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Reviews for Six Gothic Dramas (De Monfort, Orra, The Dream, The Family Legend, The Phantom, Witchcraft)

 Six Gothic Dramas magazine reviews

The average rating for Six Gothic Dramas (De Monfort, Orra, The Dream, The Family Legend, The Phantom, Witchcraft) based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.has a rating of 4 stars

Review # 1 was written on 2018-07-10 00:00:00
2007was given a rating of 3 stars Jorge Matos
I have written half in jest that Byron was the greatest playwrights of his time. I wrote that half in jest because, of course, Byron's plays are not very good. But he had so little competition for the title "best" that he may as well earned it. The Licensing Act of 1737 combined with trends in the popular theatre - huge theatres, sprawling stages, the desire for spectacle and the actor/theater manager -- had a devastating effect on the English theatre. Any subtly was lost to the circus-like performances of the day. Which brings us to Joanna Baillie, "second only to Shakespeare on Romantic drama," says the blurb on the back of the book. That's really not saying much. Ballie probably is the foremost female playwright in the English language. Show wrote volumes of plays though I think only a few were staged in her lifetime. Baillie is, sadly, devoid of peers. Prior to the 20th century, the only English-speaking female playwright of note was Aphra Behn, who lived about a century before Baillie. The editor of this book wonders why Baillie isn't more widely known today. I have a few ideas. The stories are melodramatic with little action (though lots of emoting), the verse is tuneless, the characters flat, the scenes unexciting, the morals unadventurous. But she was far from alone. From the re-opening of the playhouses until the late 19th century, English-speaking theatre is a wasteland. Sheridan put together some amusing light comedies. But Dryden, Shelly, Tennyson, Wordsworth and Byron put together some painful plays. Though many bemoaned the fate of the theatre, it seemed that those who would "improve" the theatre would have nothing to do with it. They never engaged it in a meaningful way. (Other than picking up the worst traits of the contemporary theatre). Smaller theatres or new troupes of actors for some reason seemed unthinkable. All that said, Joanna Baillie should be admired for the work she did and the fame she achieved. She certainly outshined her male competition. But her plays (at least the ones I've read) lack that imaginative spark that warrant a wider audience. Here are my thoughts on her plays as I read them: De Monfort *** -- This is probably Baillie's most well-known play. But it is far from great. De Monfort displays some flashes of life in his constant irritability. Jane is a ridiculous character who somehow makes everyone around her idiotic in their praise of her. Whenever she's present or mentioned the intelligence and entertainment of the play plummets. Rezenvelt, in the hands of a good actor, could be an interesting part, especially in his interplay with De Monfort. I'd love to see how two good actors play would play these parts - there is a lot of room for subtle parrying. The play misses some opportunities. It never deeply mines the idea of a successful self-made man vs. one born of nobility. That's too bad. Countess Freberg shows some interesting characteristics in her (justifiable) jealously of the slobbering praise of Jane. But that's never really developed either. The rest of the characters are forgettable. The plot is predictable. One man hates another, first man kills the second man. Then dies. (Of remorse? Guilt? Shame?) The ending is atrocious, starting with De Monfort's impulsive attack on Rezenvent (which no one else seems aware of.) Then, at one point, Baillie adds a note saying the play when performed should end at this spot, then proceeds with two more scenes. There is a brief instant where I thought things might get interesting. An officer of the law enters after De Monfort's death and demands to know how he died, appearing (to me) to blame the virtuous Jane. But that's quickly squelched and the play ends with a maudlin speech. By the way, what makes De Monfort a gothic play other than the last few scenes in a creepy monastery/convent? (I.e., many of the scenes which Baillie wanted cut in a theatrical production.) The Dream *** -- I'd give this the edge over De Monfort. It is built on a very interesting premise. A man is slowly driven to madness (and death) through fear and guilt. It certainly seems like a suitable plot for a Vincent Price movie of the 1950s. In execution, though, the idea doesn't quite deliver. The madness appears sudden. The play is lacking that slow burn toward madness of the great Poe stories. Also, the Gothic element seem to drop off at the end. There is a strange dark magic that brings everyone together, but by the time the play opens, the dark magic elements stop completely and it is a rather "realistic" story. I'm not sure what denomination these monks are. But they aren't Christian. When they decide to execute the Count to satisfy the Prior's revenge, no one says, "Hey, you know Jesus may not like this idea. This doesn't seem to really fit in our primary mission." The closest things we get is "If we kill this guy, his army is going to come back and wipe us out." Very charitable. Overall, though, this is better than De Monfort. And I like Baillie's prose better than her verse. The Witch *** -- This is probably the best of the three plays I've read in terms of stage presence. There are some wild improbabilities and coincidences, but it presents a people in the thrall of fear over witchcraft. There is some interesting Scottish dialect that frankly I didn't understand, but it provides an unusual, foreign atmosphere for the play. According to the intro, the play was inspired by a Scott novel in which three old women wonder why the devil does not try to recruit them. How that nugget of a story became this drama is a mystery to me. That sounds much more interesting than this. (Especially as a comedy.) The editor tries to present this drama as a statement about the role of poor women in a patriarchal society. If you squint really hard you might see that. The ending is a preposterous, though not unsuspected, series of revelations that are increasingly unlikely. But it all ends happily. Well, for everyone except Annabelle. There is an interesting nugget of an Othello-like story in which one woman convinces a town that another woman is a witch. Other than the rustic side characters and their Scots speech, the rest is forgettable.
Review # 2 was written on 2011-09-23 00:00:00
2007was given a rating of 5 stars Laura Popovich
There is a joy in fear. Finally, some of Baillie's plays (besides her best-known work, "De Monfort") back in print. Their tone is clearly more serious and psychological, befitting her frequent subtitle, "A Tragedy," than much of the Gothic melodrama of the time. I have no idea how these plays would work on the stage, and I think it would be really fun to find out, but for now I'm just happy to have access to the texts.


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