IZAAK WALTON: A DRAMA IN FOUR PARTS

IZAAK WALTON: A DRAMA IN FOUR PARTS First produced for the stage in 1839 in London, this is the only known English language play ever performed with an angling theme. This is not simply a dramatized version of The Complete Angler, but rather, it is the engaging and unfolding story of a particular day in the life of Izaak Walton - presented here amusingly, a bit out of character. It is funny, clever, crisp and biting, utilizing all the elements of farce and melodrama: mistaken identity, the imperiled heroine, the bad guys (Gypsies) and the savior, Father Izaak (of course).Along the way we have Izaak providing instruction on the art of angling to a young Templar (lawyer) and we find that dear old Izaak has some rather tart ideas concerning lawyers: "... the besetting sin of all young lawyers is too great a proness to make long speeches upon slight occasions."This is a very pleasurable tour through Walton's rural, idyllic,seventeenth-century England. Introduction by Hoagy Carmichael.The book is illustrated with magnificent steel engravings of the period, and Hoagy Carmichael provides excellent commentary on the theatre, Victorian drama, and the enduring legend of Izaak Walton.ABOUT THE AUTHORHoagy B. Carmichael is well-known to most. He is a fine angler, author, bamboo fly rod designer and builder, and a Broadway producer. He is currently developing an original stage piece, "Hoagland," featuring his late father's iconic music. It is bound for the Great White Way. ISBN: 1-886967-10-5 publish date: 03/15/2001