Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#1
Posted: 2/9/17 at 12:31pm
Shakespeare is, by far, one of the most important playwrights of Elizabethan England, if not ever. He is so acclaimed to the point where most people know the name William Shakespeare, but almost no one knows who Thomas Kyd or Christopher Marlowe are. Will something similar happen to a dramatist of the 20th century? If so, who will it be? Will it be Arthur Miller, who examined the downfall of the American Dream and the mass hysteria of the Red Scare? Or Bertolt Brecht, who perfected the alienation effect of theatre? Will it be someone involved in musical theatre, like R&H, Sondheim, or William Finn, who transformed the genre?
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#2
Posted: 2/9/17 at 12:35pm
Who were the Shakespeares of the 18th and 19th Centuries?
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#3
Posted: 2/9/17 at 12:38pm
No, I don't think there will be a "William Shakespeare" of the 20th century. William Shakespeare is William Shakespeare. That's the point - no playwright matches his universal notoriety. Also, interesting that you'd specifically ask about the 20th century. No "William Shakespeare" equivalent arose out of the 18th or 19th centuries, so why would there be one for the 20th century?
EDIT: ah, haterobics beat me to the punch on that last comment!
Broadway Legend Joined: 9/30/08
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#4
Posted: 2/9/17 at 2:59pm
I concur that there will probably never be another writer who can survive 400 plus years and still engage an audience (or the reader) as Shakespeare does. But I think there are 20th century writers whose work may at least intrigue future generations, rather the way Marlowe does me (Tamburlaine, mainly). I doubt it will be a musical writer since that art form seems to have too limited an audience even when it is new and fresh. But among straight play writers, I would champion Stoppard (for sheer virtuosity) and Mamet (for facility with colloquial language). But again - not Shakespeare in either case.
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/11/06
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#5
Posted: 2/9/17 at 7:59pm
The thing to me about Shakespeare is that he wrote popular comedies, tragedies, histories and romances. Not to mention his non-theatre writings. There is no one genre. What playwright in the 19th or 20th Century dabbled in so many areas?
The most popular American playwright of the 20th Century probably is Neil Simon - but I don't know how international his reach is. Also, I don't think autobiographical plays count as histories. And, I don't know that any of his works are really "tragedies". I'm not aware of any popular comedies by Miller or Tennessee Williams.
The closest "Shakespeare" of the 1800s for impact would likely be Gilbert&Sullivan. Their works are constantly in production. There are Gilbert&Sullivan Societies and Companies. Their works are continuously reinterpreted. While somewhat formulaic (okay, very much so), their works have variety of topics, settings and time periods. Although again, no real tragedies. Chekov wrote comedies and tragedies, but I'm not aware of any histories, although he is produced (and studied) non-stop. So, maybe him?
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#6
Posted: 2/9/17 at 9:23pm
In Shakespeare's day, playwrights wanted to write great histories and tragedies to entertain royalty, but at the same time they had to appeal to the lower classes, who eagerly went to new plays. So Shakespeare introduced comical characters like Falstaff and the pompous Polonius of Hamlet. Witches grabbed attention right from the start of MacBeth and ghosts were everywhere.
Today's playwrights don't have that problem. The less educated are home watching reality TV.
But Gilbert and Sullivan was a good answer. George Bernard Shaw was a playwright who took on the greatest mysteries of life with comical situations and characters such as Alfred Doolittle in Pygmalion, to whom Shaw entrusted most of what he wanted the audience to take from the play.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#7
Posted: 2/9/17 at 9:57pm
Shakespeare is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#8
Posted: 2/9/17 at 10:01pm
Here's one vote for Tom Stoppard, who nailed the helplessly non-heroic nature of life in the latter half of the 20th century perhaps better than any other playwright. And his best plays rate with the greatest ever written. (Sure he has clunkers on his CV, but so did Shakespeare-- Pericles Prince of Tyre anyone?)
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#9
Posted: 2/9/17 at 10:24pm
This thread is rather obviously a conversation between English speakers. In addition to his genius, part of the reason Shakespeare is so ubiquitous is because English speaking peoples have dominated much of the world since the playwright's day.
But ask the French and most will be happy to tell you why Moliere and Racine are superior to the Bard.
If China ends up dominating the world in the 21st and 22nd centuries, Shakespeare's work will survive, I'm sure, but he may not be the most produced playwright in the world in 2200 A.D.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#10
Posted: 2/10/17 at 12:15am
I'd argue O'Neill and Wilson come closest.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#11
Posted: 2/10/17 at 12:22am
I'd go Arthur Miller, personally.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#12
Posted: 2/10/17 at 12:42am
in the usual style this thread is degenerating into the usual "here's who I like" without any intellectual foundation whatsoever.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#13
Posted: 2/10/17 at 1:15am
Actually, GavestonPS, they love Shakespeare in China. In Shanghai, they had a year long celebration of the 400th anniversary of his death, which happened the same year as the renowned Chinese playwright Tang Xianzu. They celebrate the two together. There were even some mash-ups combining works by the two.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#14
Posted: 2/10/17 at 4:11am
As far as I'm concerned, only Shakespeare is Shakespeare. I've never understood the need to call anyone "the (person) of (whatever other profession)"
That said, if the question is greatest or most universal playwright, my vote is for Brecht.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#15
Posted: 2/10/17 at 4:34am
GavestonPS said: "But ask the French and most will be happy to tell you why Moliere and Racine are superior to the Bard."
Moliere really pumps my nads.
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#16
Posted: 2/10/17 at 7:43am
and actually Gaveston the French, though arriving late to the game, fell in love with Shakespeare in the 18th C.
Joined: 12/31/69
Who is the Shakespeare of the 20th Century?#17
Posted: 2/10/17 at 8:54am
If it's anyone it's Tom Stoppard. His use of language is amazing.
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