Shakespeare in vegetable underpants: Peter Stein and Peter Zadeks opposing approaches to Shakespeare
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film studies
presentation
published 07/10/2008
review : Completed
level : Advanced
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Shakespeare in underpants, is how Peter Stein has described the work of fellow director and rival Peter Zadek, while the latter has called Steins work boring and overly polished to the point that his actors become overcooked vegetables (Patterson 132, 168). Both German stage directors, these two men share an affinity for Shakespeare but little else, and, as a result, their approach to the Bard could not be more disparate. At the most basic level, Stein emphasizes the textual and historical aspects of Shakespeare while Zadek focuses primarily on imagery; Stein works to construct Shakespeare where Zadek looks to destruct it. Despite their immense differences, or perhaps because of them, both directors have made significant contributions to audience perceptions and interpretations of Shakespeare, and, in the realm of theater, they are still considered revolutionary trailblazers of the tempestuous 60s and 70s.
Table of Contents
- Introduction.
- The moral and bodily demolition which World War II left behind.
- Multi-media images of cult icons once regarded as heroes and the reinforcement of the idea of a culturally-made and marketed 'hero.?
- Zadek's commitment to taking Shakespeare to the absolute extreme in order to evoke a genuine reaction.
- Zadek's attempt to deconstruct and de-centralize Shakespeare.
- The height of Zadek and Stein's rivalry.
- The role played bys costumes.
- Stein's approach to As You Like It .
- The sights that awaited the audience in the Forest of Arden.
- Conclusion.
