EXTRACT
'Comedy, Irony, Satire and other Deeper Meanings'
written by Christian Grabbe (1822)
Adapted & Directed by Duncan Ward
Performed at
The Gate, London, 1997
Director Duncan Ward has adapted Christian Dietrich Grabbe's chaotic script, which was written in 1822 and is still popular in Europe. In what is only arguably the play's central plot, three men are vying for the hand of Liddy, a wealthy baroness; the Devil just happens to be in town to stir the pot. Grabbe frequently and frustratingly wanders from this story to focus on other characters or to take potshots at the literary pretensions of his time: Liddy's uncle rants about audiences and critics, the drunken Village Schoolmaster reads his fish wrap to keep up with what's popular, and the poet Kilratt immediately warms to the Devil when the latter says, “Don't be afraid. I've read your poems.” We get the comedy, and some of the satire, but a few judicious cuts might have helped keep things on track.
credits go here
"COMEDY, IRONY, SATIRE & OTHER DEEPER MEANINGS"
