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PLAYING
THE PALACE
Authors' Notes PLAYING THE PALACE is first and foremost a
love letter to the theatre and most importantly, to those men and women who
call themselves "actors" - "Those That Play The Clowns." PLAYING THE
PALACE tells the story of the traveling troupe of theatrical players in
Hamlet. Based on the 1966 play, “Those That Play The Clowns” by Michael
Stewart, the setting and basic structure (peripheral Shakespearean
characters in Hamlet put in the spotlight) would immediately suggest
comparison to another play of the 1960's: Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are
Dead (which appeared a year later). However, there is a key and critical
difference between the two plays. Rosencrantz and Guildenstern… concerns
itself with peripheral characters who have no idea of what is going on
around them and are profoundly affected by those events. Those That Play The
Clowns (and by extension, PLAYING THE PALACE) concerns peripheral characters
who have no idea of what is going on around them, but profoundly affect
those events. It is the role of the Players as the unwitting catalyst in
Hamlet that provides PLAYING THE PALACE with the theme at its central core:
the power theatre possesses to change the world. Around the edges of all
of the fun and frolic, PLAYING THE PALACE raises issues about the importance
of government subsidized arts and artists and the importance of bringing
live theatre to people who might not otherwise have the opportunity to
experience it. In Polonius' arguments with Hamlet and Soren, we can hear
echoes of today's politicians who would cut funding for the NEA and vote to
leave our schools bereft of drama and music programs. Even the actors have
no clue as to their importance - they are merely looking for a safe-haven in
which to practice their art. In its
initial Broadway outing, “Those That Play The Clowns” boasted an
impressive cast headed by Alfred Drake as Soren Brandes and Joan Greenwood
as Valentina Ponti. With the recent success of the film Shakespeare In Love,
it would seem the time is again ripe for having a little fun with the Bard
and his work. |
