From Aphra Behn to Fun Home
A Cultural History of Feminist Theater
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- اطلاعات
- نقد و بررسی
- دیدگاه کاربران
نقد و بررسی
November 1, 2019
Theater critic Purcell presents a survey-primer on the complicated relationship between feminism and the stage. The author begins with the Greeks but focuses mostly on second-wave feminism and the last 30 years of the U.S.-British theater industry, taking readers through a quick tour of figures, movements, artists, characters, and productions that have shaped and challenged the way Western culture regards women and feminism in theater. Loosely chronological chapters highlight key conversations, groups, and milestones in feminist theater. Fast paced and conversational, this title will please newcomers, though readers looking for depth on specific female playwrights, feminist plays, or the Aphra Behn era of cultural history may be left wanting more. VERDICT A solid, accessible overview of feminist theater from a Western, mostly 20th-century perspective. Recommended as an introduction to the subject, or for general fans of cultural histories.--Robin Chin Roemer, Univ. of Washington Lib., Seattle
Copyright 2019 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
October 15, 2019
Women buy the majority of theater tickets even though plays are written and directed overwhelmingly by men. In this earnest survey of feminist theater, Purcell discusses that conundrum and explores how and why feminism has or has not been presented on the stage, noting that despite the success of female playwrights in recent years, women are still grossly underrepresented on Broadway and Off-Broadway. Among the female playwrights she discusses is the largely unknown Aphra Behn, a prolific seventeenth-century English playwright as well as such groundbreakers as Lillian Hellman and Lorraine Hansberry. While Purcell excels in telling the untold stories of feminist theater, she also includes the work of such well-known playwrights as Eve Ensler, Susan Stroman, Paula Vogel, Wendy Wasserstein, and Mary Zimmerman, and such important women directors as Julie Taymor and Garry Hynes (cofounder of the Druid Theatre Company). Purcell's overview culminates in an exploration of the unlikely success of the benchmark lesbian-themed musical Fun Home, an adaptation of Alison Bechdel's graphic memoir. An invaluable addition to theater collections.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)
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