Reviews for Spontaneous Melodramas: 24 Impromptu Skits That Bring Bible Stories to Life

The average rating for Spontaneous Melodramas: 24 Impromptu Skits That Bring Bible Stories to Life based on 2 reviews is 3.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2015-08-09 00:00:00 Bob Bob A difficult, demanding read filled with invented slang that makes the text of A Clockwork Orange look almost like homely chatter. The subtext of this experimental play just might be a Freudian commentary on the modern ego, a fable clothed in the trappings of celebrity and gangster machismo. I'd have to see a good production of the play to decide whether it's genius or just a high-concept muddle. [Note: this Shepard play is the basis for T. Bone Burnett's 2008 album of the same name.]

Review # 2 was written on 2017-02-06 00:00:00 Shirley Lewis I just reread this. It's a weird, wild play, not to everyone's taste, but I kind of love it. Two gangster-like rock stars, Hoss and Crow, battle for chart supremacy ("a gold record") in an elaborate, futuristic game. They engage in psychological warfare through what seems like a stream of consciousness version of "the dozens." The play is part tragedy, part post-apocalyptic, sci-fi western. Shepard invented an argot for the characters to speak that reminds me of A Clockwork Orange. T Bone Burnett wrote the songs for this version of the play. In 2008, he recorded them for an album that is also well worth checking out.