Is anyone surprised that I've reviewed ONE book for the CBR III? I'm not. I made the smallest goal allowed (13 in a year), but this is still ridiculous. I do read occasionally, but I admit I've been brainnapped by Netflix Instant. Mostly when I read, I pick up something familiar to relax. I really want to start The Hunger Games, but the nearest library is... well... crappy. And books aren't high on the financial priority list right now. Especially because I have a stack of books I bought last year and still haven't read. And frankly right now I'm in the mood to read plays. I've discovered the BBC Radio 4 Podcast called "Play of the Week", and it is just as it sounds: every week they post a radio play. I'm not sure I've ever really listened to one, but I am officially in love!
I heard of it originally because the composer for Doctor Who (Murray Gold) had written music for something called "Kafka: The Musical" and David Tennant was playing Kafka. You have my attention. The title is somewhat misleading. The show is a play about a musical (mega meta), and there are some songs, but not until minute 51 of roughly 90. It is the sort of play that I wonder if it would be clearer or foggier if visualized.
Have you ever read a book and REALLY loved it, but you can't visualize it as a film or performance because, in doing so, it would lose some mystery or give something away? I remember watching Fight Club and wondering how the book reads (I am told it is one of the few movies better than the book). I love several of Palahniuk's books and most of them leave me with that sense that visualizing will tamper with the true spirit of the storytelling; Invisible Monsters is a good example.
The intertwining of reality and dreams and performance in "Kafka" is a stunning web where I was often lost. For every time I wished to see the structure there was a moment I was grateful for the necessity to imagine it.
This week's play is called "That's Mine, This is Yours" by Peter Souster, and it is a real delight. The story follows a couple mid-divorce as they divide their possessions, and while that isn't a hilarious theme the play is a soft-hearted romantic comedy. It runs at only slightly over 40 minutes and features a tight cast of only three, which leaves me thinking it would be a great UIL show (some things never leave us), so I'm suggesting it to my friends who work with high school theatre. It would also make a good piece in an evening of shorter plays. I'm going to go script hunting - wish me luck!
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