Writing about Artists: Self-Referral in Drama and Society
1998; Berghahn Books; Volume: 10; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.3167/001115798782484258
ISSN1752-2293
Autores Tópico(s)Cognitive Science and Education Research
ResumoSince the considerable commercial and critical success of Piaf by Pam Gems in 1978 and Peter Shaffer's Amadeus in 1979, the British stage has been swept by a wave of plays about famous artists.1 That trend has not yet come to an end. Rather than offering a representative interpretation of one or more of these plays, either as text or in performance, I would like to discuss an aspect of the creative writing process: what inspires dramatists to write about fellow-artists? I will argue that the writing of plays about artists has to be located in a wider context of developments in society over the last twenty years rather than restricted to theatre in particular or even the arts in general. At first glance, one might be tempted to locate commercial reasons for the dramatist's interest in a type of play that appears to be commercially successful, at least potentially, as Amadeus and Piaf. In some cases, such an argument may be valid, especially when some plays about artists lack artistic merit and box office success. For example, Cafe Puccini premiered in the West End in 1986 and failed mainly because the production expected actors to sing Puccini arias, accompanied by four strings, piano, flute and accordion. Trained opera tenors have their problems with Calaf's aria 'Nessun Dorma' from Puccini's Turandot. If an actor with some voice training attempts to sing this aria live on stage, it is, according to one critic, a laudable act of bravery, but 'no one should have this done to him or to us!' 2 The show closed after only forty-three performances. After Aida is another example of a commercially-led but not successful play, dealing with the last phase of Giuseppe Verdi's career. It played for twenty-eight performances. Times critic Wardle wrote:
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