Review by Choice Review
Written by international scholars and critics, these instructive pieces offer a global perspective on how and why audiences around the world have responded warmly to Miller's stagecraft. Collectively, the contributors--whose venues include Argentina, China, Denmark, England, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, South Africa, Spain, and, via interview, the Dominican Republic--demonstrate persuasively that well-wrought dramas can indeed transcend their generative matrices and provide individuals in different times and places with moving insights into the human condition. Concurrently, these perceptive essays also point out that in order for plays to migrate successfully across linguistic, cultural, and political borders conditions must apply. For example, historical circumstances must be propitious: repressive regimes are not likely to sanction plays that champion democracy. In addition, some modifications to scripts may be necessary so that ideas find common currency: without suitable translations of concepts like "salesman," "crucible," or "broken glass," communication is apt to be muddled. Finally, visiting playwrights must eschew patronizing or condescending attitudes. That Miller is widely performed and appreciated abroad testifies eloquently to his decency, his dramaturgy, and the hospitality of the age. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers; all levels. H. I. Einsohn Middlesex Community College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
