"Blood and Nerves": Singing the Science of Naturalism in Thérèse Raquin

Description

The published libretto for the recent British musical theatre version of Thérèse Raquin (2014) states, in its author attribution, that it is ‘a radical adaptation by Nona Shepphard’. Adapted from the novel by Emile Zola, with a libretto by Shepphard and a musical score by Craig Adams, the musical ‘behaves’ radically in a number of ways, and in doing so, embraces the original radical intent of the source novel published in 1867. Zola’s impulse for writing the novel was to revolutionise fiction writing, introducing a literary style called Naturalism. Zola, subsequently, wrote a Preface defending his attempt to dissect his characters scientifically in this first, radical experiment in a new, modern, form of writing. This paper explores how the adaptors employ a framing device, and forms of chorality, to give voice to the science of Naturalism resulting in a libretto and score reflecting the radical nature of the source text. Further, it argues that this musical adaptation is primarily radical in that it is more an adaptation of the Preface than of the novel, employing theatricality, rather than theatrical naturalism to articulate the essence of Zola’s Naturalism.

Period	27 Jun 2019
Event title	Song Stage Screen Conference : (Re)-Inventions: Adaptations and New Directions in Musicals on and Between Stage and Screen
Event type	Conference
Conference number	XIV
Location	Leeds , United KingdomShow on map
Degree of Recognition	International