{"product_id":"the-crooked-mirror-plays-from-a-modernist-russian-cabaret-paperback-softback-9780810146136","title":"The Crooked Mirror; Plays from a Modernist Russian Cabaret (Paperback \/ softback) 9780810146136","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eThe Crooked Mirror\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003ePlays from a Modernist Russian Cabaret\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eLaurence Senelick (Edited by), Laurence Senelick (Translated by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9780810146136, Northwestern University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 25 August 2023\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e448 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.288 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e“This is a dynamic, distinctive, and meticulous examination of a modernist Russian cabaret, written elegantly and authoritatively. The original translations beautifully capture the stylistic differences of each work and colloquialisms imbedded in their context.” - Julia Listengarten, author of \u003ci\u003eRussian Tragifarce: Its Cultural and Political Roots\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn anthology of plays from the Crooked Mirror, the leading Russian cabaret of the Silver Age\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Don’t blame the mirror if your mug is crooked!”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Parody dominated early twentieth-century Russian cabaret, but the Crooked Mirror extended its lampooning to theatrical practice itself. Eclectic in its targets, the Saint Petersburg theater mocked not only naturalism but also symbolism, futurism, and “Meyerholditis.” Its shows parodied both the stale conventions of melodrama and opera and the stylized trends in staging, wielding satire to provoke artistic and social reform. Though the theater was liquidated in 1931, many of its innovations would become standard techniques in cabaret repertoires and improv revues.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e As a cultural phenomenon of the Silver Age, the Crooked Mirror deserves critical attention, yet it has received only fleeting mention in histories of Russian theater and biographies of its major figures. This anthology fills a critical gap in our understanding of that heady era by bringing together key plays—most appearing in English here for the first time—together with short biographies of their authors and robust commentary and annotations. Laurence Senelick guides readers through the artistic and ideological evolution of the Crooked Mirror and provides performers with the material to bring its innovations back to the stage.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntroduction\u003cbr\u003e Anchar Mantsenilov (Prince Mikhail Volkonsky), with music by Vladimir Erenberg \u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eVampuka, or the Bride of Africa\u003c\/i\u003e (1909) \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Guest Star \u003c\/i\u003e(1910) \u003cbr\u003e Leonid Andreev \u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLove Thy Neighbor\u003c\/i\u003e (1909)\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Lovely Sabine Women\u003c\/i\u003e (1911)\u003cbr\u003e Aleksandr Kugel’\u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Little Night Music \u003c\/i\u003e(1910).\u003cbr\u003e Pyotr Potyomkin \u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eShall We Let Down the Curtain? \u003c\/i\u003e(1911)\u003cbr\u003e Boris Geyer \u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Evolution of the Theatre \u003c\/i\u003e(1910)\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMemories\u003c\/i\u003e (1911) \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Water of Life\u003c\/i\u003e (1911) \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWhat They Say, What They Think\u003c\/i\u003e (1914) \u003cbr\u003e Nikolay Evreinov \u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBackstage at the Soul \u003c\/i\u003e(1912)  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Inspector General \u003c\/i\u003e(1912)  \u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Fourth Wall \u003c\/i\u003e(1916) \u003cbr\u003e Nikolay Urvantsov \u003cbr\u003e Biography and Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMan’s Fate\u003c\/i\u003e (1915)\u003cbr\u003e Afterword\u003cbr\u003e Notes\u003cbr\u003e List of Sources \u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Northwestern University Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52555667374360,"sku":"9780810146136","price":27.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/the-crooked-mirror-plays-from-a-modernist-russian-cabaret-paperback-softback-9780810146136","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}