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COPYRIGHT 2004 The Spectator Ltd. (UK)
Punishment. That's what I thought when I first picked up the brochure for the Edinburgh International Festival. Greek epic in French, Norwegian tragedy in German, Spanish-Italian musical co-productions and Paul Claudel's Le Soulier de Satin lasting 11 hours. I avoided that. I mean, 11 hours? Art is supposed to reflect life, not replace it. I was looking forward to Andromache (Royal Lyceum), Luk Perceval's version of Racine's version of Euripides' version of Homer's story.
The curtain rises on five actors dressed in highly unnaturalistic garb. Part of me wants to know what's wrong with Homeric outfits in a Homeric play. Put the conquering Greeks in breastplates and greaves and dress the captured womenfolk in all-white cotton slavewear? And, yes, you could do that in the past, but not any more. Stage dress has been co-opted by vernacular entertainments, and the sight of five people togged up as Trojans wouldn't make you think of the theatre. You'd assume they were on their way to an orgy or...
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