Phaedra's Love

Description

A rewriting of the Phaedra myth, "Phaedra's Love" continued Kane's fragmentation of naturalism, and was her first play to deal explicitly with what was to become her main theme: love. Hippolytus, the spoiled prince, is driven to preserve his self inviolate. Emotions, particularly love, and need of any type are an unbearable threat to the prince. Phaedra, his stepmother, is in love with him. The impossibility of the situation leads to their bloody destruction.

Sarah Kane was born in 1971. Her first play, Blasted, was produced at the Royal Court Theatre Upstai rs in 1995. Her second play, Phaedra's Love, was produced at the Gate Theatre in 1996. In April 1998 , Cleansed was produced at the Royal Court Theatre Downstairs, and in September 1998, Crave was prod uced at Paines Plough and Bright Ltd at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh. Her last play, 4.48 Psychos is, premiered at the Royal Court Jerwood Theatre Upstairs in June 2000. Her short film, Skin, produc ed by British Screen/Channel Four, premiered in June 1997. Sarah Kane died in 1999.

"Kane's achievement is to have humanised the antics of the pounding royals. Her sulphurous dialgoue is full of reeking toughness." --Evening Standard "Sarah Kane's writing is both daring and accomplished." --Time Out "Pure theatre or rather impure theatre: dirty, alarming, dangerous." --Observer "Delivered with punch and laced with black humour." --Financial Times