> Dear teachers of English,
>
> As you know, the American Drama Group Europe will come to Hungary at
> the end of this year performing Gulliver's Travels. We now have the
> complete schedule for you.
>
> Attached please find all the information about our performances and
> the study material.
>
> Best regards
> Kerstin Klimas
> American Drama Group Europe
KÉREM TOVÁBBITSA AZ ANGOL TANÁROKNAK
TO THE ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
once again the American Drama Group Europe is coming to Hungary with
another of its incomparable musical theatre productions
in accordance with the difficult economic times the ADGE has decided to lower the price of the tickets. Therefore a ticket will now cost 6 EUR (teachers free) with a 50 Cent reduction if you come with 100 or more pupils
Payment either at the door in cash or by int. money transfer.
IBAN Nr: DE 31 700202704280162898; SWIFT: HYVEDEMMXXX.
ABOUT THE PLAY: just like OLIVER TWIST and A CHRISTMAS CAROL this classic caters to YOUNG AND OLD ALIKE. The wonderfully simple fairy tale story of talking horses, giants, and tiny Lilliputians is known in households all over the world and is therefore suitable for younger pupils of 13 to 15 years. But Johnathan Swift`s deeper messages and biting satire certainly also makes it a MUST for any serious student of world literature.
We have also removed any coarse language that may have been in the original script for adults. If you are interested we can send you the script, a summary, a short quizz, even director`s notes about his view of the production.
For those teachers that have seen our plays I do not have to add that they absolutely got their money`s worth. They know that our style and our interpretations can match the quality of any theatre group on the planet.
“If young people need to be persuaded to go to theatre, this is the company to see.”SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG, Munich,
Fantastic stories brilliantly told
This utopian satirical novel by Jonathan Swift is one of the most read books of world literature.
To adapt this fairytale story to the stage is not new. As early as 1726 Gulliver’s Travels was adapted for the stage first. It was at the times of famous Shakespeare actor David Garrick, who accepted the book for Theatre Royal Drury Lane where is premiered first in 1756.
The story was ascribed to a fictional author, namely Lemuel Gulliver, who has experienced amazing adventures as a ship’s doctor and later as a captain. He not only travelled into the land of Lilliputs and to the island of giants Brobdingnang, but also the flying island Laputa, who’s inhabitants are so intensly involved in mathematics, music and astronomy that they are almost unable to develop personal relationships.
His fourth journey brings Gulliver to a country which is ruled by coldly intelligent horses and inhabited by brutal human beasts, the Yahoos.
The piece is performed in an almost musical style, with live music and songs.
Paul Stebbings brilliantly transforms his actors from dwarfs to giants. First Gulliver on stilts seems excessively large against all the others crawling on their knees. Because, like Prometheous, the giant Gulliver is captured by the petty self-important little people of Lilliput. The satire on the rulers of the kingdom of Lilliput was hilarious and at the same time sharp and well –observed.
On the other hand the giants of the kingdom of Brobdignag on their stills appear alarmingly dangerous.
But the highlight of the performance is the last scene where the horses (either two in a horses costume or one actor with a horse head) place Gulliver under more and more under pressure, joined by the Yahoos. This is where Swifts satire on human folly most impressively comes into its own.
The dramatic story was not only serious but highly entertaining and received long applause not only at the final curtain but after almost every scene of this delightful production
Süddeutsche Zeitung – 27. February 1997, Germany’s leading newspaper
( original production on which this play is based )
SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
In a manner reminiscent of the way the Young Vic chipped off the sugar coating from Grimm’s Fairy Tales. The International Theatre Company, London, has craftily restored Gulliver’s Travels. The stage adaptation by Paul Stebbings and Phil Smith draws on all four parts of the original novel; Gulliver is no longer the tale of a gentle giant, but once again the gutsy social and political satire full of period earthiness.
To a territory were Laputa is better known as a cute Japanese feature cartoon, Stebbings has brought a sharp satire of a bad world. A world of ethnic cleansing houyhnhnms, with notions of racial superiority as contemporary backdrop.
The performance had a bare, in-your-face London feel, somewhat at odds with plush ambience of the APA theatre. There were no elaborate sets or hi-tech tricks. What the audience got was high energy, high-quality acting complemented by vivid props and costumes and a series of ingenious but ultimately simple effects – Gulliver on stilts in the land of the Lilliputians and then the only on not on them in Brodingnag.
Particularly effective was the image of a long legged Gulliver against a simple curtained backdrop which produced a wonderful illusion of Gulliver asleep on the sand. The houyhnhnms in their chesspiece horse heads walking proudly to the clack of coconut shells were in chilling contrast to the neanderthal hideousness of the yahoos.
All of the actors were good, Carol Sherman and Ross Mullan gave vivid performances with elastic limbs and faces. Eric Tessier-Lavigne’s interpretation of a Gulliver driven to insanity by the madness of the world was compelling. Tom Wu astonished and delighted in a string of outrageous roles.
