Yet another cease-and-desist letter letter to regional taking liberties with a play's text.- Page 2

[GavestonPS]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 8:53pm

The Alchemist's gang should have done their homework. Mamet withdrew the performance rights for OLEANNA from the Mark Taper Forum. (It's possible he didn't legally withdraw the rights; but merely created such a fuss that the theater surrendered them.)

Mamet did so NOT because the Taper changed the script or gender of the actors, BUT because they didn't cast the black actor (IIRC it was Delroy Lindo) that Mamet wanted in the role of the professor.

I thought the Taper was right: making the professor black renders the student's speeches about patriarchal privilege nonsensical and makes her seem even more deranged than she is already written. (Speaking of laziness, Goth, surely this is Mamet's laziest play!)

By the same token (and I admit I refuse to reread what I already think is a lousy play) changing the gender of the student makes no sense as I remember Act III.

My point, however, is that Alchemist's should have known with whom they were dealing.

Updated On: 6/21/14 at 08:53 PM

[dramamama611]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 9:27pm

Does it matter who the playwright is? I don't think so. The only difference is headlines/attention given the matter.

[NoName3]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 9:55pm

Edward Albee has refused numerous requests over the years to allow an all male production of Virginia Woolf, going as far as taking legal action to stop a Texas theater that had licensed the play and was already in rehearsals back in the 1980's. He's been resolute in saying it's not about two gay couples, it's about two heterosexual couples.

Likewise Jerry Herman has refused frequent requests for either an all male Dolly production or for Dolly herself to be played in drag. The one exception he made was a number of years ago for a London production starring legendary impressionist Danny LaRue. I did hear first hand reports about a production in San Francisco in the early 1970's starring a local drag performer but the company hadn't received permission and evidently were successful in hoping that their short run would be over by the time word had spread.

Updated On: 6/21/14 at 09:55 PM

[SNAFU]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 10:01pm

Wilmingtom, I stand corrected. I should have said Mamet's Representative Agents or Law Firm.

Tazbar, Ronald Pickup saw the show. He was directed by Beckett as M in Play over in England in days gone by. He said, "The Old Man would have been overly delighted and enthused by the choice!".

[RippedMan]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 11:11pm

I'm kind of curious about how this would work for, say, a comedy? Like, a show that didn't do too well in NYC, but is still being produced regionally, like Great American Trailer Park or some other smaller musical where maybe some of the jokes just don't honestly work but by allowing the actors to improve you've found funnier stuff that does work. Doesn't change anyones' intentions or anything, just a punchline.

[broadwaydevil]

Posted: 6/21/14 at 11:39pm

When a script is licensed, it will often come with notes about things that can be changed/updated. As a relatively minor example, when I was working on a production of Spelling Bee, they had notes about changing one of the lines that said "this is spiraling out of control faster than _______'s life," which was supposed to be updated with the celebrity breakdown du jour. I think we did Kim Kardashian or something like that.

There were also other lines and book scenes that had notes encouraging changes and updates.

I've never really been a part of a full on comedy but I'd have to imagine they need to allow some leeway if they ever want their works produced. Again, though, it's a decision of the author or whoever holds the rights and their decision alone. If they don't want something changed, you can't do it. It's not complicated. If you don't like it, write your own show.