Brecht for dummy
October 16, 2008 9:32 PM Subscribe
I'd like to get into some Brecht, where to begin?
As interested as I am in the poetry/plays, I'm most curious about the more prophetic aspects of his ideas on theater.
As interested as I am in the poetry/plays, I'm most curious about the more prophetic aspects of his ideas on theater.
Introductory: Film version of Threepenny Opera with Lotte Lenya. If you can located it, a CD titled "Lost in the Stars," based on Brecht's work with Kurt Weill and sung by a variety of artists, including Tom Waits and Marianne Faithfull. "Alabama Song" as sung by The Doors.
Intermediate: Brecht's published plays, starting with Threepenny Opera, Mother Courage and Jer Children, and he Caucasian Chalk Circle. The collection of recordings of Kurt Weill's worlk titled From Berlin To Broadway, which includes quite a lot of his work with Brecht. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:54 PM on October 16, 2008
Intermediate: Brecht's published plays, starting with Threepenny Opera, Mother Courage and Jer Children, and he Caucasian Chalk Circle. The collection of recordings of Kurt Weill's worlk titled From Berlin To Broadway, which includes quite a lot of his work with Brecht. Brecht on Theatre: The Development of an Aesthetic.
posted by Astro Zombie at 9:54 PM on October 16, 2008
Seconding Brecht on Theatre. If you want more specific, I recommend starting with "A Short Organum on Theater" which can be found in the book. Short Organum is one of the best distillations of Brecht's ideas on the Epic Theater, and written by the man himself to boot.
posted by Ndwright at 9:57 PM on October 16, 2008
posted by Ndwright at 9:57 PM on October 16, 2008
Galileo is one of my favorites. Some people will probably argue that it's not his best work, but I really liked it (maybe the questions it asks about the moral and ethical responsibilities of a scientist appealed to me, since I'm a physicist). Apparently there's a screen version, but I've only ever seen it as a stage play.
posted by dseaton at 12:00 AM on October 17, 2008
posted by dseaton at 12:00 AM on October 17, 2008
I just finished The Threepenny Opera a few days ago - took around two hours for a careful reading (it was for a class). Highly recommended, though I have no other experience of him.
posted by phrontist at 8:03 AM on October 17, 2008
posted by phrontist at 8:03 AM on October 17, 2008
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posted by youcancallmeal at 9:44 PM on October 16, 2008