Genet The Balcony
Genet's central, eminently psychoanalytic insight in The Balcony is that, because, in a world of speaking subjects alienated in and by language, the forms of social power are internally split in such a way that their official symbolic embodiment is haunted by a disturbing stain of jouissance, we are prone to succumb to the fantasy of an. Genet provocatively portrays modern society, tearing away the masks of social roles and revealing the nature of power. Vaudeville and philosophy, revolution and counter-revolution, illusion and reality are intertwined in the play. The Balcony has been staged in different theaters of the world many times. The play was interpreted by the great. A poet, novelist, playwright, and outlaw, Jean Genet helped define French existential theater of the mid-twentieth century. Deeply influential and widely acclaimed, Genet's The Balcony presents an unrelentingly profound and critical reflection of contemporary society. Analysis of Jean Genet’s The Balcony By Nasrullah Mambrol on September 2, 2020. ( 0). His plays are concerned with expressing his own feeling of helplessness and solitude when confronted with the despair and loneliness of man caught in the hall of mirrors of the human condition, inexorably trapped by an endless progression of images that are merely his own distorted reflections—lies. The Balcony is a 1963 film adaptation of Jean Genet's 1957 play The Balcony, directed by Joseph Strick. It stars Shelley Winters, Peter Falk, Lee Grant and Leonard Nimoy. Folsey was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Cinematography. Ben Maddow was nominated for a Writers Guild of America Award.
- First Image/Scene
Next to him, a young woman (‘Woman’) wipes her hands with a towel.
There is another woman standing, around forty years old.
She is madam ‘Irma’. She’s clearly agitated and asks to get paid.
The ‘Bishop’ insists that the ‘ceremony’ is still under way and proceeds to listen to the confession of his partner (‘Woman’), demanding to know if she’s actually committed the sins.
The two women leave the room and after a while return, with ‘Irma’ repeating to the ‘Bishop’ that she must be payed immediately and that he must leave because he is danger.
He turns towards the mirror and sees his reflected image.
- Second Image/Scene
In front of her stands a ‘Torturer’.
A ‘Judge’ is crawling on the floor, face down, towards the ‘Thief’. She’s a newcomer in the house, she doesn’t know the script and she confess rather quickly.
Through the ‘Torturer’, the ‘Judge’ brings the ‘Thief’ back to the script rules, explaining that both the process of extracting a confession of guilt and the guilt itself, are prerequisites to experience the relationship as real.
The scene ends with the ‘Judge’ begging the ‘Thief’ and her ordering him to lick her high heels.
- Third Image/Scene
The ‘General’ is in the room.
‘Irma’ is standing next to him.
They are both terrified by the uprising that has broken out in the city and they are discussing about the preparations of the ritual.
The ‘General’s’ goal is a perfect illustration of the script, which once again will repeat his glorious death.
A very beautiful ‘Girl’, disguised as a horse, eloquently describes the ‘General’s’ death.
He is lying on the armchair, which the ‘Girl’ drags with her, while leaving the stage.
- Fourth Image/Scene
Beside him there is the beautiful ‘Girl’(the same actress who played the horse).
He wipes his face with a handkerchief, he took out from his pocket.
His moves are mirrored onto three mirrors.
‘Irma’ opens the door slightly and hands the ‘Girl’ a leash and a dirty wig.
The ‘Girl’ puts the wig on the ‘Old Man’s’ head and starts whipping him.
His face is illuminated.
Machine gun fire are heard at close range.
- Fifth Image/Scene
Her room has two doors; One to the right, one to the left.
The Patron (‘Irma’) is checking her finances with ‘Carmen’; One of her girls who got promoted to an accountant.
‘Carmen' dreams of meeting her daughter, but 'Irma' prevents her, because she needs her to be close: she fears that the uprising, roaring outside, is not aimed at the Palace, but at the ‘Great Balcony’.
The left door opens.
The ‘Torturer’ enters, called from now on ‘Arthur’.
‘Irma’ explains to him that it is of a grave importance that he should go and find the ‘Chief of Police’.
‘Arthur’ kneels and obeys her.
He leaves from the left door, walking on his knees.
At that moment, the ‘Chief’ enters from the right door.
He informs them that an assault is imminent on the Palace.
At the same time, he expresses his regret on the fact that no customer thought of disguising himself as the ‘Chief of Police’.
Suddenly, a bell rings.
‘Carmen’ leaves the room (it is not mentioned from which door, but from the plot we can assume that it is the right door).
There’s a moment of silence, in which ‘Irma’ and the ‘Chief’ look each other straight in the eyes.
‘Irma’ is scared.
The ‘Chief’ (‘Georges’) calms her down.
There’s tenderness between them.
‘Carmen’ enters and announces the arrival of the ‘Court Envoy’.
The left door opens and ‘Arthur’ enters.
He’s shaking and his clothes are torn.
A bang is heard.
The glass window is shattered.
A bullet, coming from the outside, hits ‘Arthur’ in the head and kills him.
