h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'No Man's Land' - a play by Harold Pinter - A87876779
Author: Gnomon - U151503

Saw this on Tuesday in Brighton.

I'm afraid I don't know this play. Your account makes it sound intriguing, if confusing.

The advert for the play describes it as a 'comic classic. Did you find it funny?

I found it funny in spots, but more intriguing than comedic. It certainly got the audience thinking.

Did you travel all the way to Brighton to see it? Definitely a play that has attracted talented actors!

Seems a very intriguing drama - how much did you know of it beforehand?

<BB<

Historically all theatre was divided between comedy and tragedy, I think that the idea that a comedy has to make us laugh at the jokes is a modern concept,

Here is a link http://condor.depaul.edu/dsimpson/tlove/comic-tragic.html

I am not suggesting you go into detail, but a footnote might not be amiss, You say he made it confusing, it is also possible he did the same with his description.

I am also not familiar with the play, so my comments must be limited to your presentation. All in all it looks very good and makes us want to know more – always a good thing

F S

We were going to England anyway but a different part: Amersham just to the northwest of London. But flights to Gatwick are much cheaper than to Heathrow so we added Brighton to our itinerary.

You're right FS. By the classical Greek definitions this is neither a comedy nor a tragedy. A rich, successful man gets trapped in a reclusive life where all his needs are provided. I'll add a note about that.

I'm surprised we haven't got an entry on Harold Pinter. He is supposed to be famous for his pregnant pauses - were there any in this play?

You don't quote any lines from the play but I get the impression it's a bit less airy-fairy than Ionesco's absurd plays we were force-fed at school. The characters seem more down-to-earth.

One sentence seems a bit awkward to me: Under "Meaning" -
>>who didn't become cut off by his wealth from the world.<<

>>would flow better if the order was changed to cut off from the world by his wealth <<

Whoops - >> should be between "to" and "cut"

would flow better if the order was changed to >>would flow better if the order was changed to cut off from the world by his wealth <<cut off from the world by his wealth <<

Thanks TC. I've reworded that sentence as you suggested. The individual scenes are not absurdist, but they don't fit together. It's almost as if they were about different people.

FS, I've added a paragraph at the end of the Meaning section about classical definitions of tragedy and comedy.

This is not a play I've seen, either, but the Entry is excellent for setting the scene and clarifying how unclarifiable it is

This is one of those plays that would be good for amateur dramatics, as it isn't hard to stage, but it probably wouldn't impress the audience as much as some of the other one-scene plays with more certainty to them, like murder mysteries and things...

Sounds like an excellent performance of the play with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen - I've seen Patrick Stewart on the stage a few years ago, and he is indeed a master of the craft

I saw this play at Wyndham's Theatre last week. I had to donate a kidney to get a ticket that didn't involve me standing in Leicester Square. I can honestly say I didn't understand what was going on, but it didn't seem to matter as I was laughing too much. I watched Ian McKellen and became mesmerised, even when he wasn't involved you couldn't take your eyes off him. I feel privileged that I have finally seen him live on stage.

his sounds like a really strange play. not sure if it would be something for me, but your ntry is definitely good to read and very interesting.

Thanks, Tav.

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Well done!
I wonder if they'll ever put on a production of No Man's Land at No Man's Land seafort?

<BB<

Thanks!

They're doing a live broadcast of the Ian McKellen Patrick Stewart show to cinemas around the world!