different sides of herself? If so, that sexual interaction is much different than if it were between two separate characters. I guess the major distinction Schechner makes is the difference between sexual and erotic. I get the sense that he wants to tease and titillate his audience as opposed to outright arouse them. I wish I could see this production; I'm quite fascinated by it.
I agree with the lack of innovation in our current generation due to fear of repetition. The internet is great because of the knowledge it gives us, but is also dangerous for that same reason. Ignorance of others' work can breed creativity, but by the same token, another's work can help influence someone and inspire them to create something new. It's a double-edged sword.
Hamlet, while one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, does suffer from the repetitive theme of women who are controlled by men. I have actually read a few reinterpretations of Hamlet from Ophelia's point of view, but being a retelling of Hamlet, they all still carried that same lack of control in Ophelia's character. An all female cast is a very engaging idea, because it takes this powerful character and puts in in a situation where she can be left to form her own decisions.
The sexual nature of the piece seems especially poignant because of the influx of interactive theatre that has been bursting up recently. For the most part there has remained a certain boundary between the audience and the actors even when they are right next to each other. Physical contact and other markers of sexuality are one of the most taboo things our society can witness, so forcing an audience to participate is unsettling and uncomfortable, but truly breaks down barriers between what is okay and what is not.
Post a Comment