Historical Context
Emerging from the vibrant and revolutionary backdrop of 1960s and 1970s England, David Hare made his mark on the theatrical world. Yet, it was during the audacious "Thatcher Decade" of the 1980s that his voice truly resonated. As Margaret Thatcher, the formidable "Iron Lady," steered the Conservative Party to reshape Great Britain, Hare's dissenting words grew sharper. Thatcher's government, bent on privatizing state-run enterprises like British Airways and British Telecom, dismantling the influence of labor unions, and trimming welfare programs, stood in stark contrast to Hare's ideals and those of the Labour Party.
While Thatcher's policies ushered in a wave of prosperity for some—an era marked by rising wages and a surge in consumerism reminiscent of Ronald Reagan's America—many were left trailing in the shadows. Economic disparity widened, drawing a stark line between the affluent and the struggling. Hare's plays, notably Pravda (1985) and The Secret Rapture (1988), seared through the veneer of prosperity, laying bare the societal fissures under Conservative rule.
The year 1990 saw the fall of Thatcher, her tenure ended by inflation spikes and friction with European nations striving for economic unity. In her stead, John Major rose, another Conservative tasked with taming inflation and mending frayed ties with Europe and a restless Ireland. Yet Major's reign saw a plummet in public confidence, his approval ratings sinking to historic lows. Undeterred, Hare wielded his pen against Major's administration with a trenchant trilogy: Racing Demon (1990) examined the Church of England, Murmuring Judges (1991) scrutinized the legal system, and The Absence of War (1993) critiqued English politics.
In 1997, the Labour Party's dawn broke with Tony Blair at the helm, casting the Conservatives into the political wilderness. With Labour's return, some of the societal concerns Hare lambasted in his works began to recede, if only temporarily. Even as Hare penned The Blue Room, Blair was busy overhauling the health care system to better serve the nation's lower and middle classes while fostering closer connections with the European Union. Despite Britain's hesitation to join the Euro currency, Blair's efforts in 1998-99 to rejuvenate peace talks in Northern Ireland signaled a new chapter.
Amid the political upheavals spanning Thatcher, Major, and Blair's "New Labour," another seismic shift unfolded within the confines of England's royal institution. Once the heart of a sprawling empire, the monarchy's influence ebbed as the 20th century drew to a close. While the monarchy had long been a ceremonial bastion, its symbolic stature remained cherished. Yet, the scandalous divorce of Diana, Princess of Wales, from Prince Charles in 1996, and her tragic death a year later, cast doubt upon the royal family's moral and societal role. By 1999, whispers grew louder as critics and politicians questioned whether Britain's storied monarchy, from King Alfred to Queen Elizabeth, would soon be consigned to history.
Literary Style
Plot Structure
In an artful dance of narrative, the very architecture of The Blue Room
embodies its tale. Originally named Reigen, a nod to the German term
for "round dance," this play spins a web of encounters where characters meet,
engage in intimate moments, then drift apart to seek new connections. The
journey comes full circle, concluding with the very same exchange that ignited
it—a tryst between a man and a prostitute.
The framework may seem familiar to the contemporary theater audience, deviating from a singular, linear narrative with a focused cast and limited settings. Instead, The Blue Room unfurls through ten distinct yet interwoven vignettes, showcasing a plethora of characters in diverse locales. Here, it is not the storyline that threads the scenes together but rather the characters themselves, who seamlessly segue from one scene to the next.
The Cab...
(This entire section contains 550 words.)
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Driver emerges from the opening scene with the prostitute only to be discovered in a storage closet with an Au Pair in the following act. The Au Pair then entices The Student, who later encounters The Married Woman in his upstairs room. She returns to her husband, The Politician, who subsequently whisks The Model away to a hotel. And so this cycle of human connection continues. Individually, each liaison appears trivial, even mundane. Collectively, however, they paint a poignant portrait of humanity enslaved by carnal urges, seemingly unable to alter their dismal fates.
Slide Projections
The visionary German playwright and director Bertolt Brecht championed the innovative use of slide projections to replace traditional scenery or to disrupt the narrative flow in his "Epic" dramas. For Brecht, these projections served to "alienate" audiences, preventing them from becoming too comfortable with familiar, realistic settings and linear storytelling. Instead, signs and projections provided vital plot details and set the stage for each scene, often stepping in as characters themselves.
