tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post7280497853092663789..comments2024-02-18T19:36:43.844+11:00Comments on theatre notes: Jersey BoysAlison Croggonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-58375850115163554402009-07-07T22:41:56.398+10:002009-07-07T22:41:56.398+10:00When I started going to the theatre as a clueless ...When I started going to the theatre as a clueless young thing, in the mid-to-late 80s, a fair proportion of what we now call independent theatre - ie, new Australian work - was driven by Hocking and Wood, a commercial compamy, which co-produced independent shows. Which is just about impossible to imagine now... And certainly part of the reason for that is, indeed, because the state companies Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-18090663747402792212009-07-07T22:12:42.539+10:002009-07-07T22:12:42.539+10:00Well, throughout the 80s and early 90s the Britsh ...Well, throughout the 80s and early 90s the Britsh dominated the commercial musical (well, technically Lloyd Webber and Cameron Mackintosh did) to considerable US chagrin - and even now, the brits have an ability to stick an oar in occasionally (Billy Elliot, for example)<br /><br />But it is true that the commercial non-musical is an endangered species... whether it's to do with most of the simbonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-60938563124370984122009-07-07T03:27:20.430+10:002009-07-07T03:27:20.430+10:00Y'all (yes I am from Texas) are fascinating to...Y'all (yes I am from Texas) are fascinating to read. I posted a blog linking to your exchange here.Joseph Gomezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12503312301993517963noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-20741136777308015522009-07-06T19:37:54.587+10:002009-07-06T19:37:54.587+10:00Thanks Avi and EP - yes, it sure has sparked an in...Thanks Avi and EP - yes, it sure has sparked an interesting discussion. I think, on reflection, that the killer line is "my osteo would love it", which might suggest that <i>I</i> didn't... not that I intended that, but yes, it could be taken that way. The other issue is a crude segue from the pseudo-Ms TN persona to a more conventional, let's-get-down-to-business critical Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-25587960303670319242009-07-06T17:46:02.947+10:002009-07-06T17:46:02.947+10:00Sorry, epistimysics, you beat me to it - very vali...Sorry, epistimysics, you beat me to it - very valid points you make.Avihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09202154889617135031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-51343325752271330862009-07-06T17:25:51.986+10:002009-07-06T17:25:51.986+10:00Just the kind of exchange I hoped to trigger. Than...Just the kind of exchange I hoped to trigger. Thanks to you both for contributing - really interesting discussion. I hope it continues. <br /><br />I totally agree with BD that your Jersey Boys review wasn't dismissive in itself - as you acknowledged, it was more the tone of the piece that I took issue with. It was a really positive review and I'm glad you gave it the praise it clearly Avihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09202154889617135031noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-20210516586603811722009-07-06T17:22:24.492+10:002009-07-06T17:22:24.492+10:00I think this all comes down to the preconceptions ...I think this all comes down to the preconceptions that a person has when reading a review such as this.<br /><br />If you come to the review with a "people are out to dismiss musicals" mindest, then I can see why such a person would find this article dismissive. You said, Alison, that you can't see how describing it as "showbiz genius" adds up to dismissive - but if you Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-23291425810922835662009-07-06T16:38:22.308+10:002009-07-06T16:38:22.308+10:00Well...yes and no. There's exactly the same am...Well...yes and no. There's exactly the same amount of space for a musical as for King Lear. (More, actually; I had to do a double barrel review of the RSC's Lear and The Seagull...) And re tone: whether my approach was off-beam or not, it would be weird to approach Jersey Boys as if it were Sarah Kane... <br /><br />A blockbuster musical gets enormous coverage compared to your average Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-82898060367962112572009-07-06T16:10:29.018+10:002009-07-06T16:10:29.018+10:00Don't get me wrong - the review isn't at a...Don't get me wrong - the review isn't at all dismissive of Jersey Boys. Quite the opposite, obviously.<br /><br />I just think Avi makes a very reasonable point about the way that blockbuster musicals are reviewed in Oz more generally - as if there's less to say about the art of the musical than other forms. Didn't mean to single out this review as some kind of exception.<br /><brBorn Dancin'https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526760383290674186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-59232374932926338102009-07-06T15:50:00.548+10:002009-07-06T15:50:00.548+10:00Hi BD - I'm a bit sorry the review comes acros...Hi BD - I'm a bit sorry the review comes across as dimissive - the perils of leading with a persona in the space available, I guess... the comedy of my having my snobby expectations blown up doesn't come across enough, obviously. (Mental note: polish my style). But I just read it again, and I just can't see how describing a show as "showbiz genius" or "brilliantly Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-7431640093134761422009-07-06T15:17:46.727+10:002009-07-06T15:17:46.727+10:00This is a fascinating exchange. I have to agree wi...This is a fascinating exchange. I have to agree with both sides, in a way. I do think there's a slightly dismissive tone to the review - a "hey, great show if you like that kind of thing" - but that's leavened by the ironic or at least self-deprecating aspect of the piece. <br /><br />At the same time, I don't think you need to be a fan of a form to review it; in fact, I Born Dancin'https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526760383290674186noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-74196868600708620402009-07-06T14:32:17.476+10:002009-07-06T14:32:17.476+10:00Erm - Avi, I'm sorry to have made you cringe; ...Erm - Avi, I'm sorry to have made you cringe; but did you read the entire 400 words, or just stop at the first paragraph? You've misunderstood me pretty badly. I clearly had a great time at Jersey Boys. Where did I say that the musical was not a "valid artform"? (I actually called it an artform - the "quintessentially American artform", as I recall. Which it is.). Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-48809425929046413682009-07-06T13:32:39.867+10:002009-07-06T13:32:39.867+10:00Hi Alison,
I know I've not participated in the...Hi Alison,<br />I know I've not participated in the blogosphere for a while, but I still keep my Google Reader busy by reading what everyone else is saying. <br /><br />I've freely admitted how much I admire you as a reviewer but I cringed when I read the first paragraph of your Jersey Boys review in The Australian. If musicals are "just not your bag", why review them? Surely Avihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09202154889617135031noreply@blogger.com