Prince of Homburg

by Heinrich von Kleist, Dennis Kelly (Adapted by)

Overview

Heroic commander of the Prussian cavalry, the Prince of Homburg dreams of victory, glory and fame. But reckless disobedience during a crucial military operation leads the Prince into his greatest battle yet.

The creative team behind the Donmar’s critically acclaimed production of Life Is A Dream present Von Kleist’s poetic masterpiece, which is considered to be one of the most haunting and beautiful plays of the nineteenth century, exploring honour, courage, ambition and love. Adapted for stage by acclaimed British writer Dennis Kelly, this is an exciting new adaptation of a classic of European literature.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849430999
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	05/17/2011
Series:	Oberon Modern Plays
Pages:	90
Sales rank:	955,716
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.30(d)

About the Author

Dennis Kelly is an internationally acclaimed playwright. Stage plays include Debris (Theatre 503 and Battersea Arts Centre, 2003 & 2004); Osama the Hero (Paines Plough and Hampstead Theatre 2004 & 2005; winner of the Meyer Whitworth Award 2006); After the End (Paines Plough, Traverse Theatre, Bush Theatre, UK and international tour, 2005); Love and Money (Young Vic Theatre and Manchester Royal Exchange, 2006); Taking Care of Baby (Hampstead Theatre and Birmingham Repertory Theatre, 2006; winner of the John Whiting Award 2007); DNA (NT Connections, National Theatre, 2007-8); Orphans (Paines Plough, Traverse Theatre, Soho Theatre and Birmingham Rep, 2009; winner of a Fringe First and Herald Angel Award 2009) and The Gods Weep (Royal Shakespear Company and Hampstead Theatre). In 2009 Dennis was voted Best Foreign Playwright 2009 by Theatre Heute, Germany. Work for radio includes The Colony (BBC Radio 3, 2004; Prix Europa Award - Best European Radio Drama and Radio & Music Award - Scripting for Broadcast 2004) and 12 Shares (BBC Radio 4, 2005). Dennis co-wrote the award winning comedy series Pulling (Silver River and BBC 3, 2006 - 09) and wrote the stage adaptation for Roald Dahl's Matilda, which won the Olivier award for Best New Musical in 2012.

Editorial Reviews

The Prince of Homburg is as satisfyingly chewy as the most teeth-wrecking kind of German sausage. Dennis Kelly’s lucid, often beautifully lyrical new version betrays the original by altering the ending. Realpolitik rather than philosophy wins out. Fine by me: Kelly’s subversive stroke subtly connects the emergence of the modern German state with the terrifying absolutism of the Nazis, without jeopardizing the drama’s other concerns. 3 stars”—Dominic Cavendish, The Telegraph

"an intriguingly mercurial drama”—Kate Bassett, Independent on Sunday
“…fine new version”—Maxie Szalwinska, Sunday Times

“a startlingly prophetic play about the equivocal nature of reality. 3 stars”—Michael Billington, The Guardian

“a cerebral serving of early-19th-century German drama”—Henry Hitchings, Evening Standard

From the Publisher