Molière: Don Juan

by David Whitton

Overview

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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521478670
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	04/27/1995
Series:	Plays in Production
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	224
Product dimensions:	5.43(w) x 8.46(h) x 0.59(d)

Table of Contents

List of illustrations; General preface; Preface; Acknowledgements; 1. Don Juan, 1665–1925; 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.

Editorial Reviews

"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 Créateur

"There is a great deal to commend in this book. Professor Whitton has a solid academic background on which to base his analyses....I was impressed in particular by his remarkable sensitivity to stage values--decor, costume, lighting, colour, dynamics of tone and movement. A man of theatre is here coupled with the scholar....I have not been able to consult the preceding volumes in the series, but if the forthcoming ones meet the quality standards of Whitton's book, this should be a successful series." Harold Knutson, Essays in Theatre

From the Publisher