Drawer Boy withdrawal...boy!
Sat, 5 Oct 2002, 01:43 amcrgwllms9 posts in thread
Drawer Boy withdrawal...boy!
Sat, 5 Oct 2002, 01:43 amGiven the deluge of controversial opinion that followed some comments made in a review by Geoff Gibbs last month; I wonder what his latest actions will provoke?
The West Australian (Fri Oct 4) reports that he has withdrawn from Black Swan's production of The Drawer Boy only days before its scheduled opening.
Gibbs and director Andrew Ross had a major difference of opinion in interpreting his character. In the last week Ross suggested Gibbs swap characters with Max Gillies, who plays the other main character. Gibbs though, felt that was asking too much.
However, apparently Gillies is still going to swap roles and play the part vacated by Gibbs, while George Shevtsov will take over Max's role, and the opening night has been delayed a week.
I won't speculate as to whether Gibbs' leaving was initiated by him, by Ross, or a mutual decision...but it's certainly controversial.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
The West Australian (Fri Oct 4) reports that he has withdrawn from Black Swan's production of The Drawer Boy only days before its scheduled opening.
Gibbs and director Andrew Ross had a major difference of opinion in interpreting his character. In the last week Ross suggested Gibbs swap characters with Max Gillies, who plays the other main character. Gibbs though, felt that was asking too much.
However, apparently Gillies is still going to swap roles and play the part vacated by Gibbs, while George Shevtsov will take over Max's role, and the opening night has been delayed a week.
I won't speculate as to whether Gibbs' leaving was initiated by him, by Ross, or a mutual decision...but it's certainly controversial.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
Re: Over Drawn
Sat, 12 Oct 2002, 05:34 pmMeg Logue wrote:
>
> ...Although, I am a bit wary of some of the
> advertising they've done - calling the show "the funniest
> thing to come out of Canada since Jim Carrey". It has funny
> bits, but I wouldn't classify it as a comedy...
Yes, I was rather bemused to hear how it was being advertised on radio. The 'Jim Carrey' line rather makes me cringe, and it seems rather condescending, both to Canada and to the way we perceive live theatre. I actually love Jim Carrey, but his style of humour is very lowest-common-denominator. Maybe they're trying, with the 'comedy' angle, to milk the Max Gillies connection? A shame, because Max is a brilliant 'straight' performer in his own right.
Returning briefly to the 'not everyone can just swap roles' statement I made above, I have a personal example that actually includes both myself and Geoff Gibbs...!
We were both cast in the Pirandello play "Man, Beast & Virtue" at the Playhouse in about 1990. In the script, most of the actors are required to double characters (which are all strongly based upon animals). Director John Saunders cast Geoff AND me as one of these pairings. In the first act, I played the young student who was very much like a chimpanzee. In the second act, Geoff took the role of the sea captain who was a ferocious boar.
It would have been quite possible for Geoff to have played both roles, as per the script...his ape would've been more gorilla but would've suited fine. I was cast because of the physical qualities I could bring to that role, but I certainly would not have had the physical presence or vocal power to have played the sea captain...who had to overwhelm characters played by strong personalities like Igor Sas.
So I guess this is my evidence for sorcha that there are many other factors other than simply being able to learn another part in time...the chemistry and dynamics of who else is cast make a much larger impact to the end result. I believe this lack of chemistry was the initial error that caused the problem in the first place...which is why the suggestion to swap roles appears to have been a desparate rather than an ultimately realistic or satisfactory solution.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
>
> ...Although, I am a bit wary of some of the
> advertising they've done - calling the show "the funniest
> thing to come out of Canada since Jim Carrey". It has funny
> bits, but I wouldn't classify it as a comedy...
Yes, I was rather bemused to hear how it was being advertised on radio. The 'Jim Carrey' line rather makes me cringe, and it seems rather condescending, both to Canada and to the way we perceive live theatre. I actually love Jim Carrey, but his style of humour is very lowest-common-denominator. Maybe they're trying, with the 'comedy' angle, to milk the Max Gillies connection? A shame, because Max is a brilliant 'straight' performer in his own right.
Returning briefly to the 'not everyone can just swap roles' statement I made above, I have a personal example that actually includes both myself and Geoff Gibbs...!
We were both cast in the Pirandello play "Man, Beast & Virtue" at the Playhouse in about 1990. In the script, most of the actors are required to double characters (which are all strongly based upon animals). Director John Saunders cast Geoff AND me as one of these pairings. In the first act, I played the young student who was very much like a chimpanzee. In the second act, Geoff took the role of the sea captain who was a ferocious boar.
It would have been quite possible for Geoff to have played both roles, as per the script...his ape would've been more gorilla but would've suited fine. I was cast because of the physical qualities I could bring to that role, but I certainly would not have had the physical presence or vocal power to have played the sea captain...who had to overwhelm characters played by strong personalities like Igor Sas.
So I guess this is my evidence for sorcha that there are many other factors other than simply being able to learn another part in time...the chemistry and dynamics of who else is cast make a much larger impact to the end result. I believe this lack of chemistry was the initial error that caused the problem in the first place...which is why the suggestion to swap roles appears to have been a desparate rather than an ultimately realistic or satisfactory solution.
Cheers,
Craig
[%sig%]
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