Word: amphitryon
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Those of you who are familiar with Greek mythology will know that the story of Amphitryon is not a particularly humorous one. Unable to win the virtuous Alcmena by any other method, the ever-philandering Zeus recreates himself in the exact likeness of her husband Amphitryon and so wins a night under the sheets with the loving wife. Over time this tale of unwitting adultery has been transformed into a farcical matter, one which has formed the basis for an impressive number of plays. Continuing a tradition started by the Roman playwright Plautus, the 20th century French dramatist Jean Giraudoux...
From this plethora of options, the Huntington Theatre Company has chosen for its most recent production Molière’s Amphitryon. They probably couldn’t have picked a more highly-rated master of the comedic form, but they certainly could have picked a better play. Molière’s dexterity with the witty and intricate dialogue that was en vogue in the 17th century French court admittedly serves as a nice parallel to the intricacies of a story that has two sets of identical “twins” roaming the stage. (Mercury...
...Molière’s comedies. But whereas Molière is famous for an elegant wit, Wilbur gives us only broad, limerick-like verse. This is by no means helped by the shortcomings of the production’s actors. There exist plenty of prose translations of Amphitryon; why director Darko Tresnjak didn’t opt for one of these remains a mystery. When not trying to read Wilbur’s poetry as one might read a Shell Sylverstein poem, the actors stumble through the lines as though they were written in prose. What seems like...
...major players in the central conflict—Amphitryon, Alcmena and Zeus—have maybe one fully developed character between the three of them. Most of their time on stage is spent ploughing steadfastly and inappropriately through Wilbur’s verse...
...film brings new meaning to the expression, "man with a Godcomplex." The story is inspired in part by the Greek legend of Amphitryon, whose body Zeus inhabited to seduce Amphitryon's wife. In the Godard version, God, a presence with a terrifying, gravelly voice straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon, decides to manifest Himself in the guise of ordinary Simon Donnadieu, played by ubiquitous French film star Gerard Depardieu. (Donnadieu means "given to God," and Depardieu means "on behalf of God," Get it?). Simon starts using "thine" and "thou" in conversation, much to the astonishment of his wife, Rachel...