The haunted stage

the long version

"Using examples from theatrical cultures and performances around the world and from classical times to the contemporary, The Haunted Stage explores the ways in which theatre reuses material, both physical and narrative, and how this process relates to theatrical reception. Any regular theatregoer is familiar with the effect of a performance calling to mind the actor's previous performances in earlier productions. Sometimes this reinforces the impression the production is seeking to give, and other times it distracts, but the ghost in the memory of the spectator in either case crucially informs the process of reception."--BOOK JACKET.