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In the absence of the money to make a feature film, “The Man Who Was Thursday” will come alive as a high quality, fully produced radio play. Actors breath life in the characters, sound effects and foley keep you in the scene, and a musical score ties it all together.

Uncommon Sense #10

New Leaf Theater in Lincoln Park, IL puts on The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton and adapted by Bilal Dardai for a new audience. Tickets available until November 21, 2009.
I talk first with Jessica Hutchinson, the director of the play, and then with Deb Lillig, who attended the play to find out more about how this 100 year old play came to life.
Rochester, NY Re-awakening Wonder Conference CDs are available now here.
Chesterton and the Romance of Orthodoxy by William Oddie available here.

http://newleaftheatre.org/

Web sites:
http://chesterton.org
http://americanchestertonsociety.blogspot.com
http://www.twitter.com/amchestertonsoc
FaceBook Fan Page: The American Chesterton Society
http://music.mevio.com
(Pictures: Left is Deb, next to her is Jessica)

Loyola reviews New Leaf The Man Who Was Thursday

Be sure to see the combox below where Nick Keenan of New Leaf Theater responds and invites your discussion of the play they have currently going on there, an adaptation of The Man Who Was Thursday.

I completely agree with Nick: the play is, whether good or bad, at least making people aware of the man G.K. Chesterton. Maybe it will help someone pick up the novel and actually read it for the first time. Maybe someone will wonder about Chesterton and read a biography of him. Maybe it will make some people think, and that, as we know, is what the mind is there to do.

If you've attended, I'd love to hear from you. I know of one person with tickets in her hands, and when she sees the play, I hope to hear from her. Maybe even do a podcast interview of it, which would be great, too.

And welcome Nick to the blog!

Read the Loyola review here, and also see Nick's comment and the link to more reviews.

If you attend this weekend and dress like an anarchist, you get a discounted ticket!

Interesting Review

I can't tell if this is an honest review that aims to flatter, or a flattering review that contains pointed barbs.

Has anyone here seen the play?

"Acting is deft across the board, and the quicksilver pacing, along with gorgeous technical theater, keeps the play afloat—even the facile last scene Dardai added that makes a vapid reference to terrorism (not to mention completely compromises Chesterton’s message) remains buoyant in the hands of director and cast."

(Emphasis added by Ed.)

New Edition of Chesterton Mysteries

H/T: Joey G
Joey found this new edition of Chesterton's Mysteries, which will be coming out in a six volume collection, this is volume one.
I *love* the cover.

Feel like commenting?

This from Rachel:

I thought you and the rest of the Chestertonians up there might be interested in knowing about New Leaf Theatre's upcoming performance of The Man Who Was Thursday. Here's their site.

Naturally, their dramaturg assures us we don't have to worry about being inculcated as anti-Semites.

Perhaps you or one of your crew can provide a balancing comment on the blog! He doesn't seem to know that more people than just Gopnik have written on the subject.

You are the crew! Comment away if you can. Thanks.

Just Finished Listening

I just finished listening to an audio book of The Man Who Was Thursday, found on iTunes, recorded by Zachary Brewster-Geisz (Thanks for doing that Zach! Great voices!) for Librivox on my iPod.

There are 15 chapters to this book, and I would listen to a few chapters every day for about a week, as I did other work.

This recording is very good, the guy recording it has a nice voice, he does a good variety of other voices (and keeps them straight as far as consistently doing the gravely voice for Dr. Bull, the cockney voice, etc.) so it was entertaining as well as interesting to listen to the whole thing on audio.

If you have an iPod and want something different to listen to, I recommend this one.

Go to Project Gutenberg, scroll down to the iTunes recordings.

2010: Movie version of The Man Who Was Thursday

Looks like someone is making a movie of The Man Who Was Thursday.

Wall Street Journal on Chesterton: A Century of 'Thursday's

The Wall Street Journal printed a fairly big article on our man GKC on Saturday, Dec. 28th, 2008. Titled: A Century of Thursdays: G.K. Chesterton dismissed his own book as 'moonshine', but it endures by Allen Barra, whom, I'm told is an American Chesterton Society member (go Allen!).

