Molière: Don Juan

This book examines how Molière's Don Juan has been interpreted in performance by different directors and in a variety of cultural and social contexts.

David Whitton (Author)

9780521432962, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 27 April 1995

222 pages, 20 b/w illus.
21.6 x 14 x 1.6 cm, 0.415 kg

"There is a great deal to commend in this book. Professor Whitton has a solid academic background on which to base his analyses....I was impressed in particular by his remarkable sensitivity to stage values--decor, costume, lighting, colour, dynamics of tone and movement. A man of theatre is here coupled with the scholar....I have not been able to consult the preceding volumes in the series, but if the forthcoming ones meet the quality standards of Whitton's book, this should be a successful series." Harold Knutson, Essays in Theatre

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.

List of illustrations
General preface
Preface
Acknowledgements
1. Don Juan, 1665–1925
2. Major productions on the modern French stage
3. Major productions on the modern European stage
4. Other productions
Conclusion
Appendix: Geographical - chronological production list
Notes
Bibliography
Index.

Subject Areas: Theatre studies [AN]