|
About Churchill: the Playwright & the Work
By Philip Roberts
Faber and Faber £12 99
304 pages
Dateline: 19th October, 2008
Caryl Churchill is proving popular as the Christmas book bonanza gathers
pace. This book can act as a welcome complement to the fourth
volume of her Collected Plays just published by Nick Hern.
About Churchill is the latest in a series of books analysing
the work of contemporary playwrights, who have today included David
Hare, Samuel Beckett, Tom Stoppard and Harold Pinter.
Philip Roberts proves to be the ideal author for this subject with
a knack of conveying the essence of a difficult playwright's works,
as well as teasing out sometimes unusual facts about their productions.
In some ways, this book covers the same ground twice. First, in chronological
order, Roberts summarises every one of Caryl Churchill's plays. Then
he goes back to the start and publishes short interviews with two or
three people about each of those plays. These include Churchill herself,
directors, actors, designers and others with an interest in a particular
work.
By the end, the reader can reasonably claim to have as good a grasp
as is possible of the large canon of a prolific writer.
This book might be one of the most welcome in the series in that it
is unlikely that there has ever been a playwright whose work is more
diverse than this lady. Caryl Churchill actively sets out to change
not only subject matter but form from play to play and has never feared
critical or public opprobrium.
The experimentation can be wild but is frequently entertaining and
often adds a new level of meaning to whatever topic might be under consideration.
Indeed, dance, movement and opera have also intruded on a career that
has more usually used the straight play form to explore topic on issues
from tangential viewpoints.
Over the years, the playwright has addressed many topics, showing great
favour for the under classes and women and usually taking a left-wing
stance to the extent that politics become obvious. Her collaborations
with Max Stafford Clark at the Royal Court and with Both Joint Stock
and Out Of Joint have proved to be fruitful but her enduring legacy
is far wider than this body of largely devised plays.
This book is very welcome and as it should, makes one want to see revivals
of several Churchill classics. While Top Girls and Cloud Nine
seemed to come back on a fairly regular basis, wouldn't it be great
to see Serious Money as the 21st-century's first recession takes
hold and another chance to watch a personal favourite, Blue Heart,
would also be most welcome.
Philip Fisher
Articles from 2008
Articles from 2007
Articles from 2006
Articles from 2005
Articles from 2004
Articles from 2003
Articles from 2002
Articles from 2001
Articles from 2000
Articles from 1999
Articles from 1998
Articles from 1997
|
