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Stage Directions
By Michael Frayn
Faber and Faber £20
268 pages
Dateline: 29th June, 2008
Although this nicely produced volume of essays is subtitled Writing
on Theatre 1970 - 2008, this is slightly misleading. In fact, it
is primarily a collection of prefaces, introductions and afterwords
to the published volumes of Frayn's plays and translations.
Arguably, the most original and entertaining of the pieces in the book
is the diary that the tyro playwright kept during the period when his
first play (or more accurately series of playlets), was slowly making
its way from the page to the West End, via Cambridge and Brighton. The
nervous young man catches both the comedy of his efforts to please Michael
Codron and audiences but also the real pain and desperation that goes
into the birth of what he obviously hoped would turn out to be the first
child of many.
His other earlier plays are collected together in introductions musing
on the world of theatre rather than addressing the works individually.
For this reason, remarkably little is said about Michael Frayn's most
popular comic work, Noises Off.
Throughout the book, he does prove to be a very down-to-earth, realistic
man who is used to and accepts failure but always strives for originality
and appreciation.
Like the body of work, the book is broadly split into three different
parts. The early pieces were generally comedies, many of which are still
revived today.
Michael Frayn, as a Russian speaker, has also cornered the Chekhov
market and writes beautifully about the Russian doctor turned playwright.
He analyses the four major plays in considerable depth and brings much
insight and academic analysis to his writing, without ever being less
than entertaining. Frayn divides his translations of these plays from
his adaptations and in particular, Wild Honey (also known as
Platonov), for which he clearly feels deep affection. He didn't
stop there, also adapting, inter alia, the mismatched duo of
Tolstoy and Offenbach
Finally, coming right up to date, he republishes lengthy sections on
what may ultimately be seen as his most significant works, the serious,
historical plays Copenhagen and Democracy; and Afterlife,
the semi-biographical play about Max Reinhardt, currently to be seen
starring Roger Allam on the National Theatre's Lyttelton stage.
It has to be said that anybody without a science degree will struggle
to understand much of the argument in the Copenhagen piece but
all can appreciate the research that has gone into it. Similarly, with
Democracy and Afterlife, Michael Frayn has clearly spent
many months if not years of his life soaking up knowledge in order to
entertain and enlighten his audiences.
While it would have been nice to see some fresh writings on Theatre
from one of our greatest living theatrical exponents, Stage Directions
is still a good read and can act as either a fine reminder or introduction
to so many of the plays of Michael Frayn.
Philip Fisher
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