FRANKENSTEIN
Sun, 11 Aug 2002, 12:22 amWalter Plinge19 posts in thread
FRANKENSTEIN
Sun, 11 Aug 2002, 12:22 amI'm hoping I get this on the web before midnight 10/08/02, the opening night of this play, presented by Vagabond Theatre at The Rechabites Hall, Northbridge. I know how good it feelsas a cast/crew member after an opening night celebration to wait for the notices to come in.
The choice of story seems surprising, given that it is a romantic/gothic classic, if ever there was such a thing. Nevertheless, the various themes and morals of the story are good to reflect on in these post-post-modern times of ours, with stem-cell research, genetic manipulation and performance-enhancing elite sports very much on the agenda.
The acting performances were all very slick. I found all the characters very well drawn and plenty of energy coming from the stage. I particularly admired the multi-roling by the younger members of the cast. Patrick's Monster evoked the right levels of sympathy and fear, while Grant's Victor held it all together very capably. My only complaint is that Grant is a bit too young and pretty to be really covincing as a mad scientist.
Finally, I loved the the audiovisual, light and sound design, cheerful front of house and bar staff. However, as much as I liked the multi-level stage draped in underlay, I'm sure there are ways a designer could utilise the lofty architecture of the Rechabites to better effect.
Congratulations and have a great season.
The choice of story seems surprising, given that it is a romantic/gothic classic, if ever there was such a thing. Nevertheless, the various themes and morals of the story are good to reflect on in these post-post-modern times of ours, with stem-cell research, genetic manipulation and performance-enhancing elite sports very much on the agenda.
The acting performances were all very slick. I found all the characters very well drawn and plenty of energy coming from the stage. I particularly admired the multi-roling by the younger members of the cast. Patrick's Monster evoked the right levels of sympathy and fear, while Grant's Victor held it all together very capably. My only complaint is that Grant is a bit too young and pretty to be really covincing as a mad scientist.
Finally, I loved the the audiovisual, light and sound design, cheerful front of house and bar staff. However, as much as I liked the multi-level stage draped in underlay, I'm sure there are ways a designer could utilise the lofty architecture of the Rechabites to better effect.
Congratulations and have a great season.
Re: FRANKENSTEIN
Sat, 17 Aug 2002, 10:29 pmWalter Plinge
Nathan and Dean, I find your tirades against Geoff Gibbs tiresome and offensive.
Geoff’s review was “helpful” to one cast member, and “patronising” to another. Here lies a conundrum. How can it be both?
Does Geoff have an agenda, as you suggest, Nathan? Or is he simply writing what he saw? Is it necessary that he experience the show exactly as you did?
Let's assume for a moment that Geoff was being altruistic, and that his broadsides against Vagabond were based, not in malice, but in a genuine desire to point out the shortcomings (as he saw them) of the company and its output. Maybe he hoped that Vagabond would see them as constructive criticisms, sift through the specifics, and apply some work to those areas that they agreed were lacking.
If his review was "uncompromising", maybe it's because he felt that a company with this amount of enthusiasm, organisational savvy, clear professional ambition, and, yes, corporate sponsorship, should be mature enough to handle a review pointing out what he considered were legitimate shortcomings.
Instead, Vagabond's response -- both here, and at the show -- seems to be one monumental hissy fit. Hardly the sign of people who are interested in evolving as artists, or being seen as professionals. Living in your own little world, indeed.
Geoff Gibbs has been in the business for decades, acting, directing, and teaching. He has been instrumental in creating the unparalleled reputation enjoyed by WAAPA, an institution with which he has been involved practically since its inception - an institution that has launched the careers of the likes of Frances OÂ’Connor and Hugh Jackman (love them or loathe them, they are at the top of their profession, and their reputation as professionals is impeccable).
Dean and Nath, call me when you have as much experience as he has, and maybe I'll find the time to listen to your narrow, self-congratulatory insolence. Until then, prise yourself out of that fuzzy little cocoon of yours and learn your trade the hard way, like everyone else has to.
"If one would learn how to fly, one must first learn to walk, and then to run. You cannot fly into flying." - Nietzsche.
David Meadows,
who only hates being told that he sucked when he isn't told why.
Geoff’s review was “helpful” to one cast member, and “patronising” to another. Here lies a conundrum. How can it be both?
Does Geoff have an agenda, as you suggest, Nathan? Or is he simply writing what he saw? Is it necessary that he experience the show exactly as you did?
Let's assume for a moment that Geoff was being altruistic, and that his broadsides against Vagabond were based, not in malice, but in a genuine desire to point out the shortcomings (as he saw them) of the company and its output. Maybe he hoped that Vagabond would see them as constructive criticisms, sift through the specifics, and apply some work to those areas that they agreed were lacking.
If his review was "uncompromising", maybe it's because he felt that a company with this amount of enthusiasm, organisational savvy, clear professional ambition, and, yes, corporate sponsorship, should be mature enough to handle a review pointing out what he considered were legitimate shortcomings.
Instead, Vagabond's response -- both here, and at the show -- seems to be one monumental hissy fit. Hardly the sign of people who are interested in evolving as artists, or being seen as professionals. Living in your own little world, indeed.
Geoff Gibbs has been in the business for decades, acting, directing, and teaching. He has been instrumental in creating the unparalleled reputation enjoyed by WAAPA, an institution with which he has been involved practically since its inception - an institution that has launched the careers of the likes of Frances OÂ’Connor and Hugh Jackman (love them or loathe them, they are at the top of their profession, and their reputation as professionals is impeccable).
Dean and Nath, call me when you have as much experience as he has, and maybe I'll find the time to listen to your narrow, self-congratulatory insolence. Until then, prise yourself out of that fuzzy little cocoon of yours and learn your trade the hard way, like everyone else has to.
"If one would learn how to fly, one must first learn to walk, and then to run. You cannot fly into flying." - Nietzsche.
David Meadows,
who only hates being told that he sucked when he isn't told why.
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