The Tower / Ruy Blas by Alexandre Dumas
"The Tower and Ruy Blas, written in the 1830s by two of the most eminent French writers of their time, provide us with a fascinating insight into early Romantic drama which swept the classical verities of Racine, Marivaux and Beaumarchais from the stage and replaced them with a melange of melodrama, German Sturm und Drang and Shakespearean complexity. In the fashion of the time, both plays are set in the past. The Tower is a riotously inaccurate retelling of a notorious royal scandal from fourteenth-century France. The text, full of unexpected developments and shocking revelations, has a twisted history of its own: written by the little-known Frederick Gaillardet, it was taken on and 'improved' by Alexandre Dumas pere at a late stage, as much to add his famous name to the credits as his literary expertise to the play. Set in seventeenth-century Spain, Victor Hugo's Ruy Blas is named after its low-born hero, forced to masquerade as an aristocrat as part of his disgraced master's revenge against the Queen. Noble in heart, Ruy Blas soon proves a champion of the poor and all but wins what he most wants in the world: the Queen herself. Hugo's most admired and, in France, most frequently staged play, it has never been performed in its original form in English."
"Charles Wood was born in Guernsey in 1932. He served in the army before beginning a career as a writer. He has written extensively for film, television and stage and has translated and adapted numerous classic works. His original stage plays include 'Dingo', 'Jingo', 'H', 'Cockade', 'Meals On Wheels', 'Fill The Stage With Happy Hours', 'Don't Make Me Laugh', 'Veterans', 'Has Washington Legs?', 'Across From The Garden Of Allah'. His films include 'Help!' (directed by Richard Lester 1966) and 'The Charge of the Light Brigade' (directed by Tony Richardson 1969). "
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781840025330 |
| ISBN 10 | 1840025336 |
| Title | The Tower / Ruy Blas |
| Author | Alexandre Dumas |
| Series | Oberon Modern Plays |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC |
| Year published | 2005-10-01 |
| Number of pages | 280 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |