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VIII - …And Exits

from Act Two - The Agon

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 July 2012

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Summary

Dom Juan; ou, Le Festin de Pierre

as conceived by Molière

as directed by Stephen Wadsworth

as directed by Jacques La Salle

as acted by Andrzej Seweryn

as directed by Robert W. Goldsby

as acted by Thomas Lynch

Don Juan, unlike Tartuffe, has no problem with entrances, but he does have to figure out his getaways. This section begins with some observations about the physical choices for the play Dom Juan, and works backwards into the core of the two characters that dominate the play. In essence, this follows a director's path. A major reason for focusing on externals is the necessity for any production to solve the problem of the hero's – in this case, the bad guy's – last exit, which must be absolutely satisfying, breathtaking, spectacular, and, above all, climactic, final and blood-chilling, all brought about by the imaginative and synchronized use of “spectacle”: space, lights, sound, music and what they call in movies SFX (special effects). So our focus this time is directed not to the entrances, as in Le Tartuffe, but to various interpretations of the final exits in Dom Juan, first scenically and then emotionally. And Molière, like most directors, first turned his attention to the ground plan and the scenery before he started rehearsing the play.

Molière must have known that Le Tartuffe would not be approved in time for production during the new season that was almost upon them. Facing a deadline for his next season, he decided that a box-office hit was essential for the life of his actors. Molière was facing financial catastrophe. He desperately needed another new play to put on so that he could sustain his family of actors and pay their salaries.

Type
Chapter
Information
Molière on Stage
What's So Funny?
, pp. 69 - 86
Publisher: Anthem Press
Print publication year: 2012

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  • …And Exits
  • Robert W. Goldsby
  • Book: Molière on Stage
  • Online publication: 05 July 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.7135/UPO9780857289421.009
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  • …And Exits
  • Robert W. Goldsby
  • Book: Molière on Stage
  • Online publication: 05 July 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.7135/UPO9780857289421.009
Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • …And Exits
  • Robert W. Goldsby
  • Book: Molière on Stage
  • Online publication: 05 July 2012
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.7135/UPO9780857289421.009
Available formats
×