Edward Gorey's Dracula a Toy Theatre

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Sayre, Nora, "The Poets' Theatre: A Memoir of the Fifties", Grand Street, Vol. 3, No. 3 (Spring, 1984), pp. 92–105. Published by: Ben Sonnenberg Gorey has become an iconic figure in the goth subculture. Events themed on his works and decorated in his characteristic style are common in the more Victorian-styled elements of the subculture, notably the Edwardian costume balls held annually in San Francisco and Los Angeles, which include performances based on his works. The "Edwardian" in this case refers less to the Edwardian period of history than to Gorey, whose characters are depicted as wearing fashion styles ranging from the mid-nineteenth century to the 1930s. Stuart, Roxana (1994). Stage Blood: Vampires of the 19th-century Stage. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press. ISBN 0-87972-660-1. OCLC 929831619.

The revised version of the play went on a national tour of the United States and replaced the original version in London. It influenced many subsequent adaptations, including the popular 1931 film adaptation starring Lugosi. A 1977 Broadway revival featured art designs by Edward Gorey and starred Frank Langella. It won the Tony Award for Best Revival and led to another movie version, also starring Langella. Many of Gorey's works were published obscurely and are difficult to find (and priced accordingly); [ citation needed] however, the following four omnibus editions collect much of his material. Because his original books are rather short, these editions may contain 15 or more in each volume. This section's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. See Wikipedia's guide to writing better articles for suggestions. ( July 2021) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) related_content_links_0_url: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/podcasts/masterpiece-studio/mystery-edward-gorey/# Edward Gorey was born in 1925 and his gift for drawing and interest in books was apparent at a very young age. He thrived academically, skipped several grades, and was heavily involved in school activities. While still in school, his drawings got published in Chicago newspapers. In 1939, he started exhibiting his artworks at the Francis Parker School that he attended. He was drafted in World War II and served in the army from 1943 to the end of the war. After returning, he majored in French Literature at Harvard and wholeheartedly pursued writing stories and poems, designing sets, and directing for the Poets Theater.Weber, Johannes (2015). "Like Some Damned Juggernaut": The Proto-filmic Monstrosity of Late Victorian Literary Figures. Bamberg, Germany: University of Bamberg Press. ISBN 978-3-86309-348-8. There was even a play adaptation about the captivating vampire. In 1924, Hamilton Deane adapted Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula into a stage play with the permission of Stoker’s widow. The play toured in England and was brought to Broadway in 1927. Vieira, Mark A. (1999). Sin in Soft Focus: Pre-Code Hollywood. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p.42. ISBN 0-8109-4475-8. Balderston's revisions for the Broadway production included removing characters to reduce the total cast from eleven to eight. The characters of Arthur Holmwood and Quincey Morris (in any form) were completely removed, while Dr. Seward was aged up from one of the suitors to father of main female character.

Luxuriously crossed and crosshatched… marvelous drawings. A gallery of splendid gloom… matchless beauty and richly satisfying… [a] delightful entertainer." Gorey created scores of meticulous little books; books publishers didn’t know what to make of. “He said most were meant for children, whether that’s wildly inappropriate or not,” says Hischak. Set in a vaguely Victorian period filled with doomed characters, these short works are surreal yet playful—with pen and ink etchings and the briefest of hand-lettered text. His books ran the gamut from the inexplicable The Doubtful Guest (1957) to the macabre alphabet book Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963) and didn’t exactly fly off the shelves. Gorey only began to see real earnings from these titles when they were resurrected as omnibus editions ( Amphigoreys) by a new, marketing-savvy publisher.

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Gorey was very fond of word games, particularly anagrams. He wrote many of his books under pseudonyms that usually were anagrams of his own name (most famously Ogdred Weary). Some of them are listed below, with the corresponding book title(s). Eduard Blutig is also a word game: "Blutig" is German (the language from which these two books purportedly were translated) for "bloody" or "gory". The Unstrung Harp was the first book that Gorey both wrote and illustrated. His Edwardian style first emerges through his intricate drawings. The main character, Mr. Earbrass, is an author who is searching for the title of his next novel. He chooses a name randomly and proceeds to stress over the process of writing the plot. It is said to be semi-autobiographical and shows a glimpse into the mind of Gorey and his writing methods. Unlike his following books, this one is filled with mostly words, yet the drawings play a crucial role in conveying the story. Photo from the Houston Chronicle‘s coverage of a production of Dracula at the Alley Theatre at Wortham Theatre, University of Houston, October 2014.) Ross, Clifford (1996). The World of Edward Gorey. Karen Wilkin, Ruth A. Peltason, Edward Gorey. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. p.184. ISBN 0-8109-3988-6. OCLC 33863808.

Theatre Magazine complimented Peterson's performance as Lucy in the 1927 Broadway production, calling her "the lightmotif of Dracula ... [whose] fair comeliness shines through every scene like a flood of sunlight in a chamber of horrors". [43] Adaptations [ edit ] Radio adaptation [ edit ] Amphigorey Also, 1983 ( ISBN 0-15-605672-0)– contains The Utter Zoo, The Blue Aspic, The Epiplectic Bicycle, The Sopping Thursday, The Grand Passion, Les Passementeries Horribles, The Eclectic Abecedarium, L'Heure bleue, The Broken Spoke, The Awdrey-Gore Legacy, The Glorious Nosebleed, The Loathsome Couple, The Green Beads, Les Urnes Utiles, The Stupid Joke, The Prune People, and The Tuning Fork Here at the University of Iowa Libraries Special Collections, we not only have a copy of Scribner’s publication of Dracula: A Toy Theatre, but two copies of the Pomegranate publication as well. a b Lumenello, Susan, "Edward Gorey: Brief life of an artful author: 1925–2000", Harvard Magazine, March–April 2007

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At the start of the story, the Harkers are already married, Dracula is in England, and Lucy Westenra (renamed Westera in the play) is dead. The action of the play occurs primarily in the Harkers' home. To better match the actors available in Deane's company, he changed the character of Quincy Morris from a man to a woman. [36] Other characters, such as Dracula's vampire brides, were omitted. Deane also modernized the setting to the 1920s; Dracula arrives by airplane instead of a ship. [37] Changes between original version and revised version [ edit ] A loose crosshatched technique is used with a pen for the illustrations. The images have a comedic feel, characteristic of his style. This looser look was rare to find in his future works but his attention to detail pervaded the entirety of his portfolio. Mr. Earbrass is drawn in a disproportional form that he later shortened to create a more realistic human figure. These book illustrations freeze a moment in time when Gorey was still developing his artistic style. This is the reason why these drawings are important to examine when outlining the timeline of his creative works. Deane's Dracula premiered on 15 May 1924 at the Grand Theatre in Derby, England. [9] Deane had originally intended to play the title role himself but opted for the role of Van Helsing. This production toured England for three years before settling in London, where it opened at the Little Theatre in the Adelphi on 14 February 1927. [10] It later transferred to the Duke of York's Theatre and then the Prince of Wales Theatre to accommodate larger audiences. [11] Broadway production [ edit ] The first Broadway production opened at the Fulton Theatre in 1927. Gorey, Edward (2002), Ascending Peculiarity: Edward Gorey on Edward Gorey, Harvest Books, ISBN 978-0-15-601291-1 Gorey, Edward (1993). Amphigorey Also– Edward Gorey. ISBN 978-0-15-605672-4 . Retrieved February 22, 2013.