Tuesday, November 11, 2008

no man's land

We saw a revival of Pinter's No Man's Lands, which seems less a play than a collection of soliloquies and gives you the disconcerting sense that Pinter is, intentionally or not, mocking his own stylistic quirks -- the meaning-fraught silences, the jokey sense of menace, the language in a register far more elevated than the context seems to require.

Afterwards, someone had set up a discussion group with the play's sound designer, who described his vision of the soundscape as underscoring the play's air of unreality, of existing in a world where everything was a metaphor for something else. I decided not to tell him that, for me at least, the most effective sound element was a distant shuddering that turned out to be the trains of the London Underground, on their usual routes, running dully back and forth.

5 comments:

Antigone said...

c'est la mort.

Anonymous said...

You could have congratulated him on the great choice of location, in audible distance to the underground.

Rachael said...

Travelled on that underground for a couple of years when I lived in London. How I miss those warm underground winds as the train approached... Say hello to my old town for me

painted maypole said...

he. i saw a Pinter show when I was in London, too (The Hothouse at the National Theatre) If you're going to go see something as cheerful as Pinter, you might as well see it done right!

sarah said...

My prize came in the mail today!!! Thanks so much again! I love it!!!! Now I'm hooked and am going to look at more scents!! :)