tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post21792043703346447..comments2024-02-18T19:36:43.844+11:00Comments on theatre notes: Review: The Lonesome West, The Time Is Not Yet RipeAlison Croggonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-37270699605609531122008-09-11T16:21:00.000+10:002008-09-11T16:21:00.000+10:00Thanks Troubadour, for your thoughtfulness. And th...Thanks Troubadour, for your thoughtfulness. And that is maybe the most extended culinary simile I've read...!<BR/><BR/>I thought the politics in this play <I>very</I> problematic, perhaps most of all in its presentation of women in politics. Of course the temperance women were one half of the equation, and there was the argument that women would bring a refinement to politics as they were Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-61444319561747751222008-09-11T15:44:00.000+10:002008-09-11T15:44:00.000+10:00Alison,now that I've seen TTINYR, some brief impre...Alison,<BR/><BR/>now that I've seen TTINYR, some brief impressions.<BR/><BR/>The heightened style of the production was consistent and confident, but it felt inappropriate for the material. The mugging and physicality came across to me as a lack of confidence in the script, almost an apology or an attempt to hide the thinness of the material. It was like a pantomime at times and I thought the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-66221724719700684162008-09-10T17:43:00.000+10:002008-09-10T17:43:00.000+10:00Hi Gorkem - I'm only too glad to hear I am sometim...Hi Gorkem - I'm only too glad to hear I am sometimes invisible; though I believe I was quite visible to a number of people that night. But it's fair to say that I have been feeling a little too visible lately. At least in phantom forms.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-2686062340514907182008-09-10T17:26:00.000+10:002008-09-10T17:26:00.000+10:00Speaking of post-colonialism, it is your invisibil...Speaking of post-colonialism, it is your invisibility Alison, that gave me that idea. Thank you for providing an alibi, though of course, that was not necessary. I stand corrected.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-46472966816433963272008-09-10T16:08:00.000+10:002008-09-10T16:08:00.000+10:00I'll happily confirm that not only did Alison stay...I'll happily confirm that not only did Alison stay until the end of the show, at which point she, myself and my friend Cerise discussed the production in detail; but also that I saw her re-entering the theatre at the end of the interval, ready for the second half of the show.richardwattshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09950174268698168041noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-80024456016100764012008-09-10T11:55:00.000+10:002008-09-10T11:55:00.000+10:00A post put under the comments policy instead of he...A post put under the comments policy instead of here, where it would be appropriate. And my response.<BR/><BR/><B>Gorkem Acaroglu said...</B><BR/><BR/>I would like to comment on your review of The Lonesome West, which I directed. It does seem apt that you review my program notes when you only saw half the show and left at interval. I would like to propose that you state in your 'reviews' when youAlison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-24145616183464674022008-09-09T11:12:00.000+10:002008-09-09T11:12:00.000+10:00Thanks, Jodi. Much appreciated.Thanks, Jodi. Much appreciated.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-6204942560240442582008-09-09T11:00:00.000+10:002008-09-09T11:00:00.000+10:00The best critics are always opinionated, and alway...The best critics are always opinionated, and always have a particular taste that is evident. No one ever read Kenneth Tynan or Robert Brustein for their skill at even-handedness. I read this blog because I know that nine times out of ten I will disagree with what's here. Occasionally I feel so furious I'll find myself typing a response. That response has always been treated with respect and a Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-24916160927370892242008-09-09T10:58:00.000+10:002008-09-09T10:58:00.000+10:00No, I'm not saying opinion doesn't matter: just th...No, I'm not saying opinion doesn't matter: just that the broad question of "liking" or "not liking" something is pretty irrelevant, and that an opinion is not worth the ink or pixels it's written in if it is not informed and if it is not backed up with accuracy. <BR/><BR/>I've read plenty of critics I admire, but with whom I disagree. And serious disgreement can be in itself a mark of respect. Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-68865943045210758402008-09-09T10:37:00.000+10:002008-09-09T10:37:00.000+10:00I like accurate description too, Ms C (though the ...I like accurate description too, Ms C (though the film criticism of Manny Farber, with its countless inaccurate descriptions, is marvellous). To the extent that yours is a blog of record - certainly more than, say, mine - I can understand why you would emphasise accuracy and description. But (I have to say, I feel somewhat funny about writing 'but', because I'm sure you probably agree with what'sAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-44594155422405566342008-09-09T08:37:00.000+10:002008-09-09T08:37:00.000+10:00Thanks Matthew. Funnily enough, I think the least ...Thanks Matthew. Funnily enough, I think the least interesting aspect of reviewing is whether a critic "likes" something or not. What matters is whether a critic's response is accurate and informed and well-written. For the record, accuracy isn't about "opinion". If I get something wrong, I'm happy to correct it - I've never been afraid of being wrong and have no stakes in being "right" - but my Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-77076591552001853582008-09-09T07:48:00.000+10:002008-09-09T07:48:00.000+10:00This is becoming more than a little absurd. So, cr...This is becoming more than a little absurd. So, critics are no longer allowed to have favourites, tastes or opinions? Rubbish. As I discussed in a public forum on criticism last year, the judicial tendency is precisely the point of criticism - and precisely what's missing from the vast majority of arts writing in this country, which aims instead towards education of the reader or