Word: devilment
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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Panizza's devil seems to be the only one who grasps this fact clearly, and it informs his dissatisfaction and frustration with the scheme of being and not being. He sees the heavenly world the way the playwright does--as a fraud. He's an intellectual type, consigned for his shrewdness to menial tasks and thwarted revolutions. He's sort of sympathetic in his weakness; surely he would be happier with his head in the clouds. Instead, he's worse off than we are, with his feet firmly planted under the ground. It might be going...
There are hints that the devil's domain isn't so unpleasant, it smells of earth and spice, while there's a noticeable stench in heaven. Nonetheless, he wistfully longs for material comforts or transcendent bliss--some new clothes would be nice, he hasn't changed since the Spanish Inquisition. The onset of Nausea puts an end to such thoughts, though, and Sartre hasn't even come along yet (Panizza wrote in 1873). Back to work...
...heavenly Council of Love has met to assign him the feat of punishing mankind for its lust. God is too senile to start over, and the redemption of human soul is his only reason for existence, so fits of wrath like flood and fire are out this time. The devil ponders the problem and answers it with syphilis in the guise of an utterly naive and entrancing woman. The Virgin Mary is belatedly overcome with pity for humanity and ignores her promise to reward this hellish effort despite the demon's defence that his victims will still be capable...
...PLAY IS UNCONVENTIONAL, and an unusual undertaking for the Loeb mainstage. Panizza's ideas have been undeservedly shunned by directors, but the script has technical faults which director Richard Pena failed to recognize. Sometimes the metaphor of syphilis becomes obsessive, which makes the devil's session before God too long, redundant and plain boring. As the devil himself observes, "You can take a lot of crap as long as you can communicate." His soliloquy is laced with pseudo-scientific clap-trap that is arresting only because Kenneth Demsky's tremulous head, clubfooted hitch and fine, brooding elocution fascinate...
...irritatingly devoid of feeling, but they scamper and perch insolently and daringly on the tiered balcony of their Kingdom. The court scenes are a frenzied brew of comic motion, alternating between medieval Italian dance, bouts of wrestling and the Comedian Dell'Arte's pantomime. Among all the dancers the devil's mute partner, Salme (Charlotte Spanos), stands out. Her sinuous form oozes gratuitous corruption. Pulcinello's (Kevin Grumbach) mime effortlessly steals the show for awhile. Even the courtesans playing cat's cradle and pat-a-cake provide an instant's interest for your roving...