Best of This Week’s Theatre Blogs – 11 Sep 2009
Every week our theatregoer reporter Corinne Furness
trawls the web to find some of the best gems from the myriad
theatre-related blogs and condense them into one easy-to-read
“Best of the Blogs” round-up each Friday.
Meanwhile Bloggers seemed unable to make their mind up about the whole project: More Intelligent Life commented on the somewhat mixed artistic results whilst Notes For Hope was quick to point out the engagement with younger audiences that the experiment provided.
It was Opera of a more traditional nature over on the Opera North Blog, however, where they continued their ‘From First Rehearsal to Last Night’ series which follows the production of Così fan tutte. This week it was Assistant Conductor Justin Doyle’s turn to give us an insight into what actually happens in the production of a an Opera – and reveal why he is invariably ‘Bad Cop’.
On Postcards From The Gods Andrew Haydon responded to Playwright Steve Waters’s question as to why public intellectuals don’t talk about theatre any more, positing that British theatre gets the critics it deserves.
Finally, The Clyde Fitch Report revealed one New York theatre company’s quirky tactic for raising money, giving us all the opportunity to buy ‘a Hamilton’.
“It is a curious story — hear my tale,
Although my name was never Ishmael,
For this great epic will your souls ignite,
Your senses ravish and your hearts deloitte…
A story written not by one, but all,
A composite composition to appal,
Of passion, burning revenge and envy bitter,
Among the gentle denizens of Twitter”.
“The results of this project are mixed: at times the libretto seems beautiful, but mainly it is a colourful mess. The story includes talking cats and dogs, and magic potions to save the day. The story’s hero, Will, has been imprisoned in a tower by birds. Typical opera plots tend to beg disbelief, but this one is even more fantastical”.
“This was a way for the ROH to attract younger audiences and have more public engagement in their performances; people had a say in what they wanted to see and how they wanted it to be. The world’s first twitter opera also attracted more people to the dramatic art of opera, considered a type of perform ‘difficult’ to like and understand”.
“Most of the players in Opera North’s fantastic orchestra will have played this piece more times than I’ve let my dinner go cold. However, it’s always interesting to see how it can still feel like a brand new piece”.
“It strikes me that theatre might also get the thinkers it asks for…Essentially is it not because our theatre is predominantly a news-led, issue-based form? As such, are the commentaries it gets not by those who are employed to comment on the news, on social issues and on politics?”
“So if, say, Boomerang had chosen not to do “100 Hamiltons” but “100 Lincolns,” “100 Jacksons” or “100 Grants” (now there’s an idea!), might they also work? What’s more effective, “1000 Quarters” or “10,000 Dimes”? Are there best practices for indie theater regarding these campaigns?”
