A historian looking at Terrance McNally's Love! Valour! Compassion!'s structure and dramaturgical choices might see that the play has a non-linear plot structure, the continuous breaking of the fourth wall convention, and the non-illusionistic staging. These are all characteristics of what we call a post-modern play. The historian could observe the similarities in this play to the other plays in the time period. From this, he/she could determine that the play and art from the time suggest that one Capital T-truth is intangible.
Love! Valour! Compassion! breaks from the well-made play form in several ways. It has a nonlinear plot structure. And the plot doesn't revolve around a secret, but Bobby and Ramon's affair is a secret is a small part of the play's overall plot. The play is very non-illusionistic, calling for a blank stage. While it is composed of three acts, each of these three acts doesn't have a clear climax. This play is different from any other plays we've read in that that actors break the 4th wall convention.
No comments:
Post a Comment