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Reviewed by:
  • Theatre and Adaptation: Return, Rewrite, Repeat ed. by Margherita Laera
  • Mary Elaine Vansant
Theatre and Adaptation: Return, Rewrite, Repeat. Edited by Margherita Laera. London: Bloomsbury Methuen Drama, 2014; pp. 296.

In Theatre and Adaptation: Return, Rewrite, Repeat, Margherita Laera has compiled seventeen interviews with adaptors of theatre from around the world, including the adaptation work of directors, actors, translators, and more. In her own words, “the term adaptation is applied to a wide variety of theatrical operations, uses, and contexts, in which a transformation of sorts takes place” (2). The international scope of these interviews makes for a noteworthy read, and the language is clear and easy to follow. A brief introduction by each interviewer is included to give the reader a sense of the subject’s work and any theoretical background needed to understand the content. This clarity and explanation makes this book accessible even to undergraduate student readers. This book is a useful addition to the conversation surrounding adaptation because it broadens the idea of what adaptation is and can be on a global scale.

The first section of the book, “Return, Rewrite, Repeat,” focuses on taking existing texts and revisiting them to search for deeper and/or more contemporary meanings. The articles in this section focus on corners of the world that are often overlooked in theatre scholarship, including Africa, South America, and Japan. The first interview talks about Handspring Puppet Company, the adapters of War Horse, and other pieces. This is an exciting piece because it tells the story of the award-winning piece of theatre while giving an inside look to less-well-known South African puppet theatre practices. The final interview in the section tells how Udaka Michishige adapts Japanese Noh theatre, in which tradition determines everything from language to mise en scène and new pieces are not easily accepted. Insights from this section can easily be used in the classroom to broaden the scope of traditional classes on adaptation, playwriting, or even theatre history.

The second section, “Defusing Tradition,” is less international, but still provides scope beyond traditional reviews of adaption. Here, the interviews focus on adaptations that question the intent of the original piece and create a theatrical dialogue. Some of these changes are even framed as “aggression” against the text. An interesting example comes up in Dominic Johnson’s interview with Julia Bardsley and Simon Vicenzi. Vicenzi says that “[i]n the King Real, we re-translated the storm scene from the third act of King Lear through Babel Fish, an online translating system … and a new translation was made of the text” (114). Another interview describes an Asian tradition to contrast with the first section’s interview about Noh theatre. Javanese wayang kulit, or shadow puppetry, is as resistant to change as Noh, but Ki Catur “Benyek” Kuncoro expands those boundaries with unique work. Catur’s work, such as his 2010 production of Wayang Hip Hop, is described as “disrupting a centuries-old tradition … in order to engage young audiences” (12). The descriptions of the aggressive interaction with the texts is fascinating and can be used to encourage readers to push the boundaries of theatrical tradition.

The title of the third section, “Intercultural Encounters,” again showcases the international scope of this book. It starts with the story of Two Gents Production, a three-person troupe that touches three countries: a German director, and two actors from Zimbabwe performing primarily in London. This troupe put on Vakomana Vaviri ve Zimbabwe, or The Two Gentlemen of Verona (2012) entirely in Shona, one of Zimbabwe’s regional languages, at the Globe Theatre in London. Another notable interview in this section discusses not only regional pressures on Latvian theatre, but also the adaptation of the songs of Simon and Garfunkel into its distinctly Latvian sensibility. These interviews are a great start for practitioners and students who want to investigate how the theatrical skill-set might be used in a globalized world. The only criticism is that it leaves the reader wanting more—and more is sure to come as this form of adaptation becomes more prevalent in the increasingly globalized world of the future.

The final section focuses on various processes...

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