Cinematic and Theatrical Narrators as Optional Agencies in All About Eve by Ivo van Hove (2019). An Intermedial Approach to Multimodal Narrative on Stage

Abstract

Grounded in intermedial theory, this paper examines the role of the narrator in multimodal narratives through Ivo van Hove’s 2019 stage adaptation of All About Eve. In this production, the narratorial presence manifests via live on-stage cinematographers and hidden cameras, projecting real-time footage that extends narrative space beyond traditional theatrical boundaries. This paper thus advocates for a more inclusive approach to the coexistence of intermedial narrators within a single narrative work, particularly about theater and cinema, two mediums traditionally perceived as devoid of narrators. It questions the longstanding debate regarding the legitimacy of the narrator in these art forms, given the increasing fluidity and convergence of expressive media. How can narrators across literature, theater, and cinema be meaningfully compared and conceptualized to inform the creation of new intermedial works? The paper discusses the limits within and between narrative art forms, highlights how the hybridization of narratorial functions in All About Eve exemplifies the evolving nature of multimodal storytelling, urging a reevaluation of traditional narratological frameworks and paving the way towards more inclusive approaches in contemporary narrative theories to keep up with the fast-paced developments of technologies in the twenty-first century.