Overview

An anthology of plays from the Crooked Mirror, the leading Russian cabaret of the Silver Age “Don’t blame the mirror if your mug is crooked!” Parody dominated early twentieth-century Russian cabaret, but the Crooked Mirror extended its lampooning to theatrical practice itself. Eclectic in its targets, the Saint Petersburg theater mocked not only naturalism but also symbolism, futurism, and “Meyerholditis.” Its shows parodied both the stale conventions of melodrama and opera and the stylized trends in staging, wielding satire to provoke artistic and social reform. Though the theater was liquidated in 1931, many of its innovations would become standard techniques in cabaret repertoires and improv revues. As a cultural phenomenon of the Silver Age, the Crooked Mirror deserves critical attention, yet it has received only fleeting mention in histories of Russian theater and biographies of its major figures. This anthology fills a critical gap in our understanding of that heady era by bringing together key plays—most appearing in English here for the first time—together with short biographies of their authors and robust commentary and annotations. Laurence Senelick guides readers through the artistic and ideological evolution of the Crooked Mirror and provides performers with the material to bring its innovations back to the stage.

Full Product Details

Author:   Laurence Senelick ,  Laurence Senelick
Publisher:   Northwestern University Press
Imprint:   Northwestern University Press
Weight:   0.288kg
ISBN:  

9780810146136

ISBN 10:   0810146134
Pages:   448
Publication Date:   31 August 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Introduction Anchar Mantsenilov (Prince Mikhail Volkonsky), with music by Vladimir Erenberg  Biography and Introduction Vampuka, or the Bride of Africa (1909)  The Guest Star (1910)  Leonid Andreev  Biography and Introduction Love Thy Neighbor (1909) The Lovely Sabine Women (1911) Aleksandr Kugel’ Biography and Introduction A Little Night Music (1910). Pyotr Potyomkin  Biography and Introduction Shall We Let Down the Curtain? (1911) Boris Geyer  Biography and Introduction The Evolution of the Theatre (1910) Memories (1911)  The Water of Life (1911)  What They Say, What They Think (1914)  Nikolay Evreinov  Biography and Introduction Backstage at the Soul (1912)   The Inspector General (1912)   The Fourth Wall (1916)  Nikolay Urvantsov  Biography and Introduction Man’s Fate (1915) Afterword Notes List of Sources 

Reviews

This is a dynamic, distinctive, and meticulous examination of a modernist Russian cabaret, written elegantly and authoritatively. The original translations beautifully capture the stylistic differences of each work and colloquialisms imbedded in their context. --Julia Listengarten, author of Russian Tragifarce: Its Cultural and Political Roots

Author Information

Laurence Senelickis Fletcher Professor Emeritus of Drama and Oratory at Tufts University. His books include Cabaret Performance: Europe, 1890–1940 and Soviet Theatre: A Documentary History.

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