Tuesday, March 24, 2009

R and G Are Dead


What do you think about the humor in the play? Funny or lewd? Even though PoMo is all about not having meaning, what do you think this play is really about?

13 comments:

El Paco said...

"PoMo is all about not having meaning" ---- How can you say that?

joel derby said...

You fail! that's how, BURN!

But for real, I love this play. And from an actors stand point, it would be an amazing play to perform in, the characters are very specific and when they go off on tangents it creates an interesting and fun play to watch. Also, I like how they question the play within the play while they speak, it is very clever. It is like me and my girl, where, if you listen, you will hear multiple references to pop culture and other plays.

El Paco said...

Jane - can you change the title of this post to "Young Geezy and Lil' Reezy iz dead?" I just think that would flow better.

puddlewonderful said...

I wouldn't compare the brilliant work of Tom Stoppard to Me and My Girl, amusing as that musical is...

I adore this play, though, and I agree with Joel... it would be fantastic to play one of the characters, especially Rosencrantz or Guildenstern... though I imagine the roles are demanding, simply for all the thought behind their words. Although on the surface much of it is witter banter and wordplay, I think there's a lot of meaning behind what each character says-- so getting into those characters, really into them, would be challenging, but a blast.

As with all plays, watching the stage production, I imagine, is a different experience entirely. I wonder, though, if this play is also meant to be read... The clearest example of this is Stoppard's stage direction-- he uses Shakespeare word for word! I don't imagine that anyone could glean all the meaning of it just watching it once, it's so subtle and seems to require studying... Perhaps that's just my impression, or perhaps that is the case with all plays... But I do believe the difference between a staged production and a careful reading is more pronounced with Stoppard's work than with other dramas.

Anonymous said...

I think this play is great. The coin flips scenes are pretty funny and clever, and i like how the characters do not even know what their names are at times.

Anonymous said...

el paco-if you write a play titled "Young Geezy and Lil' Reezy iz dead," i will make an entire blog devoted to it.

Mr. Plainview said...

I can't help but think of LHOOQ--and I say that in the most respectful of ways. Obviously, Stoppard does more than paint a mustache, but isn't the concept similar? Duchamp took Da Vinci's work and made it his own by putting a new spin on it. Stoppard now takes Shakespeare's work and puts his own words in it. The result is something entirely new.

bballinsupasta said...

you make a good point brandon. i think that a lot of what makes art art is the intent behind it. i enjoy parodies, and i also like how funny some of r and g is.

Caroline said...

I think the play is definitely funny. I especially liked the part when R & G were talking to the players and the one boy keeps changing in and out of the dress.

Aaron Nussdorf said...

Like Brandon, I think that a Dada influence can be seen because Dada-ism was definately ahead of its time. I think the entire of point of POMO is to change our perception of something which is taken for granted.
Stoppard changes and plays with Hamlet, "the greatest play by Shakespeare/in the English language." The entire thing is poking fun at society.

joel derby said...

It is also similar to DADA in its changing of the art world and its playfulness. POMO likes to mess with your mind a little and play around with you.

Mr. Plainview said...

I think idiolect goes along with the playfulness in a way. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern have a marvelous ability to create banter. The result is this playful, sing-songy rhythm. In other words, the...(bouncy?) quality in speech provides this playful beat.

El Paco said...

I find the premise of R and G are dead very interesting. To me it seems that Stoppard is deconstructing the very idea of a play. He intends for the reader to question whether or not the characters in the play actually have free will or if, because they were written to die, they must die. I like this.