Bent: The Play
by Martin Sherman
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Description
(Applause Books). Martin Sherman's worldwide hit play Bent took London by storm in 1979 when it was first performed by the Royal Court Theatre, with Ian McKellen as Max (a character written with the actor in mind). The play itself caused an uproar. "It educated the world," Sherman explains. "People knew about how the Third Reich treated Jews and, to some extent, gypsies and political prisoners. But very little had come out about their treatment of homosexuals." Gays were arrested and show more interned at work camps prior to the genocide of Jews, gypsies, and handicapped, and continued to be imprisoned even after the fall of the Third Reich and liberation of the camps. The play Bent highlights the reason why - a largely ignored German law, Paragraph 175, making homosexuality a criminal offense, which Hitler reactivated and strengthened during his rise to power. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
"We were real."
Absolutely brilliant. It's raw, a story both about violence and love. I also appreciate the fact that the main character has flaws, and honestly not too likeable for most of the play. But here, that's one of the things that makes it so raw and just... real. It's not necessarily about Max while at the same time being exactly about who he is. If anything, the last ten pages are incredibly powerful; raw and emotional in a way that will haunt me for a long time.
Absolutely brilliant. It's raw, a story both about violence and love. I also appreciate the fact that the main character has flaws, and honestly not too likeable for most of the play. But here, that's one of the things that makes it so raw and just... real. It's not necessarily about Max while at the same time being exactly about who he is. If anything, the last ten pages are incredibly powerful; raw and emotional in a way that will haunt me for a long time.
This classic play was first produced in 1979, and was an important milestone in the public’s awareness of gay issues. It follows the story of a gay man in Nazi Germany – dealing first with social oppression and then with the cruelty of a concentration camp. It’s very powerful.
To love is an act of resistance.
This play is as profound and relevant today as it was when it was written.
Received via NetGalley.
This play is as profound and relevant today as it was when it was written.
Received via NetGalley.
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Has the adaptation
Has as a student's study guide
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- Members
- 373
- Popularity
- 84,302
- Reviews
- 4
- Rating
- (4.03)
- Languages
- English, French
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 5
- UPCs
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- ASINs
- 10
