The Man in the Newspaper Hat – 2011

by Hayley Heaton
Performed: - 1214 10th Ave, Seattle, Nov 17 - Dec 17, 2011
Category:

Poets are not nice people. No artist is, really. They use the world and the people in it as fodder for their work. The Man in the Newspaper Hat, inspired by Elizabeth Bishop’s poem “Visits to St. Elizabeths”, is a fictional dramatization of the meetings between two polar opposite artistic temperaments, grandiose and infamous Ezra Pound and poets’-poet Elizabeth Bishop.

After a Showcase run in 2009 in NYC, ManyTracks co-produced this new version of the script in Seattle, together with Theatre Lexicon and the Eclectic Theatre Company. With local cast and talent we presented The Man in the Newspaper Hat for a run of five weeks.

Elizabeth Bishop: Lisa Keeton

Ezra Pound: David S. Klein

All photos by: Michael Rogers.




Press

“ THE MAN IN THE NEWSPAPER HAT is a fascinating glimpse into the mind of one of America’s most interesting poets and a unique vehicle of introduction to Bishop’s work.”
Kathie Meyer, The Examiner

“…one of the most interesting things about this production is the stage set-up. Almost everything in Pound’s room is white, and the outside world, dressed in green and brown tones, surrounds it in a U-shape, further emphasizing Pound's encapsulation. It was an inventive way to stage this play in its black box setting."
Kathie Meyer, The Examiner

"The dialogue was witty, the requisite comic timing was present in abundance and it was appropriately short. (75 minutes without intermission)."
Marie Bonfils, Dramainthehood.net