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Theatre of the Ridiculous (Paj Books) |
List Price: $20.95
Your Price: $20.95 |
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Reviews |
Description:
In her 1964 "Notes on Camp," Susan Sontag claims that "homosexual aesthetic irony" is one of the foundations of contemporary culture. Indeed, contemporary theater would not exist as we know it without the openly gay innovators--mixing camp with Samuel Beckett and sexual politics with Artaud--who wrote and performed off-off-Broadway in the 1960s. Theatre of the Ridiculous discusses (in essays and interviews) the works of Jack Smith, Ronald Tavel, Charles Ludlam, and Kenneth Bernard, and reprints a full-length play by each of them. The critical commentary is intelligent and illuminating, and the plays themselves, now mostly out of print, give a real feeling for these playwrights, their work, and their contributions to art. Tavel's The Life of Lady Godiva is an exquisite parody of celebrity culture and the Hollywood musical, and Bernard's The Magic Show of Dr. Ma-Gico shows the influence of commedia dell'arte and carnival side show on both gay culture and popular theater. Theatre of the Ridiculous is a perfect book for anyone interested in exploring the connections between gay sensibility, art, and contemporary politics.
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