World Famous Comics: Story Theatre (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Story Theatre (Broadway Theatre Archive)
Starring: Mildred Dunnock, David Clennon, Alvin Epstein Average Rating: Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD Format: Color, DVD-Video, NTSC Label: Kultur Video Number of Items: 1 Region Code: 1 Release Date: September 24, 2002 Running Time: 30 minutes Theatrical Release Date: December 06, 1973
Amazon.com: Story Theatre consists of five fairy tales from the Brothers Grimm, each told with a lean, stripped-down production style with no sets or fabulous costumes; all the trappings are created by the actors with their bodies and voices. The stories range from well-known favorites like "The Bremen Town Musicians" and "The Golden Goose" to more obscure but excellent tales like "The Blue Light," in which a soldier cast aside by his king gets his revenge with a little magic help. The no-frills storytelling creates some evocative effects; kids raised on computer-generated images could probably use the imaginative exercise these productions provide. In addition, Story Theatre includes intriguing discussions with the actors about the process of creating the pieces and the business of theater at large. --Bret Fetzer
For the under 8 crowd As noted in the other customer review, this is not the Broadway production but a Yale drama school event. Having an interest in Paul Sill's Story Theater, I ordered the DVD anyway to see his approach. The production was a disappointment - by today's theatrical standards, stiff and often slow. Because of the amount of mime involved, I think there's value here as a teaching tool for very young drama students, possibly K-3rd grade. (Although you'd want to preview all the stories first - "The Blue Light" turns removing a pair of boots into an erotic act.) The stories are simple and the costumes bright enough to keep the attention of young children. As for older students or adult viewers, it's just not punchy enough.
Interesting, but... not what it seems. This is NOT the Story Theater of the Broadway show created by Paul Sills, and the actors from the show who are listed here (e.g., Melinda Dillon) and in the imdb.com entry for this title do not appear in this DVD. This is a group of scenes performed at the Yale School of Drama that are "inspired" by Sills' work and based on folk tales that Sills used. Acting students may find it interesting, but fans of the Broadway play will be confused at best, and disappointed.
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