Round One

Eric Bentley's adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's classic LA RONDE. 'This seems to be Arthur Schnitzler's year in the English-speaking world. In THE BLUE ROOM, we saw all of Nicole Kidman ... in a daring adaptation of one of his most dazzling works for the stage, REIGEN (LA RONDE, ROUND ONE). Ten couples pair up for the ultimate pleasure. One of each continuing with a different partner until in the last scene the prostitute, who has appeared in the first sketch, appears once more.' -Peter Gay, The New York Times Book Review 'The original play, REIGEN, was kept from the general public by Schnitzler. First, he printed it only privately. Second ... he withheld it from production. In 1920-21 he did allow it to be performed but when the Vienna production resulted in anti-semitic outbursts against the author, he withdrew it once again. He died in 1931 but when I translated REIGEN in the fifties, his son and heir Heinrich still wanted the play withheld, to protect his father's good name and avoid the ugly protests against the show that he thought would inevitably accrue. However, the play was not protected by U S copyright, and I allowed Circle in the Square to produce it. José Quintero, as director, had no difficulty showing that this play has little to do with an actress's nudity but much more to do with the Western world's mores and morality, not forgetting that the story is shot through with irony and humor.' -Eric Bentley, The New York Times Book Review 3