Play Write

Do you think the novel could work as a play?

A play requires dramatic scenes, dynamic characters, a great story plot and an organised story line.  Slaughterhouse-five has three of these four characteristics.  The one that they miss that does not allow the novel to be turned into a play is that of an organised story line.  In the novel the story line works great jumping from the present to the past, to the future and back to the present without the reader losing track of what is going on.  When you turn this novel into a play the connection with the audience is lost.  The ability to jump from one scene to another in the blink of an eye is something that cannot be done in a play.  There must be time for stage swaps in order to change the scene.  With the rate that stages are changed in plays the bang-bang  scenes will not be as affected and might not be seen as time travel, but just a regular scene change.  As well the narrative of the book is a very important part of the novel with Vonnegut breaking the fourth barrier and talking to the audience.

Another problem with making the novel into a play is that one of the key scenes in the novel is the bombing of Dresden.  It is not impossible to do this scene in a play but it will be extremely difficult   to get the description that Vonnegut wants us to get when we read the novel.  As well some of the scenes are extremely inappropriate for the young viewers; these scenes would include the nudity and profanity.  This does not have much to do with it not being to be put on a play, but you would have to cut out a large audience of families and people under the age of eighteen.  The problem I have with that is that Vonnegut wanted everyone to read the novel and to know what war is about and how can that happen is not everyone can see the play?