Copenhagen
Fri, 23 Aug 2002, 04:52 pmNath8 posts in thread
Copenhagen
Fri, 23 Aug 2002, 04:52 pmSaw Copenhagen last night, at the Octagon Theatre at UWA.
What an excellent show!
Such a pleasure to be in the presence of actors who perform so 'easily'. The show is quite 'wordy' and there is a lot of talk of the physics of Bohr and Heisenberg, but even if you don't understand the physics the actors still get the message across. The play isn't about the physics anyway, more about ethics and what drives people, how people 'create' and why they 'create'. It was also an interesting investigation into the attitude of a German person during WWII. Little has been told (to me) of how the people of Germany felt about the war while it was on and it was interesting to hear dialogue between people during this time.
I can't recall the three actors names, is it Geoff Kelso? And two others, but they just had incredible grace and presence. Remarkable stuff.
Cheers
Nath
What an excellent show!
Such a pleasure to be in the presence of actors who perform so 'easily'. The show is quite 'wordy' and there is a lot of talk of the physics of Bohr and Heisenberg, but even if you don't understand the physics the actors still get the message across. The play isn't about the physics anyway, more about ethics and what drives people, how people 'create' and why they 'create'. It was also an interesting investigation into the attitude of a German person during WWII. Little has been told (to me) of how the people of Germany felt about the war while it was on and it was interesting to hear dialogue between people during this time.
I can't recall the three actors names, is it Geoff Kelso? And two others, but they just had incredible grace and presence. Remarkable stuff.
Cheers
Nath
Re: Copenhagen
Sat, 31 Aug 2002, 03:57 pmWalter Plinge
Mike, you said "I could only imagine what would have happened if a mobile had gone off", well last night, friday the penultimate performance, one did!
As a performer i myself felt the urge to utterly destroy this ridiculous individual and trample on her ashes again for the ridiculous ring choice as well. It's one thing to have a phone ring but another to have "I Was A Little Spanish Flea" or whatever it was sound out in the midst of germany, the war and atomic bombs.
To the performers credit - Geoff Kelso, George Whaley and Rosemary Barr - they flew right over it. The ring was one of those teasers that pips up once and then comes back with a little jazz-like extended impro on the original melody. The first sound cam on one of Geoff's lines in the dialogue but was short and swift so they rolled right onto Rosemary's repartee`at which point the phone came on for its encore.
The promise of imminent Death that swelled in each actors eyes as they afforded themselve the smallest, smoothest but most casually deliberate glance at the culprit was simply stunning. Probably one of the best moments of the play as you could see the fury each actor was capable of mustering for effect from within themselve but which they fought throughout the perfomance with striking grace and control.
For me, this power was the highlight of the play. Whilst tackling a dense and intelligent piece of writing, which bases itself in the logic of question and answer, thesis and antithesis, cause and effect the actor held the drama. Every moment felt the magnitude of the stake, the issues at hand and the massive repercussion that the simplest of their thought, feelings, actions and interactions could result in. The actors must be commended for their control - i have not seen many examples of the empowered relaxation these actors allowed on stage. Their shift in emotion where totally unhindered . . . they managed to feel everything, the rage the hurt the fear the arrogance all of it, but fight it. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SAY: someone mentioned Geoff Kelso's monologues on his life in Germany during the war and they are perfect examples of what i was impressed by. The battle within the character/actor to relive the moments, to feel them, to embrace the emotion or fall victim wholey to the anguish CONTRASTED with the need for control, for calm, to get done what needs to be done despite their desires - the play was about intelligent people, with intelligent problems and the play was played in respect of this: every moment was i engaged by the characters intelligently, whilst each had an emotional anchor in the scene as any human does, the primary focus was the argument, all else come second. truely brave and engeging performance.
Thank you to all who helped put in on. i enjoyed it.
" Thou pox-marked clay-brained strumpet! "
Love that insult button!
As a performer i myself felt the urge to utterly destroy this ridiculous individual and trample on her ashes again for the ridiculous ring choice as well. It's one thing to have a phone ring but another to have "I Was A Little Spanish Flea" or whatever it was sound out in the midst of germany, the war and atomic bombs.
To the performers credit - Geoff Kelso, George Whaley and Rosemary Barr - they flew right over it. The ring was one of those teasers that pips up once and then comes back with a little jazz-like extended impro on the original melody. The first sound cam on one of Geoff's lines in the dialogue but was short and swift so they rolled right onto Rosemary's repartee`at which point the phone came on for its encore.
The promise of imminent Death that swelled in each actors eyes as they afforded themselve the smallest, smoothest but most casually deliberate glance at the culprit was simply stunning. Probably one of the best moments of the play as you could see the fury each actor was capable of mustering for effect from within themselve but which they fought throughout the perfomance with striking grace and control.
For me, this power was the highlight of the play. Whilst tackling a dense and intelligent piece of writing, which bases itself in the logic of question and answer, thesis and antithesis, cause and effect the actor held the drama. Every moment felt the magnitude of the stake, the issues at hand and the massive repercussion that the simplest of their thought, feelings, actions and interactions could result in. The actors must be commended for their control - i have not seen many examples of the empowered relaxation these actors allowed on stage. Their shift in emotion where totally unhindered . . . they managed to feel everything, the rage the hurt the fear the arrogance all of it, but fight it. THIS IS WHAT I WANT TO SAY: someone mentioned Geoff Kelso's monologues on his life in Germany during the war and they are perfect examples of what i was impressed by. The battle within the character/actor to relive the moments, to feel them, to embrace the emotion or fall victim wholey to the anguish CONTRASTED with the need for control, for calm, to get done what needs to be done despite their desires - the play was about intelligent people, with intelligent problems and the play was played in respect of this: every moment was i engaged by the characters intelligently, whilst each had an emotional anchor in the scene as any human does, the primary focus was the argument, all else come second. truely brave and engeging performance.
Thank you to all who helped put in on. i enjoyed it.
" Thou pox-marked clay-brained strumpet! "
Love that insult button!