Molire Don Juan [Paperback]

This book examines how Moli?re's Don Juan has been interpreted in performance by different directors and in a variety of cultural and social contexts.Aided by supplementary research materials, key productions of this enigmatic masterpiece are reconstructed in a series of critical studies that examine the ways the play has been interpreted through the vision of different directors in a variety of cultural and social contexts.Aided by supplementary research materials, key productions of this enigmatic masterpiece are reconstructed in a series of critical studies that examine the ways the play has been interpreted through the vision of different directors in a variety of cultural and social contexts.Few plays have generated more controversy or had a more extraordinary performance history than Molière's Don Juan. David Whitton's study examines various 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. In a series of critical studies, key productions are reconstructed using prompt books, production notes, photographs, contemporary reviews, and memoirs. Among the interpretations discussed are those of Meyerhold and Brecht, Ingmar Bergman, Jouvet, and Chéreau. 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, 16651925; 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. David Whitton has done a substantial favor to all those who love Molière...he has married conception to reception and demonstrated the apparently `infinitely renewable stage life' (174) of Molière's most enigmatic creation. L'Esprit CréateulÃ!