Q: In 129 years, how much have theatre critics changed?

[acmespaceship]

A recent LJ discussion and my eternal quest for Moebius Theatre material led me to read Jules Verne's 1882 play Voyage A Travers L'impossible (Journey Through the Impossible).  I had not known that Verne was a devotee of the Paris comic opera, nor that he enjoyed much success (and income) from extravagantly staged musical productions of his works.  Elephants, dancing girls, grand scenery and all that.  Unlike other shows which were adapted from Verne's novels, Journey Through the Impossible was written for the stage.  It borrows characters like Captain Nemo from other works, not unlike fan fiction.  I might have written something like this as a parody, but Verne beat me to it. 

More after the cut...

A 2003 English translation is available at Amazon.  I wasn't sure what to expect, but I wasn't expecting this.  The translator's introduction compares Verne's script structurally and thematically to Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman.   I'll buy the three-act structure, but thematically it's closer to Gounod's Faust.  For crying out loud.  Except, unfortunately, it's Faust told with the narrative depth, moral complexity, evolved characterizations and naturalistic dialog of Dudley Do-Right. 

Which is not to say this script is entirely useless to Moebius.  I just have my doubts.

The 2003 edition includes two contemporary reviews of the production.  I must concur with the Times reviewer, who was not given a byline but was probably the Paris correspondent:

"And now, if you wish, an opinion of the merits of the 'Journey Through the Impossible,' I will say frankly that I have never seen anything more idiotically incoherent, or of which the dialogue is more pretentious." 
-- New York Times, December 19, 1882

A: Not much.

Comments

[acmespaceship.livejournal.com]

Maybe someone in La Legion can pronounce French, which would be one of my stumbling blocks. My current thinking is that the play might or might not be usable, but the reviews are great material worthy of performance.

[rmjwell.livejournal.com]

I like it! You could intro it with something like "we were going to produce the play, but since none of us speak French, we will instead be doing dramatic readings of its reviews."