GRADS - "How to lose friends and offend some people" Ron Banks
Tue, 29 June 2010, 12:13 pmmillie8112 posts in thread
GRADS - "How to lose friends and offend some people" Ron Banks
Tue, 29 June 2010, 12:13 pmREVIEW IN TODAYS WEST AUSTRALIAN - RON BANKS
WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE - DOLPHIN THEATRE
Based on what I saw of the opening night, GRADS has made an error of judgment in allowing Edgar Metcalfe's previously unproduced play to go ahead.
No doubt it was motivated by a desire to say farewell to Metcalfe, who retires home to England after the season, in the nicest possible way. To acknowledge this contribution to theatre over 50 years by allowing him to direct the only play of the six he has written that had not seen the light of day.
Big mistake. The first half is embarrassing, simply unfunny and tasteless in the extreme.
I confess to having fled at interval, so I cannot tell you the ending. One sensible couple fled during the scene change in act one. My main objection is the way the play makes fun of a character who is given a very bad stutter.
The poor actor given the stutter's lines (I won't name him because he probably has a day job) must engage in the most egregious vocal contortions to get his words out, and it is embarrassing and uncomfortable to watch. And it is definitely not funny.
To caricature such an afflication is such an offensive move that I'm surprised that Metcalfe surrended to the temptation in his supposed comedy of manners about a group of people gathered for a party to celebrate the marriage of the stutterer to a young woman whi is pregnant to another man.
Surely someone in GRADS was offended by the tasteless portrayal and wanted to speak up about it's inclusion. But with Metcalfe as writer and director - and also a board member of the company - this might have been stifled by fear of offending the playwright.
Well it offended me and I'm speaking up about it.
There is a temptation to let these types of productions slide under the radar because they are put on by enthusiastic amateur thespians.But they do charge money for people to see them and people should be warned. Apart from the problem of the stutter, the first half lacks wit or cleverness .............................
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We saw that show on Saturday and overall enjoyed it. According to their website Edgar is not a part of the GRADS committee. Wondering if Mr Banks has gone for a final farewell attack hoping to cause an effect? Edgar has achieved many wonderful things in theatre and she be recognised as such - it will be a loss for Perth when he heads home to Blackpool
Mx
No excuse
Fri, 2 July 2010, 02:10 amHi Tony
I didn't see the play either; I'm simply responding to your comment.
While it's true that someone leaving in disgust at interval can have no idea of what the writer's final intent was, surely that's a bit irrelevant?
The point is, the writer did nothing in the first half to encourage the audience member to care.
I have stayed through many performances where I thought the writing had merit, even though the acting or other production elements might not have been up to scratch. It can still be engaging.
A little less so if the writing is really bad, and I recognise that good actors and directors are doing their best with flawed material. But I can still be motivated to follow through to the end.
But if it's dying on all counts, why would I feel that it will be any better in the second half? And even it WAS much better in the second half, that's still an epic fail of the production!
The writer may have all good intentions (in fact I'm sure it's safe to say most do). But if they can't deliver in an entire first half, you can't defend them with a statement like that, no matter how clear their final intent was.
A play is a journey. Regardless of the promise of the destination, if the bus breaks down anywhere en route, you're simply not going to get there.
Cheers,
Craig
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