It was bound to happen. Our Germaine has delivered a couple of fast left hooks at Joanna Murray-Smith, whose play based (or not based) on La Greer, The Female of the Species, opens in the West End this week. She says Murray-Smith is an "insane reactionary" and claims that, far from being a comedy, "what actually happened was a tragedy. What are they doing putting this play on in the West End of all places? Auckland in New Zealand, maybe..." Snort. Germaine, don't be a hemispheric snob, the world ain't so centrist any more. Murray-Smith claims in response that she is a feminist, although, according to Greer, she boasts of never having read a single feminist text. Well, it all makes about as much sense as the play...
Footnote: The Blogger on the Cast Iron Balcony proposes another play not based on any person living or dead. Sort of.
One wonders why Germaine would even bother to respond to this play? The cynic in me suspects it is a wonderful plot hatched between the two to promote both the plays and keep Germaine's name in the paper!
ReplyDeleteJosephine
I don't think Germaine exactly needs to keep her name in the British papers, since she's all over them anyway. But no doubt it's good publicity for the play.
ReplyDeleteJoanna Murray Smith must be thrilled that her play will now not sink without a trace, and that she can fuel her paranoia claiming that yet one more successful woman is out to get her. A scathing critique of Greer is sure to follow in The Age...
ReplyDeletePut them on a stage to debate it. Charge admission. Proceeds to LaMama. My money's on Germaine...
ReplyDeleteJodi
To be fair to JMS, she's built quite a reputation for herself overseas, even without generational warfare. Certainly she's had much more success in the West End than Williamson.
ReplyDelete