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<\/i>. It’s a classic and unfortunately out of print now.<\/p>\nUnfurling below you are many quotes from this great little book. I’ll post more when I have a bit more time.<\/p>\n
A couple biographical notes:<\/p>\n
Clifford Odets was catapulted into fame in the early 30s with his play Waiting for Lefty<\/i>. He became a resident playwright with the influential Group Theatre – and they put on many of his plays – which are now considered classics: Awake and Sing, Paradise Lost, Golden Boy<\/i> – just to name a few. His work is very much of a time and place – although the writing is good enough for ALL times. But his plays all have “the Great Depression” as an extra character. Without understanding that context, his plays may seem … trite, or small, or naive.<\/p>\n
The Group Theatre lasted almost a decade – from 1931 to 1940.<\/p>\n
The Time is Ripe<\/i> describes the year of the demise of the theatre. Night Music<\/i>, Odets’ latest play (which I absolutely ADORE – it is very difficult to find, and never produced anymore – my dad found it for me in the library and Xeroxed me a copy – Great play.) – was a huge flop. This was devastating for him – the critics were very cruel. They had come to expect a certain kind of play from him, and didn’t know what to do with this light-hearted romantic comedy.<\/p>\n
They crucified him, the play was a huge flop, and the theatre ensemble folded.<\/p>\n
All members scattered to the 4 winds – John Garfield, Morris Carnovsky, Stella Adler, Lee Strasberg, Elia Kazan – and yet they were forever linked, they forever had a relationship with one another – because of their experiences in the 1930s.<\/p>\n
One other thing:<\/p>\n
Clifford Odets’ idol was Beethoven. Odets felt that any aspiring artist, any artist at all, only needed to study Beethoven – in order to figure out how to do it. He felt that Beethoven had ALL the answers, and most of the entires in this journal have SOMETHING to do with Beethoven. I’ve posted a bunch of those. I love them.<\/p>\n
Second of all:<\/p>\n
I don’t post all of these because I agree with each and every sentiment. I post them because they are interesting.<\/p>\n
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