We just saw this production at the Milwaukee Rep.
When a play is good, it is easy to say that there was a fortunate alignment of good acting, good writing, good directing, and magic.
When a play is bad, it is sometimes hard to pinpoint which of those elements is out-of-sync. Each intensifies the other, like a resonance eventually tears a motor apart.
Or, perhaps, it was the historical moment. In the nineteenth century, one relied on the occasional farce and slapstick for amusement. One could not reach into the over-stuffed DVD supply or cable channels and pluck out any number of light situation comedies. But now, with the abundance of witty word play and hilarious two-dimensional characters, The Government Inspector did not satisfy me. Unfortunately for live theatre, I have come to expect more depth and innovation, more philosophical and emotional depth of the live-ness.
And, yet, my very dissatisfaction is interesting. What is theatre to me? What do I really expect? Is laughter not enough? Is philosophy and intellectual reflection the only reason to go to plays? Isn't 'being entertained' enough... sometimes?
Perhaps I am too much in my brain and not enough in my heart or belly.
When a play is good, it is easy to say that there was a fortunate alignment of good acting, good writing, good directing, and magic.
When a play is bad, it is sometimes hard to pinpoint which of those elements is out-of-sync. Each intensifies the other, like a resonance eventually tears a motor apart.
Or, perhaps, it was the historical moment. In the nineteenth century, one relied on the occasional farce and slapstick for amusement. One could not reach into the over-stuffed DVD supply or cable channels and pluck out any number of light situation comedies. But now, with the abundance of witty word play and hilarious two-dimensional characters, The Government Inspector did not satisfy me. Unfortunately for live theatre, I have come to expect more depth and innovation, more philosophical and emotional depth of the live-ness.
And, yet, my very dissatisfaction is interesting. What is theatre to me? What do I really expect? Is laughter not enough? Is philosophy and intellectual reflection the only reason to go to plays? Isn't 'being entertained' enough... sometimes?
Perhaps I am too much in my brain and not enough in my heart or belly.
1 comment:
It sounds to me like Gogol Lite was splashed all over your brain. I googled a review of this play and found it interested that someone "updated" Gogol. Does Gogol have anything to say to modern American audiences? The review tried to make it sound like your Gogol was hip and current, even offering hedged commentary on our health care issues, but I think that THAT is the sham and may be what sits poorly with you. Gogol had the most to say to the Russians of his time. The rest of us are only listening in, without really understanding. It reminds me of a tape of Nixon and one of his cronies in a locker room discussing an Archie Bunker episode. Neither of the politicoes had the slightest idea of the nuances of social commentary that were spread out like a smorgasbord for anyone capable of supping to partake. We might find the satire and slapstick entertaining on one level, but unless we are versed in the context of Gogol's day, can we really intellectually sup at Gogol's table? I wonder.... Call me sometime. Email. Whatever. Keep in touch.
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