Reviews for The Stendhal Syndrome

The average rating for The Stendhal Syndrome based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-05-15 00:00:00 Walter Teckemeyer The Stendhal Syndrome by Terence McNally (Grove Press 2004) Most plays are meant to be seen, but I've never met a good play that didn't stand up to being read as well. These two one-acters are so well paired as to seem divinely inspired. McNally, one of the best living playwrights, is able to pack into his short philoso-comical pieces more than some playwrights can cram into a full evening. "Stendhal Syndrome" refers to a condition of being overwhelmed by art, and both works are about just that. In the first, Full Frontal Nudity, three mismatched tourists and a tour guide contemplate Michelangelo's David, finding in it something that surpasses their own mortality. If this play doesn't make you feel the same then you may want to check your pulse. The second, Prelude & Liebestod, is a "performance" of the opening and closing pieces from Tristan und Isolde. By turns witty and profound, it piles laugh upon laugh as the inner musings of a conductor, his wife, a concert master, the featured soprano, and fan are exposed during the music's unfolding. As a side note, the conductor was first played by Richard Thomas of The Waltons' "John Boy" fame, while his wife (and the tour guide) were performed by Isabella Rossellini.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-03-03 00:00:00 Marybeth Mallios I've never been a big reader of plays, but I gave Full Frontal Nudity and Prelude & Liebestod a try, and I liked them both. Lots of ideas on art and our emotional relationship to it.