What do You think about Six Characters In Search Of An Author (1997)?
This book was literally amazing. I was drowned into awesomeness every page. Every word the characters said were intelligent, but in some ways a little bit bizarre. You do not meet every day Characters who escaped of a book, but not only escape, their author set them free. The characters were looking for an author, but they may never find him. They are their own author, they are creating their own life stories. They are damned to repeat their story every day, for an eternity, waiting for an author to stop this continuity, an author who may never show up to take his responsability.Pirandello succeded in a magnificent way to combine comedy with drama. The Characters' story was dramatic, it was powerful, even though they could not express it. They were unable to truly express their feelings towards not only to each other, but to the story. They could not even finish telling the story, only a few scenes. The events had no continuity, but it kept everybody very intrigued by it. You would never know what they were going to say next or how they would feel towards a given situation. The Charactera were, of course, different from each other. They were completting each other, but were really opposed, on different extremities.I might get it wrong though, but I feel like the Characters were trying to show the world their never-ending story, but were traped into a vicious circle and could not do this. Not because they were not believed, but because they could not say anything. Their story was inside them, it was their own soul. People have their souls inside them and the Characters had their story inside them. The story was getting bigger and bigger, it wanted to escape the body and be set free, but the Characters could not do that even for themselves. If the story got out, they would die. The story chains them to live, it gives them breath and a purpose in life. The story is governing their own life and all they are able to do is live it differently every day, even if it is the same.Totally recommend.
—Diana
Oh, this play is great. What a fucking thing it is. It's about how we create our own realities: how each of us choose to play a character, to such an extent that we sometimes sit outside ourselves, watching our characters act out their scenes. And it's about the subjective nature of reality: how to each of us, the scenes we live through may be be completely different to each actor in them.I was talking to a friend recently about the beginning of our relationship, and discovered that her perception of that period has almost nothing in common with mine. If we both explained it to a third party, we would tell wholly different stories. Weird, huh? Both of our stories are equally true; they're just different.Recently, in an unguarded moment, a different friend of mine let slip who he thinks I am. It was not at all who I think I am! Among other things, his version of me - inexplicably - is not a Viking. I'm pretty sure he was projecting there, but how would I know? Is there anyone less qualified to interpret me than me?This is what Pirandello's dealing with, at least until Act III when he starts to talk about the writing process and also to wrap up his own plot. It's a very smart play, and years ahead of its time. My character enjoys it. A character under that thinks it's a little show-offy. A character under that is scared that he didn't get it at all, and a character under that is afraid that his opinion hasn't even been written.
—Alex
Six Characters in Search of a StagePresents a comic (tragic?) and confusing cast of six enigmatic characters seeking an author who can put them inside a 'book'. They need this badly, so that they can live where they are born to live -- on the stage, and away from this off-stage world of ordinary people, without 'drama' inborn in them. They stumble on a stage and almost manages to get a director to present their story too. But in the end their play does not manage to get presented -- because how can their story be truly represented without the 'missing' author? Also, who can play them on-stage? Surely they can't be allowed to play themselves! Thus the 'Drama' never materializes. Instead is presented the comedy of their vain attempts at putting their 'drama' 'out there', because, being mere characters, they need an audience all the time! But there is also the tragedy inherent in the situation -- the six characters have been rejected by their author. the author did not consider them worthy of a presentation, since he did not feel anything meaningful about life can be told through their story?Now what use is your drama if your author did not think it worthy of 'philosophy'? How can you innovate or derive real meaning in the absence of the divine author?This intricate play needs to be seen on-stage. I could imagine seeing this play and deriving great enjoyment from the bewilderment of the manager etc., but on the lifeless pages of a book it fails to capture me. Continuously imagining it on stage was too exhausting to maintain. I will be looking forward to an opportunity to catch this on the screen or on the stage. These characters cannot be experienced fully away from their natural habitat. They are made too precisely.Other Actors. No, no, it's only make believe, it's only pretence!The Father [with a terrible cry]. Pretence? Reality, sir, reality!The Manager. Pretence? Reality? To hell with it all! Never in my life has such a thing happened to me. I 've lost a whole day over these people, a whole day!
—Riku Sayuj
