Theatre's Soul Up For Grabs
Tue, 21 May 2002, 01:18 pmGrant Malcolm2 posts in thread
Theatre's Soul Up For Grabs
Tue, 21 May 2002, 01:18 pmLovely item from Bryce Hallet in the Sydney Morning Herald:
So here's an Americanised Australian play opening on the West End as a kind of out-of-town tryout for the main event - Broadway! Where does Williamson figure in all this? A long way down in the billing, I'd say.
...
Maybe we should ask the creators of the English touring production The Hollow Crown to bastardise the text so we understand what they're all banging on about. They could rename it The Hollow Governor-General or some such.
...
What happened to the notion that the theatre aims to enlighten and open people's eyes to different cultures, to the alien and new? I hear what you're saying - where's the commercial slant in that and what sort of hefty marketing budget would that need? You're right. Pop sensations and Hollywood matinee stars are needed to sell theatre these days. If the play happens to be formulaic, then so be it.
http://smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/20/1021882024116.html
Cheers
Grant
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So here's an Americanised Australian play opening on the West End as a kind of out-of-town tryout for the main event - Broadway! Where does Williamson figure in all this? A long way down in the billing, I'd say.
...
Maybe we should ask the creators of the English touring production The Hollow Crown to bastardise the text so we understand what they're all banging on about. They could rename it The Hollow Governor-General or some such.
...
What happened to the notion that the theatre aims to enlighten and open people's eyes to different cultures, to the alien and new? I hear what you're saying - where's the commercial slant in that and what sort of hefty marketing budget would that need? You're right. Pop sensations and Hollywood matinee stars are needed to sell theatre these days. If the play happens to be formulaic, then so be it.
http://smh.com.au/articles/2002/05/20/1021882024116.html
Cheers
Grant
[%sig%]