موسیقی مجلسی

by Arthur Kopit, عاطفه پاکبازنیا (Translator)

Chamber Music is a 1962 one-act play by absurdist playwright Arthur Kopit. The story is set in 1938 and concerns eight famous women from different historical periods who all are interned in the same insane asylum.

The women are — or at least believe they are — author Gertrude Stein, martyr Joan of Arc, activist Susan B. Anthony, politician Queen Isabella of Spain, Constanze Mozart (wife of the famed composer), pilot Amelia Earhart, silent-film actress Pearl White, and explorer Osa Johnson. They have come together to represent the women of the asylum in planning for an attack they believe is soon to come from the men's ward.

In the context of the play, it is suggested that the woman who claims that she is Amelia Earhart could be telling the truth instead of being insane, given the time frame and that Earhart went missing.

The play was published by Hill and Wang, New York, and was first performed at Society Hill Playhouse.

Genres: Plays

72 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1962

About the author

Arthur Lee Kopit (born May 10, 1937, New York City) is an American playwright. He is a two-time Pulitzer Prize finalist (Indians and Wings) and a three-time Tony Award nominee: Best Play, Indians, 1970; Best Play, Wings, 1979; and Best Book of a Musical, for Nine, 1982. He won the Vernon Rice Award (now known as the Drama Desk Award) in 1962 for his play Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad and was nominated for another Drama Desk Award in 1979 for his play Wings.[1]

Nine returned to Broadway in 2003 with Antonio Banderas as Guido and won two Tony Awards, including best revival; in 2009 Rob Marshall directed the film Nine based on Kopit's script, the principle cast consisting of Daniel Day-Lewis, Judi Dench, Nicole Kidman, Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Sophia Loren, Kate Hudson, and Fergie (singer).

Kopit attended Lawrence High School in Lawrence, Nassau County, New York.

Kopit attended Harvard University. His first plays were staged while still an undergraduate at Harvard University. Later, Kopit taught at Wesleyan University, Yale University, and the City College of New York. In 2005, Kopit donated his papers to the Fales Library at NYU.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an absurdist play written by an amazing absurdist playwrite. Besides: I got to play the Joan of Arc character in a high school play! :-)

[Mojgan]

هشت زن در دیوانه خانه که ادعای افراد مهم بودن می کنند

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn't read the script, but I saw it performed-so I basically read it with my ears.

Personally, I wasn't a huge fan of it, but it might just be because I'm a very logical person, so the chaos that is the Theatre of the Absurd isn't for me. I mean, once I learned what the Theatre of the Absurd actually is, I was a little more forgiving. But hey, that's just me. If you like crazy chaos with a touch of creepy (the doctor I saw was really good and cynical), then this is for you. If you like a little more structure and plot in your plays, then go ahead and skip this one.

[Felicity E · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the performance (my sister played woman with avian outfit) of this play so pardon me if my review leaves out a certain part. I thought it was a solid play, the moderate historical jokes were expected and I didn’t particularly love the constant screaming but I liked the way it illustrated mental hospitals. I know this play is absurdist and doesn’t have a ‘real meaning’ which is great because I have actually no idea what happened during that show. It was fun though. 🤷‍♀️

[Anoush · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very weird genre, not my cup of tea whatsoever, but... I played Osa Johnson in a small theater on Franklin Ave. with a great cast. It was one of my best roles and the first one where I actually understood acting. So, I'm bias when it comes to this play.

[Sherry Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

An entertaining play with too open an ending. Quite insane.