"Lysistrata", playgirl of the Western world: Aristophanes on the early modern stage.
Item
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Title
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"Lysistrata", playgirl of the Western world: Aristophanes on the early modern stage.
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Identifier
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AAI9807953
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identifier
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9807953
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Creator
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Kotzamani, Marina Anastasia.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Marvin Carlson
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Date
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1997
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Theater | Literature, Classical
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Abstract
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Aristophanes' Lysistrata has a fascinating history of theatrical interpretations, hitherto unexplored. In the early modern m period, a strong interest is developed in adapting and producing the play in the West. The Attic dramatist is discovered as an author for the stage and gains unprecedented popularity solely on the strength of Lysistrata. In this work, I identify and discuss the period's central interpretations of the play in the theater. Predominantly, these were major artistic ventures that were also enormously popular and influential. The first, Maurice Donnay's Lysistrata, opened in Paris, in 1892 as a gay, boulevardic spectacle, featuring Gabrielle Rejane in the lead role. This was followed by Max Reinhardt's interpretation, in 1908, in Berlin. The director was the first to put Attic comedy on the stage within a modernist framework. The third major Lysistrata emerged in Moscow, in 1923 and was widely appreciated as a political interpretation, responsive to the aesthetic and ideological concerns of the October revolution. It was directed by Nemirovich-Danchenko, for the Moscow Art Theater' s Musical Studio. The fourth Lysistrata was a Broadway hit of 1930, directed by Norman Bel Geddes. The American interpretation transforms the original into a eulogy of capitalism, combining avant garde with popular features. Adaptations of Lysistrata associated with the feminist cause constitute a fifth interpretative category to be considered. This is unique at the period, in exemplifying an alternative, non-mainstream approach to the play. For the most part, my account is based on primary sources. I explore how each major Lysistrata was adapted, produced and received by the public. The study of productions draws on a rich collection of pictorial documents, which form an integral part of my analysis. Central focus falls on showing that all five interpretations are interrelated. Each assimilates creatively material introduced in the earlier major Lysistratas to create an original and influential variant. In the early modern period, there is thus a discourse on the play in the West. In exploring it, I adopt an inter-cultural and comparative perspective. My research affords valuable insight, not only into Aristophanic interpretation, but also, into the cultural history of the time.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
