One of my "recreations" is writing plays. I have here posted a scene or two from each of them. If you are interested in the full texts, please contact me. The conversion of the files to web pages has caused some formatting problems.
The Magician and the Fool.
This was my first play, written in 1978-1979. It concerns the Russian poet Aleksandr Pushkin and the French Mathematician Evariste Galois, who led something of parallel lives. In looking over it, it seems excessively literary, but it did win the annual Oxford Experimental Theatre Competition in 1981. Running time is two hours plus.
Magician and Fool, front matter
Magician and Fool, Act 1, scenes 1-2
The Sand Reckoner
This was my second play, written in 1988. It concerns the Greek mathematician, Archimedes, and is written in the form of a Greek tragedy, complete with chorus. It received a staged reading at Harvard, at the Parallels in Creativity Symposium in 1995. Jim Simpson directed. Running time is about 90 minutes.
The first scene needs no introduction. Scene 5 takes place on the ramparts of Syracuse while Archimedes readies his weapons for the anticipated Roman invasion.
Melisande
Melisande is the first play in a "classical musical trilogy," which reflects on the millennium by glancing backwards at the turn of the last century. Although the plays are not quite musicals, much music is specified and is an integral part of each produciton. Melisande was written in 1991 and concerns Claude Debussy, Erik Satie, the creation of modern music and the behind the scenes scandals of Debussy's opera. It received several readings under the direction of Tom O'Horgan with F. Murray Abraham playing the role of Satie. It's a rather massive play with a running time of over three hours. I intend at some point to shorten some of the posted material.
Plausbility
Plausibility is the second play in the musical trilogy and concerns actress Hedy Lamarr's and composer George Antheil's supposed invention of secret electronic communication. It was written in 1998-1999 and has had several readings directed by Tom O'Horgan. Running time is about two hours.
The Fiery Angel
The Fiery Angel is the final play in my musical trilogy and follows the unbelievable real-life love triangle in early 20th-century Russia as it is transmogrified into Prokofiev's opera of the same name. It was written in 2000 and is of a similar scale to Melisande.