Charles Ludlam

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Ridiculous Theatre : Scourge of Human Folly : The Essays and Opinions of Charles Ludlam by Charles Ludlam, Steven Samuels (Editor)

Critically, Ludlam's works were often overlooked or misunderstood, and since his death The Mystery of Irma Vep is the one of his 29 plays that is consistently performed in regional theatres. The plays are very visually oriented; much is lost in simply reading them.

This work provides an overview of Ludlam's life and the roots of the ridiculous. It explores the theatrical underpinnings of his work and then the whole Ludlam canon.

"Ridiculous Theatre : Scourge of Human Folly : The Essays and Opinions of Charles Ludlam is a true treasure for anyone ridiculous enough to consider a career as an artist. Ludlam, the actor/director/writer/artistic director of the Ridiculous Theatre, knows a lot about creating art and as a result of his experience, has some very strong opinions on the subject. Ludlam writes about what he knows and what he loves -- the theatre. The essays included in this anthology are extremely insightful and thought-provoking as Ludlam proffers his opinions on every subject from critics to drag to opera (and everything in between). In the end, the reader comes to an understanding of the utter ridiculousness (in a truly wonderful way) of a theatrical life." -- Anonymous Review

The Big Easy ( 1987, 101 min, US )

A glorious blend of screwball comedy and detective story, this scintillating thriller stars Quaid as a New Orleans detective who becomes involved with sexy district attorney Barkin, who is investigating local police corruption. Quaid and Barkin are about the most attractive duo on the screen in years, and their love scenes are among the steamiest, also. Great supporting cast includes Ludlam in a stand-out role as a Tennessee Williams-ish lawyer.

Director:  Jim McBride

Starring:  Dennis Quaid, Ellen Barkin, Ned Beatty, John Goodman, Ebbe Roe Smith, Charles Ludlam

Manifesto

Aim: To get beyond nihilism by revaluing combat.

1. You are a living mockery of your own ideals. If not, you have set your ideals too low.
2. The things one takes seriously are one's weaknesses.
3. Just as many people who claim belief in God disprove it with their ever act, so too there are those whose every deed, though they say there is no God, is an act of faith.
4. Evolution is a conscious process.
5. Bathos is that which is intended to be sorrowful but because of the extremity of its expression becomes comic. Pathos is that which is meant to be comic but because of the extremity of its expression becomes sorrowful. Some things which seem to be opposites are actually different degrees of the same thing.
6. The comic hero thrives on his vices. The tragic hero is destroyed by his virtue. Moral paradox is the crux of drama.
7. The theater is a humble materialist enterprise which seeks to produce riches of the imagination, not the other way around. The theater is an event not an object. Theater workers need not blush and conceal their desperate struggle to pay the landlords their rents. Theater without the stink of art.

Instructions for use:

Names Index:
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
| Authors Index | Scholars Index |