I remember reading a newspaper arcticle about a play being performed
in its entirety, something insanely long (over 5 hours). The play
takes place in Eden and God visits Adam and Eve once a year and asks
how they are doing - they reply that life is good. After years, Adam
and Eve tell God that life would be much better if they knew it was
going to end. The play was written by someone well known and I should
remember who it was but I can't. What is the name of this play and who
was it written by? |
Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
06 Oct 2004 09:39 PDT
Could it be "Back to Methuselah," by George Bernard Shaw?
"George Bernard Shaw wrote this cycle of five long plays in 1920 and,
understandably, it has been performed only very rarely since, and then
almost always in condensed form. The one previous time I saw it was a
two-night adaptation, and now David Fielding has gotten it down to one
four-hour session for the Royal Shakespeare Company...
Shaw's subject is nothing less than all of human history and future,
starting with Adam and Eve, and going 'as far as thought can reach,'
which in Shaw's case is 30,000 years from now. The central question is
longevity, and the ideal lifespan for full human development."
Theatre Guide London: Back to Methuselah
http://www.theatreguidelondon.co.uk/reviews/backtomethus01.htm
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
06 Oct 2004 10:25 PDT
Here is an excerpt from "Back to Methuselah" in which Adam muses about immortality:
"If only there may be an end some day, and yet no end! If only I can
be relieved of the horror of having to endure myself for ever! If only
the care of this terrible garden may pass on to some other gardener!
If only the sentinel set by the Voice can be relieved! If only the
rest and sleep that enable me to bear it from day to day could grow
after many days into an eternal rest, an eternal sleep, then I could
face my days, however long they may last. Only, there must be some
end, some end: I am not strong enough to bear eternity."
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Clarification of Question by
kabulski-ga
on
06 Oct 2004 13:12 PDT
Back to Methuselah, by George Bernard Shaw
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Clarification of Question by
kabulski-ga
on
06 Oct 2004 13:12 PDT
Thanks
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Request for Question Clarification by
pinkfreud-ga
on
06 Oct 2004 13:14 PDT
May I post "Back to Methuselah" as the official answer to your
question, or are you seeking other suggestions?
|
Clarification of Question by
kabulski-ga
on
06 Oct 2004 13:15 PDT
Go ahead and post it, I'm sure thats it.
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