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msand3 's review for:
Miss Julie
by August Strindberg
I found Strindberg’s prologue -- in which he sets out the parameters for a new theater based on verisimilitude -- to be far more interesting and important than the play. Strindberg calls for theater that uses more solid and three dimensional settings, real props, less makeup, more natural lighting, plays without intermissions, plays that resist the usual three/five act structure, more subtle acting (slight improv, performing everyday routines on stage, the use of more facial expressions by actors), less stereotypical characterizations, better sightlines for theaters (hiding the orchestra, lowering the stage, removing box set obstructions), etc. In short, he predicts 20th century theater -- and even the cinema, to the extent that he suggests that set pieces and even actors not necessarily face the audience at times (that idea must have rattled some cages!).
The play itself was typical Strindberg: overly dramatic, talky, emotionally brutish, and a microcosm of his own strained mental state. I’d almost suggest skipping it and just reading the prologue!
The play itself was typical Strindberg: overly dramatic, talky, emotionally brutish, and a microcosm of his own strained mental state. I’d almost suggest skipping it and just reading the prologue!