Productions Of Plays Taken Out Of Their Periods

Hi all,

I was wondering if any of you could help me out here. Can any of you recall recent/semi recent productions of revivals of plays that were taken out of their original time period/context and put into a new one? If that makes sense, I can't think of a more eloquent way to word it. I'm writing a research paper on the importance of time period on plays and am struggling to find sources, I can only seem to ramble my useless oppinions and this paper is going to need more than that. Any help would be *greatly* appreciated.

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Most of the Shakespearean and Ancient Greek tragedies are nowadays staged out of their eras, with a great deal of anachronisms. This happens with any play that has political or social connection to a certain period. Euripides' “Trojan women” or “Hecuba” for example after the Iraqi attacks have more and more obvious modern references all over the world. So do Shakespeare’s political plays (such as recent Julius Caesar with Denzel Washington) or his comedies (that are usually transferred into the 19th Century due to the stylish and light air of the period)

More specific examples from the cinema are Kenneth Branagh’s “Hamlet” that is obviously connected to the Russian Revolution of 1917 and Michael Hoffman’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream that the action carries us to the Victorian period.

Hope I was helpful…

I once saw "The Tempest" where the first scene was moved onto a cruise ship. Stephano was changed from a butler into a waiter and Trinculo to a lounge singer.

the Vagina Monologues...get it, periods....nevermind.

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There is a wonderful video of The Mikado with Eric Idle that changes the setting beautifully. And there is a video of Cosi fan Tutte set in a diner in the 50s. Thus, opera is often played with as well.

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City of Angels

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Most Shakespeare has been staged in different periods, but I haven't seen very many musicals taken out of their periods. I don't think Rent counts because though La Boheme was staged in a different period, the musical has been staged consistently in the same period throughout its existence, which is what a believe the original post was about. And I don't see how the Sweeney revival was in a different period (sort of hard to tell from the minimalist sets).

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I saw a production of As You Like It at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego that was updated for 1890's Victorian style England. The production was stellar in all regards. It is particularly amazing how well all of Shakespeare's play can survive intact not matter what the time frame. He truly was a masterful writer.

Sweeney Todd has been "taken out of their original time period/context". Context for sure and those costumes are not all period.

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