Interspersed with songs and forays into the audience this production set a cracking pace, yet the diction was always clear, the language buttressed by action, this was ideal theatre.
(Original production 12 11 96)
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS a modern version of Jonathan Swift’s satire.
SYNOPSIS of the TNT production.
A travelling show in the 18th century – the showman has paid for the 2madman” Lemuel Gulliver and displays him in a cage. The madman is forced to perform his incredible tale: Gulliver’s Travels. Gulliver is mad because he is consumed by misanthropy (hatred of humanity) and longs to be a “noble” horse. With the aid of song and spectacle the travelling players perform the tale of Gulliver – with the “real” Gulliver playing himself.
The play with a play:
Gulliver leaves the English port of Bristol, Captain of the trading ship, Antelope in 1704.
His crew mutinies and forces him overboard – they do not wish to be respectable traders but pirates and have total contempt for any human values. They threaten a sailor who tries to defend Gulliver.
Gulliver is left swimming in the ocean and lands, exhausted on a beach in an unknown land: Lilliput.
Lilliput is inhabited by small people who cannot believe a great giant has landed on their island. They call parliament to discuss the matter. They tie down the giant and consider killing him but when Gulliver wakes up and breaks free they scatter in terror. Swift (and TNT) parody parliament and self-serving politicians without moral scruples who love the sound of their own voices.
The ministers of Lilliput try to persuade Gulliver to join they attacking their deadly enemies –the Brobdignags. The only reason they hate them is that they eat their eggs from the bottom, while in Lilliput they eat them from the top. When Gulliver says he eats his eggs from the top he is told he can join the ruling party and is made an admiral.
Gulliver reluctantly agrees but refuses to hurt anyone in Brobdignag. The Lilliputians start to become suspicious of the Giant, if he will not kill their enemies he must be a traitor. They hatch a plot to kill Gulliver by setting him on fire with the hot air from their speeches. The plan seems to work but in fact there is so much hot air they set fire to the parliament. They call on Gulliver to help and he puts out the fire by urinating on the ministers. They are angry and shocked at this affront to their dignity. They exile Gullliver who is anyway sick of their pettiness and swims to Brobdignag.
In Brobdignag he expects to be met by more little people but instead is almost killed by a huge wasp, then a giant woman appears – it is Gulliver who is tiny now. The girl and her father sells onions. The girl captures Gulliver and ties him up, first they force him to sell onions with them but when they see that people are more interested in their tiny captive than onions they start to exhibit Gulliver for money. They care nothing for Gulliver’s feelings or dignity.
An aristocrat from the court arrives to see the new attraction. He loves Gulliver and offers to take him to court to show the Queen. The girl is delighted but drives a hard financial bargain. She then cruelly sends her father away – he can have no part of her triumph or profit.
The Royal Court of Brobdignag is in fact a giant bank. The aristocratic banker persuades the girl to take a million ducats of credit rather than 800 ducats of gold. Then Gulliver is presented to the Queen – a giant coin of the Queen’s head. This is the figure that rules Brobdignag. Gulliver is humiliated and forced to perform for the Queen but seizes his chance to escape on wings of giant banknotes – he soars away. The girl is left horribly in debt without her “asset”: tiny Gulliver.
Gulliver flies on and lands in the sea, he almost drowns until he is rescued by a flying island – the island is piloted by a scientist and his servant. The scientist is so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he has to be hit by the servant to pull him back to reality every few minutes.
The servant takes Gulliver aboard and they fly to the academy of the kingdom, called Laputa – a land rules by science and philosophy. The servant explains that the scientist are maintained by ignorant people below who feed them in exchange for horoscopes and other superstitions. Gulliver questions why people need horoscopes if they are plainly nonsense and is told it is to fill the empty space in people’s heads and stop them considering the ethics of science.
Gulliver arrives at the academy. He finds scientists involved in useless experiments such as spinning carpets from spiders webs and inventing electric toothbrushes. He questions the scientists and forces them to reveal their true secret – they intend to merge a mushroom with a cloud and create a bomb that will destroy the whole world. Gulliver is appalled and breaks up the academy racing away into space – they ignorant hail him as a liberator and beg him to lead them – but he refuses – rejecting even the love of women as corrupt he is starting to hate humanity for the ignorance, foolishness and immorality.
Gulliver passes through space and lands back on earth in a beautiful field – he worships nature without humans – praising the simple virtue of a flower. Then he sees disgusting ape-like humans being whipped by an intelligent horse. The proto-humans are Yahoos and he has landed in the kingdom of the “noble” horses or Houyhnhnms. The horse is amazed to meet Gulliver – the horse has never met a rational Yahoo-human before – or one who wears clothes. He invites Gulliver to his barn-house and shares food with him. The horse explains that the Yahoos are truly disgusting – very like the humanity that Gulliver now despises. Gulliver sleeps – happy to have found such an ordered world free from human control. But his hosts are playing a trick – they release a Yahoo woman into Gulliver’s room. She tries to kiss Gulliver – Gulliver wakes and tries to escape the attentions of the disgusting Yahoo – but it is clear the Yahoo is attracted to Gulliver. This proves that Gulliver is indeed a Yahoo. The Horse Police have been watching and they arrest Gulliver.
