Charming French farces

Press, 26 July 1986, Page 22

Charming French farces

Three Farces. Translated and adapted by Bill and Carol Direen. South Indies, 1985. 37 pp. $l6 (paperback). (Reviewed by Paul R. Bushnell) A charmingly-presented edition, with its own original linocut by Mary Kay, “Three Farces” is the result of Bill and Carol Direen’s activity for the Blue Ladder Theatre in Christchurch. It contains three popular medieval plays translated from the original French, each being very short and suitable for simply-staged performances. An informative introduction provides background on the various styles of farce which the collection contains, and the readers interested in further research will find the select bibliography helpful.

And the translations themselves? Of slender literary merit, they employ a rhyme scheme which to modern ears seems flat and banal. As a means of providing for improvisation and audience interaction, they are, however, thoroughly serviceable. Knockabout comedy and familiar situations are the basis for a performance depending on the virtuosity of the actor and not the writer. Although the Direens’ example of scholarship is unlikely to be emulated in this country, it has provided an interesting insight into a style of theatre which remains relatively unknown here. (“Three Farces,” is available from South Indies, P.O. Box 2190, Christchurch).