the persecution and assassination of jean paul marat performed by the inmates of charanton under the direction of the marquis de sade

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 8:29pm

anyone else hear of this? how popular was this play? who was in it, when did it run, did it win any awards? above all, wat was it about????

[NaughtyGaudy]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 8:32pm

it sounds french.

[StickToPriest]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 8:34pm

I think it may be about the persecution and assination of Jean-Paul Marat performed by the inmates of Charanton under the direction of the Marquis de Sade, but I may be way off.

[MagicToDo82]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 8:54pm

There's a movie version, performed by the Royal Shakespeare Company. You can get the DVD on Amazon. I think the stage version won a few awards. It's about lunatics in an asylum who stage a show about Marat. It's not really a musical so much as a play with music. I saw a production a few months ago in a small theatre, and it was horrible, but that could've been just the production.

Posted: 1/2/05 at 8:57pm

Funny you should mention Marat/Sade, YankeeFan.

This a a dramatic play with music that was first presented on
B'way about forty years ago. It was a production of the Royal Shakespeare Company, which opened on B'way in December 1965,at the then named Martin Beck Theatre. It played 2 previews (yes, only 2), and premiered on December 27th. It went on to run through April 1966. It's large cast included Michael Farnsworth, Ian Hogg, Glenda Jackson as Charlotte Corday, Patrick MaGee as the Marquis de Sade, Ian Richardson as Jean-Paul Marat.

It won 4 TONY Awards: Best Play, Best Direction (Peter Brook, before the Sir), Best Featured Actor (Mr. Magee), and Best Costumes. Ms. Glenda Jackson was nominated for Best Featured Actress but didn't win.


The play was revived a year later (Jan-Feb 1967), but that production proved to be less successful than the original and closed just short of 2 full months.


The original production was filmed, as directed by Peter Brook, with almost the entire original cast, including MaGee, Jackson, Richardson, and Farnsworth.

The film is worth viewing.

[Yankeefan007]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 9:07pm

thanks, Jose.

[PleaseChangeMe]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 9:12pm

Jeez, could the title be any longer?

[Mamie]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 8:28pm

Which is why it is usually referred to as "Marat/Sade"

[PalJoey]

Posted: 1/2/05 at 9:30pm

It was a revolutionary piece of theatre in its day, in terms of the subject matter, the presentational style and, yes, even the length of the title. (It was referred to so much as "Marat/Sade" that many people who didn't know French history mistakenly assumed that the Marquis de Sade's first name was "Marat.") It is a play with a play: The RSC Company are the inmates at the asylum, and they are performing a play about the French Revolution. The Marquis de Sade is a character, and he is directing the play-with-the-play. As inmates, they limp, wander aimlessly, drool and stare into space, thus laying the foundations for a new performing style for the Royal Shakespeare Company and British theatre that came down to us in works like Les Miz and Nicholas Nickelby.

Marat/Sade is where it all began. If you watch the film (which is a little dated), you can see a very young Glenda Jackson, a young Ian Richardson, a young Patrick Magee.

If you like it, read Peter Brook's memoir "The Threads of Time" or his book of theory "The Empty Space."

[WiCkEd BaCcHaE]

Posted: 1/3/05 at 12:03am

Marat/Sade is actually one of my top three favorite plays of all time. The play, as well as the film, is truly terrifying and not necessarily in a horror/thriller way. The play explores the darkest depths of human evil and insanity. This is not a play for those that are weak of stomach. My friend refuses to this day to go near the play after seeing the film and I have heard of audience members having to attend therapy after attending a performance. It's great and I don't want to persuade people from wtching it, but you should know what you are getting into.

Posted: 1/3/05 at 12:21am

ive only seen it once, at my high school, which was LaGuardia so it was actually very good.

[logan30]

Posted: 1/3/05 at 2:19pm

It's a good but complex play with a large cast and should not be tackled by amateurs. It needs a professional cast and a very talented director (e.g., Peter Hall the original director). Trevor Nunn and Jack O'Brien are the only names that come to mind right now.

[mallardo]

Posted: 1/3/05 at 5:07pm

Audience therapy may be required because - at least when I saw it - the lunatics actually burst out into the auditorium during the chaotic 2nd act riot scene. Talk about being glad you had a mezzanine seat!