I read it yesterday when my spouse brought home a photo copy from the library, and I thought it was extremely good. After reading the latest Gilbert, I was kind of waiting for the shoe (of anti-Semite) to drop, but it never did. Yeah, Allen Barra, yeah WSJ! And yeah Randy Jones, too, who conjured up a new Chesterton caricature for the piece (check it out, it's great).

Dale Ahlquist, our intrepid leader, hopes this might pave the way for a WSJ article on our annual conference. Apparently they were there last year, interviewed a bunch of people, but then never produced an article. Oh well, things happen in the journalistic world.

Barra was good, quoted nicely and accurately, brought out some great points, linked it into the current presidency and the past election campaign, writing a nice, succinct and wide ranging (appropriately Chestertonian) article.

If you like the article, you can write to Mr. Barra, his email is listed at the end of the article. Even journalists like to hear some positive feedback every once in a while ;-)

UPDATE: I just tried emailing Mr. Barra, and it bounced, so I hope he finds this on his own.

Roanoke Time recommends Chesterton for Summer Reading

Recommended by a homeschooler, too.

“The Man Who Was Thursday ” is classic, but short, for the medium to avid reader.
It has a suspenseful, quickly paced plot. The book tells the story of Gabriel Syme, a spy in England. It follows him though intricate webs of anarchy, battle and deceit. At only about 100 pages, the book is a quick read and once you pick it up, it’s hard to put down.
Overall, “Thursday” is a magnificent book. It sparks thought about the nature of life, of good and evil and of government. There are twists and nuances all through the book.
By far one of the most entertaining and suspenseful novels I’ve read, “The Man Who Was Thursday,” will not disappoint.
— Elizabeth Sallie, Home School

YouTube: Orson Wells's The Man Who Was Thursday

Hi Nancy,

Thought you would be interested to know that someone has posted Orson Welles' Mercury Theatre adaption of "The Man Who Was Thursday" on youtube. Here is a link to part 1 of 6: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jyHoT1oa0j4&feature=related

Thanks to: Mary B.

Do you need a free copy of The Man Who Was Thursday?

Free book giveaway today, go here to enter the contest!

Gilbert Editorial

"The Nightmare--One Hundred Years Later"

If you own a copy of the book The Critical Judgements, you can read the contemporary reviews of The Man Who Was Thursday (TMWWT). Then, like today, some readers "got it" and some don't.

I remember Dawn Eden's talk at ChesterCon07, and she was talking about the influence of TMWWT. As she spoke, she held a copy of TMWWT in her hand. I was sitting in a place where I could see her hand, and the book, and I noticed that the book was able to lay flat (spine broken?), had many dogears, seemed to have underlines and notes on every page, and in every way showed signs of frequent reading. Dawn quoted to us several passages that had made a difference to her life.

Which brings me to a curious fact. The passages she quoted, were not the ones I underlined and remember. I have different sentences that mean much to me. And this is a great thing about Chesterton. He speaks to many different people in many different ways--using the same story. Amazing.

So, back to the editorial. Here we are, just completing a conference and an issue on a story that is 100 years old. Wonderful. Before the conference, we had a book discussion on line here about Thursday, and we discussed why it was called a Nightmare, which the editorial touches upon as well.

So, do you know what we are celebrating at ChesterCon08? The 100th Anniversary of Orthodoxy. I think maybe in about April, we'll start a book discussion of that, in preparation for the conference. Anyone interested in that?

100 Years past TMWWT

ht: Joe

"A rather amusing thing was said by Father Knox on this point. He said that he should have regarded the book as entirely pantheist and as preaching that there was good in everything if it had not been for the introduction of the one real anarchist and pessimist. But he was prepared to wager that if [ The Man Who Was Thursday] survives for a hundred years - which it won't - they will say that the real anarchist was put in afterwards by the priests."

This is from Maisie Ward's biography,

Neat Coincidence Discovered by Chestertonian Detective Joe

H/T: Joe

This past Thursday, I had a little epiphany about the significance this year of the liturgical calendar as it lines up with the Conference schedule. It's a neat little coincidence, you might want to say something about on the ACS blog. I posted my own reflection on my own site: http://joegrabowski.blogspot.com/

The oddity is this: that Chesterton died on June 14, the Sunday in the Octave of Corpus Christi (a Thursday in England); and the conference will begin June 14, a Thursday withing the Octave of Corpus Christi (which we celebrate today, Sunday.)

