Usually the “less is more” philosophy -applies to theatre, but in some instances being bigger – and longer – definitely pays off. To mark this week’s Soulpepper opening of Tony Kushner’s Angels In America, here are several examples of mind-blowing massive-scaled works. And keep in mind that later this year Soulpepper tackles Alan Ayckbourn’s Norman Conquests trilogy, featuring six characters over the same weekend in different parts of a house.
1. Angels In America: A Gay Fantasia On National Themes (1993)
Successful recent remounts in Sydney and off-Broadway have proven that Tony Kushner’s poetic, metaphysical look at religion, politics and AIDS is, despite its specific setting, timeless. After all, one of the characters is the ghost of Ethel Rosenberg, who was executed in 1953 for being a spy. A seminal work of the late 20th century, and still unsurpassed by Kushner or anyone else in terms of ambition and chutzpah.
2. The Mahabharata (1985)
Of course it would take nine hours to condense the history of India into a stage play. Peter Brook later adapted his revolutionary work for TV (in six hours) and then for a movie/DVD (three hours). But I envy those who saw the original version.
3. The Life And Adventures Of Nicholas Nickleby (1980)
Charles Dickens’s hefty novels lend themselves well to TV miniseries but often feel constrained onstage. Not so David Edgar’s Royal Shakespeare Company adaptation that burst to life with the excitement of a carnival. A shortened six-and-a-half-hour version that played here in 2008 still brought Dickens’s colourful characters and vivid storylines to life.
4. Lipsynch (2007)
No stranger to epic theatre, Robert Lepage and Ex Machina soared in this immersive, nine-hour examination of how people’s lives – and voices – are connected over several generations. Filled with technical marvels, the show is also as funny as it is moving.
5. Gatz (2011)
Forget Baz Luhrmann’s recent not so Great Gatsby. Elevator Repair Service’s highly theatrical version set the show in an office, where workers read and then performed every single word of Fitzgerald’s masterpiece, resulting in six hours of stage magic.
glenns@nowtoronto.com | @glennsumi
