From page to stage
The film is never half as good as the book, it it?
We all know the disappointment of a much-loved book or book series getting butchered in the cinema, it is painful and infuriating and can ruin a book for some.
I went to a three-hour and 40-minute-long play adaption of 'A Little Life’ in the cinema last Sunday and it was exhilarating, a book of about 700 pages compressed into a play and then filmed for the cinema.
It was brilliant but again stripped the text back to the bones and plenty of sections and moments were missing, mostly some of the kinder and ‘nicer’ moments from the text so it did make for a quite traumatic afternoon in the Odeon.
Both myself and my companion, friend of the newsletter, Sally found it deeply moving, she cried, and I whimpered.
We thought the choices made to tell the story were interesting such as the larger role of the therapist, and the decision to stage the play in traverse which to me really called out the role of bystanders in society.
Moreover, I think the play really emphasised the lifelong impact of childhood trauma and captured it in an interesting way. It has a few days left in cinemas and you should go see it if you can.
This got me thinking of the notion of page to stage, I have always been a lover of theatre, both attending and performing and there is just something special about a stage production compared to a film.
For me, when something is on stage, it feels closer, it is more intimate. You can feel every moment, every glance, every footstep has weight and significance. Most notably, there is a commitment by those on stage to do something every night and do it the same.
One thing we remarked on watching ‘A Little Life’ was how hard and harrowing the run would have been for the actors. With film and TV, there is a some takes and then the shoot moves no while on stage, the pain must be returned to nightly.
One of my key takeaways was I was glad that I wasn’t in the actual theatre as I knew I’d have found it too much while the distance of a filmed production was the happy medium between distance and intimacy for me.
Now, I love a bit of film and a good TV series but there is just magic when it comes to live theatre.
This magic was further explored when myself and a few other friends, went to see an excellent local production of ‘The Beauty Queen of Leenane’ by Donegal Drama Circle.
Martin McDonagh’s play is one where every word, every stage direction and every glance matters, with the interval, it was a comfortable two hours of intense drama from a much slimmer text of 84 pages. It is dark, funny, and absolutely horrifying.
It also helped that the weather outside was suitably stormy, I was so absorbed that I thought some of the wind was part of a sound queue for the play but after Leghonwey Hall quite literally rattled, I realised it was nature’s soundboard.
I have found myself reading many books about families and mother and daughters, but The Beauty Queen is certainly the darkest mother/daughter relationship I have encountered in some time.
It raises questions of nature versus nature, female hysteria and allusion. It also explores the really interesting notion of outsiders and their role in society.
It is frequently performed by amateurs and had a good run in the Lyric earlier this year so if you ever see it advertised, do take a chance on it. It is one you won’t forget.
Short fiction
I always have great intentions when I am off work especially when it comes to reading books and watching TV or film, especially when I am closer to home but alas the best laid schemes o' mice an' men Gang aft a-gley.
I did read Claire Keegan’s Foster and thought it was excellent, I am totally amazed by her ability to capture ALL the details of life in such slim novels. The short story is rich with description, you feel like you can smell the salt of the sea, the taste of the tea stewed at the wake and you can feel the stiffness of the starch in the new clothes.
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Other bits
We have already established that I am not much of a sports fan, it is just something I don’t really engage with. Tennis is probably the only sport I would go out of my way to watch, I am on occasion in a room when there is rugby on so can tolerate it at that level such as this evening with the Rugby World Cup on in the background.
Over the last number of year, I have also been in rooms on occasion when Leeds United are on and it has been well-reported that football is a sport that I cannot tolerate. Someone remarked to me that this intolerance might have become more severe on the basis of being the partner of a devoted Leeds United supporter.
However, I somehow found myself tolerating it to watch the David Beckham documentary of Netflix because I am a walking contradiction and enjoy the power of sports to tell a story.
I’ve only watched two episodes and it is very good. I also have no knowledge of sporting history so I am watching this with very fresh eyes, it is well made and has some great archive footage, something I really enjoy in a documentary.