Incarnations: Three Plays by Clive Barker

Verhalen

• Colossus (1983): Clive Barker
• Frankenstein in Love (1995): Clive Barker
• The History of the Devil (1980): Clive Barker

Inhoud

Legions of Clive Barker fans will relish three early works from the wicked imagination of one of the best-known fantasy/horror writers of the decade. Incarnations is a cross-disciplinary marvel, a great, glorious feast of the imagination taking us on a journey through wildly varied theatrical and emotional terrains, from the pain and intrigue of domestic transgressions to the monstrous horrors wrought by war; from lustful garden liasons to subterranean cannibalism. Barker uses unpredictable rhythms that draw less from theatrical convention and more from life itself, with apocalyptic spectacle and intimate reality sharing the stage as equal and sometimes indistinguishable partners. The three works that make up Incarnations - Colossus; Frankenstein in Love, or the Life of Death; and The History of the Devil, or Scenes from a Pretended Life combine the shock and magic and heartbreak that has made Barker's unique vision a compelling force in all the media he has touched.

Bespreking

The best collection of Barker plays

Arguably the best play of this collection is The History of the Devil. Where the other two plays are a nice potent dip into the macabre, the Devil is a mind-blowing experience that gets you where it hurts the most: your conscience. What is evil? What is good? Can we judge anything? It isn't surprising that even Dante has a cameo role in this play.
I would love to see this play in production somewhere near me. Although it would not be as visually appealing as the other two plays in Incarnations, since it lacks scenes of cannibalism and dismemberment for instance, it surely must be a wonderful experience to see the actual Devil on stage.
Nice to know is that the actor that gave live to the Devil in the World Premiere of The History of the Devil as presented by the Dog Company at The York and Albany Theatre, London, in 1979 was none other than Doug Bradley, the guy that plays Pinhead in the famous Hellraiser movies.
As a conclusion I can reveal that the end of the play as a very nice twist to it. This collection shows Clive barker at his best. A must read for all fans of the macabre.