publicity (both Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-73664888751496603552008-09-08T22:57:00.000+10:002008-09-08T22:57:00.000+10:00I just think it's boring talking about "me". How a...I just think it's boring talking about "me". How about discussing whether or not, for instance, it's actually pertinent that both of these plays deal with post-colonialism? If you think Louis Esson is so brilliant, how about saying why? Why shouldn't he be compared with Wilde - he obviously wanted to be? He compared <I>himself</I> with Yeats and Synge, for god's sake. If Acaroglu's program notes Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-46708007830139982882008-09-08T21:13:00.000+10:002008-09-08T21:13:00.000+10:00A discussion of the critic themselves/bloggish per...A discussion of the critic themselves/bloggish persona is a discussion of theatre - you influence opinion and theatre in this town, what you write here is part of the fabric of art in Melbourne, and I think that given you put so much work into your bloggish persona you should be rewarded with having a little shed light on you. Don't you?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-23406845041729839602008-09-08T21:12:00.000+10:002008-09-08T21:12:00.000+10:00So you admit you have "favourites", Alison? Mirky ...So you admit you have "favourites", Alison? Mirky territory for a critic. Surely you mean that liking some things some women do, and not liking other things that some women do does not amount to misogynny? <BR/>Do you like Sarah Kane et al or do you like their work? And do you, indeed, like everything the above mentioned do? And does liking what they do mean, in fact, that you are not Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-55471243804589307482008-09-08T20:55:00.000+10:002008-09-08T20:55:00.000+10:00Golly, this is getting nasty. But fair enough. Ms....Golly, this is getting nasty. But fair enough. Ms. A kinda started it with the very mean-spirited take on Acaroglu's notes. Not really necessary. Obviously a bit upset about something. But why "attack" - and both these reviews pretty much amount to an attack - these Melbourne artists who are producing shows entirely under their own steam and putting a great deal of work and effort and obvious Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-16474215246175009982008-09-08T20:37:00.000+10:002008-09-08T20:37:00.000+10:00Oh yes, I loathe women. Meow Meow, for instance. S...Oh yes, I <I>loathe</I> women. Meow Meow, for instance. Sarah Kane. Anna Akhmatova. Tanya Gerstle. Gale Edwards. Emily Bronte. Ursula Le Guin. Ariane Mnouchkine. Caryl Churchill. Lucy Guerin. Emily Dickinson. HD. Sappho. Helen Cixous. Lally Katz. Jasmine Chan. Margaret Cameron. Michelle Desbordes. All bloody women. Can't stand them, as you will see if you click some of the labels in the sidebar.<Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-86506308955950132652008-09-08T20:08:00.000+10:002008-09-08T20:08:00.000+10:00Anon4, is your play directed by a man? Possibly ev...Anon4, is your play directed by a man? Possibly even a young man? <BR/>If it is then I think you'll be fine.<BR/>The only "continuity" (elliptical or not) that i see between these two plays (TLW/TTINYR), Alison, is that they are both directed by women. Have you met Ms. Misogyny?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-63768704286953993462008-09-08T19:12:00.000+10:002008-09-08T19:12:00.000+10:00Don't worry too much on that account, Anon 4. I ma...Don't worry too much on that account, Anon 4. I may well hate the play - who knows? But if so, it won't be because I'm incapable of smiling, and I will certainly say why as clearly as I can. <BR/><BR/>Now: if you're doing a comedy, let me introduce you to Mr Irony...you and he should make friends.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-4910083941075074812008-09-08T19:00:00.000+10:002008-09-08T19:00:00.000+10:00Jesus God Alison--you have maybe smiled twice in t...Jesus God Alison--you have maybe smiled twice in the past decade?? And you're now the critic for The Australian? Which I assume means reviewing all plays, including comedies? I'm doing one in Melbourne next year (won't say which) which we (and the rest of the world) think is wonderfully funny and a sheer delight. I'm now prepared for you to hate it. Hate using the coward's "anon" but under the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-46494728292664014092008-09-08T12:39:00.000+10:002008-09-08T12:39:00.000+10:00The play is dead.The play really is dead.The play ...The play is dead.<BR/>The play really is dead.<BR/>The play is so dead.<BR/>It don't breathe no more.<BR/>Unless it's a new one.<BR/>And relevant.<BR/><BR/>Thus spake Rudyard Kipling.<BR/>Yes, "Africa (truly) is the white man's burden".<BR/><BR/>And seing plays with long blackouts is mine.<BR/><BR/>xox the baronAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-63570915977611957872008-09-08T09:34:00.000+10:002008-09-08T09:34:00.000+10:00My, the anonymous commenters have been baying for ...My, the anonymous commenters have been baying for blood recently, haven't they? Use your own names, I say...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-62307469460702005482008-09-07T11:54:00.000+10:002008-09-07T11:54:00.000+10:00Eek. That's a bit mean, Anon 3; L'il Miss A likes ...Eek. That's a bit mean, Anon 3; L'il Miss A likes to think she is invisible, a delusion embraced by most people in an audience. How can you pop my bubble like that? Mind you, that invisibility was hard to maintain if you happened to be the front row of Vamp last night, which luckily I was not.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-44271095151425123212008-09-07T11:43:00.000+10:002008-09-07T11:43:00.000+10:00People L'ill Miss Alison was rolling in her seat d...People L'ill Miss Alison was rolling in her seat during Vamp, the worse the puns the more she laughed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-36202013773480318122008-09-07T11:34:00.000+10:002008-09-07T11:34:00.000+10:00I may have smiled a couple of times in the past de...I may have smiled a couple of times in the past decade. It's hard to remember, when those muscles remain so unused. But I look forward all the same to your take on Esson. Just stay away from limericks.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.com