Marshak -- Lady Cat's Cat~A~Strophe

[Benjamin Sher]

Dear Colleagues:

May I invite you (and your children) to enjoy Samuil Marshak's
delightful poetic play Koshkin Dom in an English adaptation. This
classic play for children tells the story of the aristocratic,
snobbish Lady Cat and the lessons she learns about love and human
fellowship when her palace burns down, leaving her destitute and
alone. It is a great morality play, very much in the Russian
tradition. It is available in its entirety on my web site. The
address is:

http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/s/h/sher07/


Please remember to RELOAD the home page in order to access the play.

There is one important difference between Marshak's original and my
adaptation: Marshak's play is meant for kids around 5-8, while my
version is a bit more ambitious and is meant for kids around 5-12.
While no doubt some children will find the vocabulary a challenge,
even the very young should, hopefully, be won over by the play as a
stage performance, which includes, of course, not only words but the
full range of theatrical effects available to the producer/director
in charge of the production, including dance, costumes, music, etc.,
all part of an overall theatrical experience.

Lady Cat's Cat~A~Strophe could therefore be considered not only a
form of entertainment but also a form of LINGUISTIC and MORAL
INSTRUCTION through ENTERTAINMENT. Seen in this light, I believe
that a stage production of Marshak's morality play about Lady Cat
would appeal to children (and adults) of all ages.

I hereby waive all copyright royalties for non-commerical or
not-for-profit performances of this March 8, 1993 version of Lady
Cat's Cat~A~Strophe AS IS by Benjamin Sher, provided only that full
credit is given and that I am informed of any such performance in
advance.

In addition, a later, second version of Lady Cat's Cat~A~Strophe,
dated July 30, 1993, copyrighted in the name of Benjamin Sher,
translator, and Natasha Ramer, director, is also hereby offered to
the public on a professional, private, off-line basis. While the
text is more or less the same, this second version will be a
musical: its directorial interpretation, characterization and
setting are entirely different from the version above. These two
versions of Lady Cat's Cat~A~Strophe may therefore be considered as
two independent plays. We have not yet decided whether the musical,
when ready, will be offered free for non-commerical or not-for-profit
productions. If you are interested, please feel free to contact me
off-line after reading the play.

Would appreciate any comments you might have about the play.

Enjoy!


Yours,

Benjamin



Benjamin Sher
Russian Literary Translator
Email:sher07 at bellsouth.net
Web:http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/s/h/sher07/
BkM:http://personal.msy.bellsouth.net/msy/s/h/sher07/bll-link.html