Word: humors
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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WHILE MUCH OF THE HUMOR in Feydeau's work comes from the bizarre nature of the characters and situations, the force of the puns seems to have been lost in this translation by Robert Chapman, professor of English Literature. Hochepaix, for instance, tries to explain the pronunciation of the last syllable of his name in this witty exchange: "Pay. Not Pee. P-A-I-X." To which Ventroux replies, smugly. "Oh, I beg your pardon. Pay, not Pee. Unintentional error, of course." Similarly, Clarisse doesn't understand why Ventroux is upset that Hochepaix called him a "pretty pair of sights...
...fluidity of the actions produce a completely polished series of one-act farces. The informal cabaret style provides an excellent opportunity for the audience to relax and enjoy the near-professional acting. And Norman R. Shapiro's elegant translations avoid the familiar trap of stilted-seeming pieces of localized humor. The evening of French farce at Adams House transforms the audience from a collection of Harvard students to sophisticated connoisseurs of savory French drama...
...ever-changing facial expressions and tones of voice. Until the end, he constantly bemoans his own fate as one "so bright, so young, so handsome." More sedate than the first play. "Capital Crime, Parisian Punishment" balances off the giddiness of the first half of the evening with the pathetic humor of an unjustly condemned...
...Agnes is a strange young woman, singing in an Angelus-clear soprano and obey voices no one can hear. It remains for Martha and Miriam to translate these sounds into the lumbering prose of reason. Pielmeier orchestrates the examination deftly and leavens the weightier speculations with airy talk-show humor. But as Agnes soars into catharsis and Martha tries desparately to anchor her in the explicable, Pielmeier allows himself to take leave of dramatic sense. He offers too many motivations to save the mystery, and too few to sastisfy the scrupulous plot watcher. The result is an off-center Equus...
...action takes place in the locker room of the Northshore Otters, a triple-A team in Minnesota. Without sentimentality, Playwright Blessing fills the room with phantom memories of long summer after noons, male camaraderie, ambitions and fears. The explosive humor is capped by a murderous bat-swinging binge...