Divine Fire: Eight Contemporary Plays Inspired by the Greeks [Paperback]

Caridad Svitch (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2005

This anthology of eight plays brings together contemporary, radical-reinventions of various classic ancient Greek dramatic texts written by some of the most daring theatre artists of today. Included in this volume are revisionist retellings of Troy Women, Phaedra, Elektra and more. Each retelling is given a fresh, modern spin, yet each manages to remain true to the original plays themes and essence. All of these plays have been performed in theatres around the US and UK. LIST OF PLAYS Phaedra by Matthew Maguire - an intense and erotic present-day story inspired by an Ancient Greek myth and "a response" to the classic French drama by Jean Baptiste Racine. Troy Women by Karen Hartman - an adaptation of Euripides' verse play, "The Trojan Women," in a contemporary poetic style Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl - a of the ancient Greek myth, told from the point of view of Eurydice. At the Chicago premier, the Chicago Tribune said the following, "Full of twists...Sarah Ruhl is a big talent." True Love by Charles Mee - based on The Suppliant Women by Aeschylus, playwright Mee creates an explosively theatrical hybrid, the vaudevillian tragicomedy. True Love is inspired by an improbable combination of three works: Plato's Symposium, Euripides' Hippolytus and Racine's Phaedra.

Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Back Stage Books (July 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0823088510
• ISBN-13: 978-0823088515
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,050,443 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Some great plays, February 7, 2006

By 

Alton Rowe (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Divine Fire: Eight Contemporary Plays Inspired by the Greeks (Paperback)

My favorite play was Eurydice by Sarah Ruhl. I'm not sure if this is out in any other form, but certainly the book is worth buying just to read this play, which has the deftness and economy of a classic Greek text, and the emotional range and subjective depth of a modern classic. She's my favorite author of plays.

4.0 out of 5 stars wonderful myths revisited, December 13, 2009

By 

neel ramok "interested reader" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Divine Fire: Eight Contemporary Plays Inspired by the Greeks (Paperback)

This collection is a wonderful series of retellings of classical plays and myths in modern theater pieces. Well worth the reading--especially for those interested in revisions of classical materials.

6 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Euripides is rolling in his grave., May 8, 2007

By 

Rebecca Wright "theatre grad student" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Divine Fire: Eight Contemporary Plays Inspired by the Greeks (Paperback)

I took a graduate class on Greek theatre and the first part was dedicated to the Tragedies. Then we turned to the plays written based on those tragedies, and this was our book.

First, if you wish to read this book or use it, you'll have to be up on your Greek tragedies. Most of the stuff assumes you know those plays well so that you can understand the inside info. Some of the plays were simply aweful and a few were even offensive to the point that I quit reading them. And as a theatre student, I like to think I can stomach a lot but where in the story of Hippolytus and Phaedra does a twelve-year-old boast about all the sexual experiences she's had? Ugh. If it were old, I MAY understand based on culture, but as a modern subplot added on, it's just revolting.

There were a couple of plays that were okay, and I just love Sarah Ruhl's adaptation. If you've read the classics, reread them before you read this book, and be prepared for the strange.