Customer Reviews

The Living Theatre: Art, Exile, and Outrage

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I read this and I must say it's very thick. It's about the life of Julian Beck and The Living Theatre though the eyes of John Tytell. Although John tells the Biographical part of Beck's theatre, he doesn't go into too much detail about the actual performances. My guess would be is that you had to experience them for yourself. It's a very detailed about Beck's intentions, his view of theatre, and why he ripped away the conventions to bring the performers and their audience closer together. For those into theatre it is a must book to have.

i got this book cause i attended a living theater performance of paradise now at yale in 1968. reading a history of julian beck and judith malina took me back to those days. the struggle to find and mount their vision was intriguing. the number of now-famous artistic colleagues they hung out with - john cage, merce cunningham, truman capote, and many more - with makes this quite the book for name-droppers. the book is comprehensive and interesting, if a bit dry.

This is a book loosely based on some of the things that people in The Living Theatre may have done until 1985. All but the last chapter trods already well-worn ground of the "crazy" Living Theatre, and says nearly nothing about the work itself. The Living Theatre has continued to work and grow up until the present day (2008), and nearly nothing is mentioned about what they have learned and created since the mid 1970s. For more scholarly treatments, consult some of the avant-garde studies of Shank, Aronson, or Innes. Or better yet, go see the current Living Theatre for yourself on Clinton Street in Manhattan.