‘Irma’ gets ready to receive the ‘Court Envoy’.
- Sixth Image/Scene
‘Chantal’, a former prostitute of the whore house and ‘Roger’, the leader of the rebels, are hugging each other.
In the background, we can distinguish the facade of the ‘Great Balcony’.
Three armed men that seem to be guarding the couple, ask ‘Chantal’ to become the symbol of the revolution.
‘Roger’ declares he’s in love with her and asks her to remain with him.
‘Chantal’ is heading towards the ‘Grand Balcony’, as the rebels take her with them.
‘Roger’ goes away, talking to himself.
- Seventh Image/Scene
‘Irma’s’ clothes and those of the ‘Chief of Police’ are ragged.
‘Arthur’s’ body is on top of a fake grave.
Next to it is the ‘Court Envoy’.
Only he appears to be in good shape.
‘Carmen’ is dressed exactly like the first time she appeared.
The deafening sound of an explosion shakes everything.
The ‘Court Envoy’, with unintelligible words, announces that the palace has been occupied and that those who possess the true power have gone missing.
The only thing certain is that they are not in a position to exercise their functions.
Against the will of the ‘Chief’, who wants to fight heroically to the very end, the ‘Court Envoy’ suggests to squash the rebellion using the reflections in the mirrors and then proposes to ‘Irma’ to disguise herself as Queen.
In an effort to appease the ‘Chief’, the ‘Court Envoy’ promises him unlimited circulation of his reflection (effigy/image) in the mirrors.
- Eighth Image/Scene
First the ‘Bishop’ goes outside, then the ‘General’, then the ‘Judge’, then the ‘Hero’ (‘Chief of Police’) and finally the ‘Queen’ (‘Irma’).
A ‘Beggar’ also appears outside of the Balcony.
The ‘Court Envoy’ presents ‘Chantal’ to the ‘Queen’.
The ‘Queen’ bows in front of her.
A gunshot is heard.
‘Chantal’ drops down dead.
- Ninth Image/Scene
Beside each camera there is a photographer.
One after the other, the ‘Bishop’, the ‘Judge’ and the ‘General’ appear.
The photographers take their pictures.
For a while now, that the ‘Queen’ and the ‘Court Envoy’ are in the room.
The ‘Queen’ gets her picture taken.
The ‘Bishop’, the ‘Judge’ and the ‘General’ are plotting to seize power, while the ‘Chief’s’ image is not reenacted/reflected in the salons of the whore house.
After a while the ‘Chief of Police’ enters and ends their ephemeral temptation.
‘Carmen’ appears.
She whispers to the ‘Queen’ that a client has come, to play the role of the Chief, in the mausoleum’s salon.
Through the surveillance device in the room, they all watch the reenactment.
The client is ‘Roger’.
‘Carmen’ and the ‘Beggar’ accompany him. The ‘Beggar’ appears in this Image as ‘Slave’.
‘Roger’ finishes the reenactment by chopping off his testicles.
Having taken his picture by the photographers, the ‘Chief’, unaffected by the mutilation of ‘Roger’, descends to the grave that has been built for him (‘Chief’).
‘Irma’ asks everybody to leave and go home.
Then she turns out all the lights of the ‘Great Balcony’, telling the audience that it is time for them to leave.
Machine gun fire are heard.
DESCRIPTION
The performance of March 12th is cancelled due to the threat of COVID-19.
Important notice! Recommended 18+
Jean Genet The Balcony Analysis
For the Opening of the reconstructed Stage – a new production by Internationally acclaimed contemporary French theater director Eric Lacascade.
The director famous for his expressive stage adaptations of classical dramas presented an original adaptation of Uncle Vania to the Lithuanian public ten years ago (OKT / Vilnius City Theater). New production of Lacascade in Lithuania is based on the classic of the 20th century French playwright Jean Genet’s play.
.jpg/220px-Angelique_Rockas_and_Okon_Jones_(The_Balcony).jpg "Genet The Balcony")
Jean Genet The Balcony Pdf
The Balcony is considered one of the most significant drama works in the 20th century. An influential drama theorist Martin Esslin has called The Balcony ‘one of the masterpieces of our time’. Its main characters are government representatives and guardians of public morality, secretly using the services of The house of illusion (a traditional name for a French brothel). Genet provocatively portrays modern society, tearing away the masks of social roles and revealing the nature of power. Vaudeville and philosophy, revolution and counter-revolution, illusion and reality are intertwined in the play. The Balcony has been staged in different theaters of the world many times. The play was interpreted by the great stage masters, such as Peter Zadek, Peter Brook, Erwin Piscator, and Giorgio Strehler, as well as by a US director of Lithuanian origin JoAnne Akalaitis.
Jean Genet The Balcony Pdf
Lacascade’s The Balcony will include different spaces of the Youth Theater. The creative team of the performance promise an intriguing journey through the theater building as a small model of society, which will question our perceptions of the theater of life, acting, and truth. This will be the first staging of The Balcony by Genet in Lithuania.