Tamburlaine

dec 07: saw this performed at the washington shakespeare theaer. there is a good reason why marlowe has been eclipsed by shakespeare. the characters are less complex, the narrative is carried by action and not by internal development and the dialogue is dominated by speaches rather than monologues, an dso are proclamatory rather than discursive. to be fair this is an early work and tamburlan was...more

dec 07: saw this performed at the washington shakespeare theaer. there is a good reason why marlowe has been eclipsed by shakespeare. the characters are less complex, the narrative is carried by action and not by internal development and the dialogue is dominated by speaches rather than monologues, an dso are proclamatory rather than discursive. to be fair this is an early work and tamburlan was perfromed by avery brooks, who has a limitied range, although he works that range with overwhelming passion. if the play is about the overwhelming vibrancy of a life of total power, it fails to adequately seduce.    hide