If I were to be the director of a Volpone, I would take the play in a more modern direction. Right from the beginning of the play a quote stuck said my Mosca stood out to me. “You are not like the thresher that doth stand/ With a huge flail, watching a head of corn/ And, hungry, dares not taste the smallest grain/ But feeds on mallows and such bitter herbs/ Nor like the merchant who hath filled his vaults/ With Romagnia and rich Canadian wins/ Yet drinks the lees of Lombard’s vinegar.” This quote is obviously describing Volpone’s work ethic. The occupations described work hard for their living, and do not want to squander any profits they might be able to make. This is the opposite for Volpone. Volpone doesn’t work hard, he is a con man. With the money he “makes” he doesn’t save, he squanders.
After the above quote particularly, I think that it would be interesting to make my version of the play take place in modern day New York City. I just recently watch the movie Wall Street, and I could see how a business setting relates. I would make Volpone a CEO of a large company. He gets his money by conning other businesses, and has multiple bank accounts in other countries.
On stage, the play would take place mostly in offices. Volpone would be sitting in his office at a large desk in the beginning with many expensive things surrounding him. Everything that surrounds Volpone would be elaborate and costly. The apartments that would be in the play would also be large and Volpone would have a pent house.
Volpone would always be in Armani suits , and Mosca would always be in something much less elaborate. The Corbaccio, Corvino, and Voltore would be in nice suits as well. Cecilia would wear something the represents her purity, while still being conservative, since Corvino is so jealous and overbearing.
I would have an all star cast for this play. I would definitely have George Clooney be Volpone. He would do a good job of pretending to be sick, while also addressing the con man personality that Volpone really is. Clooney would do a great job acting the part of playing with Corbaccio, Corvino, and Voltore’s heads. Cecilia would be played by Nicole Kidman. I think that she would do a good job of being a strong character that would be committed to her husband, God and her morals. I would like Matt Damon to play Mosca because he would be good at being deceiving. Corbaccio, Corvino, and Voltore could be played by Richard Gere, Jack Nocolson, Russel Crow. I think that my version of the play would be very interesting to watch and the characters would really bring the different dimensions to the play.
Interesting idea to update "Volpone." But I wonder about how much you would have to change the plot in addition to changing the setting. The idea of three men clinging onto an old trickster doesn't seem very modern. And yet, that's not necessarily important. It would be possible to perform the play word for word in a NYC penthouse, just a matter of director opinion.
ReplyDeleteJennah, I really like how you decided to have the setting of the play be in modern day NYC. I think this would be an appropriate setting and interesting to watch. Volpone certainly can be a big, modern, greedy CEO, who just cares about making money and is sadly all alone. Nicole Kidman, would make a perfect Cecilia because she is naturally soft, pure, and very faithful. The modern setting and hustle of the city would make the action come alive!
ReplyDeleteI think you hit on several points that separate performance of a play from its original text. Typically, you always hear people talking about how "yeah the movie was great, but the book is so much better," but what they fail to see is that performance enables the story to take on a more multi-dimensional form. The setting that you speak of, as well as the ways that you intend to portray Volpone in his interaction with other characters, helps add to the text and makes it more applicable to today's society.
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of having Volpone be contemporary and in NYC moreover. I think it's really interesting, and could work really well. I'm not sure, though, if George Clooney is the right fit for Volpone. Usually Clooney plays someone who's likable or supposed to be likable, but I don't like Volpone. I think I would have to pick Robert Downey Jr. or Hugh Laurie. Both are awesome actors, but can be believably ridiculous and deceitful. I really do like your idea, though, of making it modern and in New York. Props.
ReplyDeleteI loved this rumination! It's funny how well Volpone can be transported into modern times and the main themes are still relevant. I really love Kristen's idea of Robert Downey Jr. for Volpone - I think he would be great for the part, especially with the roles he's played in the past like Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. I did a similar rumination where I cast different actors but I really like your interpretation, too. I think Nicole Kidman as Celia is my favorite of your choices.
ReplyDeleteFun post, and I agree that modernizing the play could be an interesting thing to do. I definitely see Volpone as enjoying luxury and costly items, so your stage descriptions are appropriate. Kristen, I like the idea of Robert Downey Jr for Volpone, and agree that an actor who is known for more sly roles. Although, I hear Julia Roberts is playing the evil queen in an upcoming Snow White remake, so perhaps Clooney could make Volpone work.
ReplyDeleteI think NYC would be the perfect place for the setting of Volpone. NYC is normally portrayed as a fast pace society in which everyone is only looking out for themselved. Volpone definitely fits the bill. The characters in Volpone are so self serving that NYC and Wall Street in particular would be a great setting to place them in. I wonder if we could even take this further in the setting of NYC and make the characters even more devious than they were in the version we read.
ReplyDeleteI find it hilarious that you choose Clooney since for my Creative Engagement I did a movie casting for the movie version of Volpone and I dismissed Clooney. So despite some difference of opinion about casting, I love your idea about putting the play in a modern setting. It would make it easier in some respects to show the extreme wealth and greed of the main character. However if you were to change it to a modern setting it would be next to impossible to do it on a stage. You just can't have the appropriate settings and you lock yourself out of using the ultimate symbol of wealth for Americans: cars. You couldn't bring a Ferrari or Porche on stage, it just isn't realistic. However if you grab a camera and film the production around NYC, or splice in video of things happening out in the city in between scenes, it will work much better.
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