Since Brecht's pioneering efforts in the 1930s and 1940s, this avant-garde technique has seeped into mainstream theater, now a staple in modern stagecraft. The Blue Room employs slide projections to mark the passage of time, comment on character actions, and infuse a dash of humor. As two characters unite in intimacy, the lights dim, and a slide reveals the duration of their encounter. For instance, the projection reads "THREE MINUTES" for The Cab Driver and The Girl, a prostitute he feels no emotional attachment to, after their riverside rendezvous. In contrast, his meeting with the Au Pair stretches to "NINE MINUTES," hinting at a deeper connection.
At times, these slides cast a humiliating light on characters, such as when The Student awkwardly finishes in "FORTY-FIVE SECONDS" with the Au Pair, or falters with "0 MINUTES" with The Married Woman. Meanwhile, The Married Woman and The Politician achieve a predictable "FIFTEEN MINUTES," whereas under the influence of drugs, The Politician's encounter with The Model lasts an epic "TWO HOURS TWENTY-EIGHT MINUTES."
In each scenario, the slides not only indicate the literal time elapsed but also shift the mood, sometimes enhancing, sometimes souring the atmosphere. The Playwright turns charming with The Model after a respectable "FORTY-NINE MINUTES." Following "TWENTY-FIVE MINUTES" and an additional "TWELVE MINUTES" with The Playwright, The Actress ceases her insults, acknowledging, "You write brilliant plays." Later, "ONE HOUR ONE MINUTE" with The Actress and The Aristocrat mirrors a melancholic loss of romance.
Media Adaptations
The Blue Room, a masterful work by David Hare, finds its roots in Arthur Schnitzler's evocative collection of sketches titled Reigen, penned in the year 1896. This theatrical gem was reimagined for the silver screen by the visionary director Max Ophuls, who crafted the film adaptation known as La Ronde. Released in 1950, this cinematic rendition has since captured the hearts of foreign film aficionados worldwide.
Showcasing the talents of Simone Signoret and Anton Walbrook, this film unfolds a tapestry of interlinked romances, where their portrayals of dynamic and complex lovers continue to mesmerize audiences.
Bibliography and Further Reading
Sources
Anonymous, trans. Hands Around: A Cycle of Ten Dialogues, Privately
printed for Members of the Schnitzler Society, 1929, pp. ix-xiii.
Brantley, Ben. Review of The Blue Room, in the New York Times, December 14, 1998.
Dreher, Rod. Review of The Blue Room, in the National Review, January 25, 1999.
Gussow, Mel. ‘‘David Hare: Playwright as Provocateur,’’ in New York Times Magazine, September 29, 1985, pp. 42-76.
Hare, David. The Blue Room, Grove Press, 1998.
Isherwood, Charles. Review of The Blue Room, in Variety, December 14, 1998, p. 141.
Osborne, Charles, trans. The Round Dance and Other Plays, Carcanet New Press, 1982, pp. vii-x.
Rich, Frank. Review of The Blue Room, in the New York Times, December 30, 1998.
Scholem, Richard. Review of The Blue Room, in LI Business News, January 15, 1999, p. 26A.
Skrine, Peter. Hauptmann, Wedekind and Schnitzler, St. Martin’s Press, 1989, 129-133.
Viagas, Robert. Review of The Blue Room, in Back Stage, December 18, 1998, p. 3.
Further Reading
Liptzin, Solomon and Sol Liptzin. Arthur Schnitzler (Studies in Austrian
Literature, Culture, and Thought), Ariadne Publishers, 1995.
At once a history, biography, and literary critique, the Liptzins’ study examines Schnitzler’s place in Austrian and world literature and illuminates some of the most important themes in the author’s work.
Page, Malcolm, compiler. File on Hare, Methuen, 1986.
A collection of excerpted criticism of Hare’s plays, taken largely from theatre reviews in London and New York newspapers and magazines. Also includes a chronology of Hare’s work.
Schorske, Carl E. Fin-De-Siecle Vienna: Politics and Culture,
Random House, 1981.
In seven separate studies, Schorske provides a social and political history of turn-of-the-century Vienna that examines early modernism in art, music, and thought.
Zeifman, Hersh, editor. David Hare: A Casebook, Garland Publishing, 1994.
A collection of essays about Hare’s most important plays, accompanied by a chronology of his work and a bibliography of Hare interviews and criticism.
