''The Blue Room'' is a 1998
play
Play most commonly refers to:
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* Play (theatre), a work of drama
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by
David Hare, adapted from the 1897 play ''
Der Reigen'' written by
Arthur Schnitzler
Arthur Schnitzler (15 May 1862 – 21 October 1931) was an Austrian author and dramatist.
Biography
Arthur Schnitzler was born at Praterstrasse 16, Leopoldstadt, Vienna, capital of the Austrian Empire (as of 1867, part of the dual monarchy ...
(1862–1931), and more usually known by the French translation ''
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* La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica
*La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
* A La Ronde, an ...
''.
Schnitzler's play
Schnitzler completed the play in 1900, but did not intend it to be performed, even calling the series of scenes 'unprintable', he intended them to be read by friends. The play was too sexually explicit to be performed at the time. Subsequently, it was read and then performed in private. Its first public performance in 1921, under the now accepted title ''Reigen'', was closed down by the Vienna police – Schnitzler was prosecuted for obscenity.
''Reigen'' was meant as a dramatic exposé of the decadence of the Austrian society. Schnitzler, being a doctor approached the decadence of society from a medical point of view, studying the journey of
syphilis
Syphilis () is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium ''Treponema pallidum'' subspecies ''pallidum''. The signs and symptoms of syphilis vary depending in which of the four stages it presents (primary, secondary, latent, an ...
through all classes of society. The title ''Reigen'' would be best translated as 'round-dance' or 'roundelay'. This refers to the daisy chain of sexual encounters, which also determines the format of the play. It is divided into ten scenes and each scene holds two characters (always male and female) and their sexual encounter. The following scene contains one character of the previous scene and a new one. A has sex with B, B has sex with C and so on; until in the tenth scene the circle closes with J having sex with A.
Hare's adaptation
Hare's adaptation, called ''The Blue Room'', transfers the action from Vienna to 'one of the great cities of the world, in the present day'. The characters change accordingly, the soldier becomes a cab driver, the parlour maid becomes an ''
au pair
An au pair (; plural: au pairs) is a helper from a foreign country working for, and living as part of, a host family. Typically, au pairs take on a share of the family's responsibility for childcare as well as some housework, and receive a monet ...
'', etc...
Hare's major difference from the original piece is the idea of performing it as a two-person show. Hare states himself that he was not the first person to do so. In 1981 when the theatrical rights fell temporarily out of copyright several stage versions were crafted and performed.
Otherwise Hare's adaptation is not far from the original.
Syphilis or any other sexually transmitted disease is never explicitly mentioned in either Schnitzler's original or Hare's adaptation. Scene VI contains the only reference to this when the politician is concerned about 'hygiene' having just slept with the model.
Sam Mendes had asked Hare to adapt Schnitzler's ''Reigen''. The 1950 movie ''
La Ronde La Ronde may refer to:
Geography
* La Ronde, Charente-Maritime, a commune in the Charente-Maritime ''département'', France
* La Ronde River, on the Caribbean island of Dominica
*La Ronde (amusement park), Montreal, Quebec, Canada
* A La Ronde, an ...
'' by
Max Ophüls
Maximillian Oppenheimer (; 6 May 1902 – 26 March 1957), known as Max Ophüls (; ), was a German-French film director who worked in Germany (1931–1933), France (1933–1940 and 1950–1957), and the United States (1947–1950). He made near ...
was also based on ''Reigen'' and has influenced many stage adaptations, including ''The Blue Room''.
The characters
*The Girl (Irene) - Scene I & X
*The Cab Driver (Fred) - Scene I & II
*The Au Pair (Marie) - Scene II & III
*The Student (Anton) - Scene III & IV
*The Married Woman (Emma) - Scene IV & V
*The Politician (Charles) - Scene V & VI
*The Model (Kelly) - Scene VI & VII
*The Playwright (Robert) - Scene VII & VIII
*The Actress - Scene VIII & IX
*The Aristocrat (Malcolm) - Scene IX & X
Performances
Hare's adaptation was first performed at the
Donmar Warehouse
The Donmar Warehouse is a 251-seat, not-for-profit theatre in Covent Garden, London, England. It first opened on 18 July 1977.
Sam Mendes, Michael Grandage and Josie Rourke have all served as artistic director, a post held since 2019 by Mi ...
, London, on 10 September 1998 with
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an American and Australian actress and producer. Known for her work across various film and television productions from several genres, she has consistently ranked among the world's highest-paid act ...
and
Iain Glen
Iain Alan Sutherland Glen (born 24 June 1961) is a Scottish actor. Glen is best known for his roles as Dr. Alexander Isaacs/Tyrant in three films of the ''Resident Evil'' film series (2004–2016) and as Ser Jorah Mormont in the HBO fantasy t ...
in lead roles. It was directed by
Sam Mendes, designed by Mark Thompson, and lit by Hugh Vanstone, with music by Paddy Cunneen. London critic
Charles Spencer's review for the ''
Daily Telegraph
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'' concluded with the now iconic phrase, "It's pure theatrical Viagra." The production was a commercial success and on 13 December of that year
[ew.com 18 December 1998]
/ref> moved to the Cort Theatre
The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, United States. It was built in ...
on Broadway, New York (with the same cast), but received mixed reviews. Kidman's brief nude appearance, a short flash of her buttocks
The buttocks (singular: buttock) are two rounded portions of the exterior anatomy of most mammals, located on the posterior of the pelvic region. In humans, the buttocks are located between the lower back and the perineum. They are composed ...
on a semi dark stage, caused a hullabaloo and attributed for brisk ticket sales. Glen's full frontal nudity while cartwheeling attracted far less attention.[Webzine]
/ref> Several reviewers commented on the best seats to view Kidman's backside.
Hare's play was also performed to critical acclaim in Australia in 2002 with Sigrid Thornton
Sigrid Madeline Thornton (born 12 February 1959) is an Australian film and television actress. Her television work includes '' Prisoner'' (1979–80), '' All the Rivers Run'' (1983), '' SeaChange'' (1998–2019) and '' Wentworth'' (2016–2018 ...
and Marcus Graham
Marcus Graham (born 11 October 1963) is an Australian film, television (including both serials and mini-series) and stage actor and director, with roles including ''Mulholland Drive'' and ''Josh Jarman''. He was known as a teenage heartthrob in ...
in the two lead roles, and directed by Simon Phillips. The Sydney performances took place at the Theatre Royal after a run in Melbourne. The nude scenes and Thornton's "sexy" body were also noted.The Sun-Herald, Angela Cuming, September 1, 2003
The independent fil
Cubes
was structurally inspired by ''The Blue Room''. Screenwriter Mark Zdancewicz transplanted the play's daisy chain structure into the modern office environment. The film, directed by Jason Sherry, follows a series of rotating cubicle partners over the course of a year.
References
External links
* ttp://www.curtainup.com/blueroom.html Curtain Up Internet ''Theatre Magazine'' Review of ''The Blue Room'' at the Cort Theatre, NYbr>''Talking Broadway'' Review of ''The Blue Room'' in NY
*
''La Ronde'' at imdb
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blue Room
1998 plays
Plays by David Hare