Collected here for the first time are Ludlam's most famous and celebrated works for the stage: The Mystery of Irma Vep: Ludlam's most famous play, this is a hilarious send up of Daphne de Maurier, Jane Eyre and Victorian cross dressing. Camille: based on La Dame aux Camélias, with Ludlam in the role of the tubercular courtesan, is both a laughfest and a tearjerker. Galas: the life of opera singer Maria Callas imagined as a modern tragedy, in which Ludlam himself assayed the part of the diva. Stage Blood: Ludlam's take on Shakespeare, with actors putting on Hamlet both on stage and back stage and somehow, in this tragedy, everything comes out for the best. Bluebeard: somewhat based on H.G. Wells' Island of Dr. Moreau, concerns a mad vivisectionist in search of a third sex. Introduction by Tony Kushner.
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Book Description
Artistic director, playwright, director, designer and star of New York's acclaimed Ridiculous Theatrical Company, the late Charles Ludlam ransacked theatrical and literary history in an evolutionary quest for a modern art of stage comedy. His more than 30 plays are among the most thought-provoking entertainments in the modern repertoire. As Ludlam himself put it, "This is farce, not Sunday school."
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About the Author
Tony Kushner's plays include A Bright Room Called Day and Slavs!; as well as adaptations of Corneille's The Illusion, Ansky's The Dybbuk, Brecht's The Good Person of Szecguan and Goethe's Stella. Current projects include: Henry Box Brown or The Mirror of Slavery; and two musical plays: St. Cecilia or The Power of Music and Caroline or Change. His collaboration with Maurice Sendak on an American version of the children's opera, Brundibar, appeared in book form Fall 2003. Kushner grew up in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and he lives in New York.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Visionary Playwright of the 20th Century,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Mystery of Irma Vep and Other Plays (Paperback)
Charles Ludlum should be read by anyone in the theater; or by anyone who loves theater, and its history. Ludlum combines farce, with wonderfully ridiculous characters in search of great love; in other words, he holds a mirror to the world, and to our society. His plays are brilliantly constructed, funny and sad; yet ultimately magical. As a pioneer in American Theater, Ludlum is due for a "re-discovery." I highly recommend everyone discover, or rediscover, Ludlum. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to wear heels.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
This version of The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful was that used for the 1998 revival at the Westside Threatre in New York City, and reflects cuts to the original text made by Everett Quinton and Eureka. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grand operatic gesture, eighty thousand francs, stage blood, mummy case, marrons glacés Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
House of Pain, Baron de Varville, Carlton Stone, Lady Irma, Act One, Marguerite Gautier, Monsieur Duval, Uncle Gilbert, Act Two, Irma Vep, Lady Vain, Uncle Khanazar, Will One Day Wake, Commendatore Mercanteggini, Elfie Fey, Everett Quinton, Fossil Fuel, New York City, Pastaciutta Mills, Verona Arena, Baron Bluebeard, Good God, Lady Hillcrest, Madame Galas, Rodney Parker New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
This version of The Mystery of Irma Vep: A Penny Dreadful was that used for the 1998 revival at the Westside Threatre in New York City, and reflects cuts to the original text made by Everett Quinton and Eureka. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
grand operatic gesture, eighty thousand francs, stage blood, mummy case, marrons glacés Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
House of Pain, Baron de Varville, Carlton Stone, Lady Irma, Act One, Marguerite Gautier, Monsieur Duval, Uncle Gilbert, Act Two, Irma Vep, Lady Vain, Uncle Khanazar, Will One Day Wake, Commendatore Mercanteggini, Elfie Fey, Everett Quinton, Fossil Fuel, New York City, Pastaciutta Mills, Verona Arena, Baron Bluebeard, Good God, Lady Hillcrest, Madame Galas, Rodney Parker New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 17
books:
See all 17 books this book cites
1
book
cites this book:
- Reverse psychology by Charles Ludlam in Front Matter (1), and Front Matter (2)
- Much Ado About Nothing (Shakespeare Collection) by Jan Dean on page 125
- Titus Andronicus (New Folger Library Shakespeare) by William Shakespeare in Front Matter
- Hedda Gabler (Dover Thrift Editions) by Henrik Ibsen in Front Matter
- A Dream Play by Caryl Churchill in Front Matter
See all 17 books this book cites
- The Theater of Tony Kushner (Studies in Modern Drama) by James Fisher in Back Matter
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