Franziska Kohlt on the pitfalls of Carroll in "biopic realism" theatre

(Image from tintinghistory, tint of a self portrait by Charles Dodgson)

Franziska Kholt recently linked me to a fantastic essay she did about the faux biographical play "Peter and Alice"

The essay, entitled "The Dangers of Biopic Realism" is an excellent piece on why some playwrights tend to ignore the new research and seek sensationalism when writing about Carroll's life.

It is by no means an easy read but it is an essential one for anyone interested in how fiction about Dodgson sometimes perpetuates the myths surrounding the man. 

What happened with this year's theatre??

Undoubtedly some of you might be a bit perplexed by the lack of recent theatre events I've covered on this blog... 

This is because I normally cover World Premieres, and this year appears to currently not have... any.

I particularly cover theatre events in the UK, where this year the main summer productions are currently all pantomimes.

I believe that it is recent political events that are driving away new productions/World Premieres from the UK. 

Coupled with the fact that what should have been this year's main event in the UK, Unsuk Chin's Alice through the Looking-Glass Opera, has been cancelled, things don't look great.

The main thing this year worldwide seems to be Oregon Shakespeare Festival's revival of the Eva La Gaillenne script, and whilst it is lovely to see another professional production of La Gaillenne, it isn't exactly new.

Same with Wheeldon's ballet which is in Australia and Germany this year. 

A better DVD of 1972 AAIW, finally!

Recently I became aware via amazon that the 1972 adaptation of Alice's adventures in Wonderland (mine and many others's favourite adaptation of the novel) has had a new widescreen DVD which has far better quality than any current edition on the market.

Whilst it isn't Blu-Ray, it is a monumental upgrade from what came before. 

Alice Liddell by Aereodon