Gulliver is accused of being a Yahoo – but he trial is more important than that – it also concerns the final solution of the Yahoo problem – the Horses have decided that Yahoos are so terrible they all must die – and only Gulliver will be spared and sent into exile. Gulliver begs to stay but his request is refused. He is given a Yahoo skin to cover himself and sent away. Gulliver is in despair – he wanted to live forever among the “noble” horses. Swift reveres his parody cleverly.
In the final scene poor Gulliver is forced to re-enter the human world but is quite mad, convinced that horses are superior to humans. The Showman treats his captive with cruelty throughout the story and tries to take the sting out of the satire – at the end of the performance the actors rebel and take Gulliver away, treating him at last with kindness. The showman is helpless. His story and Gulliver’s travels are over.
GULLIVER’S TRAVELS is described by George Orwell as one of the ten best books ever written. It is easy to agree with his opinion. The book examines the human condition with such clarity and indeed morality, that it is hard to think of a more profound use of satire. Satire is too easily reactionary and negative, but in the hands of Swift it is progressive and liberating. This is chiefly because Swift moves beyond the easy targets of corrupt governments and self-centred individuals to attack himself, his own nation and mankind itself. Swift savages the world and then savages himself. Gulliver’s final adventure in the land of the horses confronts us with the idea that humans are the lowest and most disgusting of all animals. But just as we consider that idea Swift pulls us back and shows us the cruelty of the seemingly civilised horses and the madness of the seemingly wise Gulliver – who cannot, of course, change his nature and turn into a noble horse.
Gulliver journeys through five worlds: our world, where there is a balance between the love of his family and the cruelty of the pirates and mutineers; the world of the little people in Lilliput, where he parodies government; Brodbingnag the world of the giants where he explores commodity and the corruption of power (physical and financial); Laputa where he explores the absurdities of science and superstition – and finally the land of the noble horses and the beastly Yahoos. The whole journey is also a triumph of imagination. The helpless giant Gulliver tied down by tiny people is one of the most enduring images in English literature. Of course it has also led to a absurd debasement of Swift’s masterpiece, turning this very adult book into a source of children’s stories and facile cartoons. What an irony that so savage and indeed rude a book should be so debased – almost as if we cannot bear the mirror that is held up to us so we take the story but dodge the satire. GULLIVER’S TRAVELS portrays life as it is. Victorian “morality” and hypocrisy had not tainted English literature in the early 18th century; Gulliver the giant urinates on the burning palace of Lilliput, the giant aristocrats of Brobdinag use the tiny Gulliver as a sexual plaything, the scientists of Laputa try to turn excrement into food, the Yahoos are brutally murdered then their skins offered to our “hero” for his clothing. All human life is here, along with kindness and sympathy for others, dignity in adversity and wisdom in the face of the irrational. Swift attacks war, colonisation, corruption, lust, selfishness and pomposity. He advocates freedom, education for women, responsible science, and respect for others. Ultimately, he asks us to accept our natural position in the world.
When I was a child we had a 19th century revised and sanitised version of GULLIVER’S TRAVELS at home. It seemed to us that in dramatising Swift’s masterpiece we must do our best to reject such simplifications and betrayals. We have attempted to explore Swift’s themes and used his structures and ideas. The satire, naturally, has been updated. Swift parodied the politics and science of his day, so to be true to Swift we must satirise our own times. In a world turned upside down by financial crisis, plunged into war by opposing irrational agendas, while we destroy the very planet that gave us life; there has never been a greater need for the deflating truths of satire. As Swift’s book progresses so its analysis becomes more philosophical and timeless; so the later journeys to Laputa and the land of the horses can stay closer to the original narrative. We hope we have done justice to the Swift’s caustic vision. And also entertained, Swift was one of the great originals who created British (or Irish!) humour. From Chaucer through Shakespeare, Hogarth, Oscar Wilde, Charlie Chaplin, Beckett and Monty Python, this tradition of humour has always celebrated not only the joy in life but the darkness, and its ultimate target is not the stupidity of others but the folly of ourselves.
Paul Stebbings 2009
1/ In what year was Gulliver's Travels first published?
1726.
2/ What is Gulliver’s first name?
Lemuel.
3/ At the start of the book what is Gulliver’s trade?
A surgeon.
4/ What is the genre form of Gulliver’s Travels?
Satire.
5/ What literary form does Gulliver’s Travels parody?
AJÁNLOM AZ OLDALT