I can imagine GKC and Aquinas having quite a chuckle together over the fittingness of it all: and when the conference itself is all about the relations between Thursday and Sunday!

Lobster Mayonaise

Make it in honor of The Man Who Was Thursday.

TMWWT-Gabrie-Ale

Again from Dr. Thursday--Thanks.

Chapter VIII: The Professor Explains

When Gabriel Syme found himself finally established in a chair, and
opposite to him, fixed and final also, the lifted eyebrows and leaden
eyelids of the Professor, his fears fully returned. This
incomprehensible man from the fierce council, after all, had certainly
pursued him. If the man had one character as a paralytic and another
character as a pursuer, the antithesis might make him more interesting,
but scarcely more soothing. It would be a very small comfort that he
could not find the Professor out, if by some serious accident the
Professor should find him out. He emptied a whole pewter pot of ale before the Professor had touched his milk.

ChesterCon Speaker

Dr. Thursday called my attention to an upcoming seminar on heraldry at
ChesterCon07. Those of you who have been reading TMWWT with us may have
wondered about the following line:

"Our bearings," continued Syme calmly, "are 'argent a chevron gules charged with three cross crosslets of the field.' The motto varies."

Such a shield would look like this:

It is not clear to us whether this is really the arms of an actual
"Syme" family, or if it is Chesterton's invention - but its simplicity
and boldness seem appropriate. Any speculations from the audience?

Gabri-Ale

Beer brewing seems to be a Chestertonian tradition (someone here can tell us all why) and I've heard tell that some home brew's been cooked up for the Conference in June. The brewer is calling it "Gabri-Ale" in honor of Gabriel Syme, hero of The Man Who Was Thursday (or perhaps The Man Who Was Thirsty as Dawn Eden calls her talk?).

TMWWT-Chapter Fifteen--Final Chapter

I've delayed writing about this last chapter, due to my reluctance to end this wonderful book. But, as I've started reading our next selection, The Poet and the Lunatics: Episodes in the Life of Gabriel Gale, and am enjoying it very much, I think it is time to conclude our study of The Man Who Was Thursday.

Well, many readers get to this chapter, finish the book, and then say, "What in the world just happened?" Did that happen to you?

I have the "Annotated" Thursday, so I get a lot of extra stuff at the back of my book. For example, Martin Gardner, the person who annotated the book, includes, in the Appendix, all of the explanations Chesterton himself offered, during his lifetime, of his book. These (he explained himself at least 5 different times) are enormously helpful. He wrote it, he knows what he meant. Of course, readers read into it what they may, and that's good. So these aren't exhaustive or exclusive.

So, back to chapter 15.

The beginning is very interesting, of the six guys making their way to their chairs. The descriptions are wonderful:
--a robe of starless black
--the perfect pattern of black and white expressed the soul of the Secretary
--no smell of ale or orchards could make the Secretary cease to ask a reasonable question (I love that!)
--Syme was a poet who always seeks to make the light in special shapes
--dressed as a windmill, an elephant, a balloon, all things they've seen along the way
--like a living question
which reminds me that ChesterTeens has a picture of a cuttlefish. I think you ought to see a hornbill as well, since it's mentioned several times in this book.

The seven great chairs reminds me of C.S. Lewis' four thrones in Narnia.

"But you are men. You did not forget your secret honour, through the whole cosmos turned an engine of torture to tear it out of you. I knew how near you were to hell. I know how you, Thursday, crossed swords with Kind Satan, and how you, Wednesday, names me in the hour without hope."

and Syme's moment of truth:
"I see everything," he cried, "everything that there is. Why does each thing on tyhe earth war against each other thing? Why does each small thing in the world have to fight against the world itself? Why does a fly have to fight the whole universe? Why does a dandelion have to fight the whole universe? For the same reason that I had to be alone in the deardul Council of the Days..."

And then, the break where the dream ends...I mean the nightmare ends, and the story resumes. And the great ending, Syme "felt he was in possession of some impossible good news, which made every other thing a triviality, but an adorable triviality."

Wow. A great book. A great rip-roaring jaunt through one man's enormous imagination. Wouldn't you like to chat with Chesterton, just once?