'Love Me Or Kill Me': Sarah Kane and the Theatre of Extremes

Rating:
Summary: Good intro to the works of Sarah Kane
Review: I have no doubt in my mind, that Sarah Kane's influence will be compared to that of Beckett's, in about twenty or thirty years. Unfortunately, those of us in the United States have had little opportunity to see her works staged, as of yet. Nevertheless, Saunder's book provides a somewhat thorough overview of her works.
The book is divided into two parts. After a brief introduction, there is a discussion of each of her plays, and Saunders traces Kane's journey and development. Common themes are discussed, her movement toward stripping down language to the barest essentials, her reliance on image over the word, her destroying of the boundaries and limitations of theatrical structure, common characteristics of her characters, etc. Most of the time is spent on Blasted!, which I can understand, but I found the insight to be less in-depth on some of my favorite plays, including about a ten page discussion each for both Cleansed and Crave. It leaves one feeling that merely the surface has been scratched. However, new information was introduced, which did add to my enjoyment and understanding of the plays. The second half of the book includes a number of interviews with actors, directors, agents, and such, that had the opportunity to work directly with Kane. This section adds a different perspective from the first, and adds a much more personal approach that books of this sort are usually lacking.
Hopefully, this book will help direct some attention to Kane's work. It seems that we are the only country not invested in her works, and maybe this book will help de-mystify her for American audiences. Maybe this will help get her fellow playwrights some attention as well, such as Mark Ravenhill, Anthony Neilson, and David Greig. This book marks a positive step toward understanding the work of someone who innovated and challenged so much, that we will only fully comprehend her impact in the distant future. Its worth the read, and applause for Saunders for taking this crucial step.

Rating:
Summary: Good intro to the works of Sarah Kane
Review: I have no doubt in my mind, that Sarah Kane's influence will be compared to that of Beckett's, in about twenty or thirty years. Unfortunately, those of us in the United States have had little opportunity to see her works staged, as of yet. Nevertheless, Saunder's book provides a somewhat thorough overview of her works.
The book is divided into two parts. After a brief introduction, there is a discussion of each of her plays, and Saunders traces Kane's journey and development. Common themes are discussed, her movement toward stripping down language to the barest essentials, her reliance on image over the word, her destroying of the boundaries and limitations of theatrical structure, common characteristics of her characters, etc. Most of the time is spent on Blasted!, which I can understand, but I found the insight to be less in-depth on some of my favorite plays, including about a ten page discussion each for both Cleansed and Crave. It leaves one feeling that merely the surface has been scratched. However, new information was introduced, which did add to my enjoyment and understanding of the plays. The second half of the book includes a number of interviews with actors, directors, agents, and such, that had the opportunity to work directly with Kane. This section adds a different perspective from the first, and adds a much more personal approach that books of this sort are usually lacking.
Hopefully, this book will help direct some attention to Kane's work. It seems that we are the only country not invested in her works, and maybe this book will help de-mystify her for American audiences. Maybe this will help get her fellow playwrights some attention as well, such as Mark Ravenhill, Anthony Neilson, and David Greig. This book marks a positive step toward understanding the work of someone who innovated and challenged so much, that we will only fully comprehend her impact in the distant future. Its worth the read, and applause for Saunders for taking this crucial step.