tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post414830005635807640..comments2024-02-18T19:36:43.844+11:00Comments on theatre notes: Review: CriminologyAlison Croggonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-57012009054793921182007-08-23T17:32:00.000+10:002007-08-23T17:32:00.000+10:00Hi Simmone - thanks for that. Of course you bring ...Hi Simmone - thanks for that. Of course you bring yourself to any work (I've logged this with numerous re-reading of Crime and Punishment since I was 16 - each time, it's a different novel). And perhaps part of its power comes from how vividly you remember 1997. I'm not sure - it also seems awfully contemporary to me.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-88316815024971180882007-08-23T15:54:00.000+10:002007-08-23T15:54:00.000+10:00hi - i too had a visceral reaction to criminology ...hi - i too had a visceral reaction to criminology - blogged about here:<BR/><BR/>http://simmone.livejournal.com/#entry_17741<BR/><BR/>and am still thinking about the play weeks later - was not surprised at cameron woodhead's fud-dud review -(although it gave me a moment of insecurity - am i crazy/stupid/weird?) - which makes me wonder how much I (as audience member) brought to the performance. IAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-3654672217653629532007-08-14T17:44:00.000+10:002007-08-14T17:44:00.000+10:00That's a good point, Born Dancin'. I suppose if yo...That's a good point, Born Dancin'. I suppose if you go along expecting some kind of three act drama in which the text is the dominant language on stage (not that I think successful plays in fact function that way in performance, but that's another discussion) then you're going to be disappointed. I suspect though that this other contemporary aesthetic - full-on sensory stimulus, with video, Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-83679923066095149412007-08-14T17:13:00.000+10:002007-08-14T17:13:00.000+10:00Well, at least it's obvious that the latest Maltho...Well, at least it's obvious that the latest Malthouse outings are generating the most debate!<BR/><BR/>I really felt that the collaboration generated problems too - there were points where I was *sure* I knew who had written particular lines. I've also been strangely underwhelmed by Wright in the past, too, whereas Katz is going from strength to strength. I've only seen a handful of Wright's Born Dancin'https://www.blogger.com/profile/04511582990120568825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-2059447298016623122007-08-14T14:19:00.000+10:002007-08-14T14:19:00.000+10:00I disagree with most of the criticisms of the writ...I disagree with most of the criticisms of the writing and directing (particularly Cam Woodhead's). IIt was excellent.<BR/><BR/>It's particularly difficult to capture the manic and frantic dialogue of somebody suffering from multiple eating AND personality disorders, and the fractured narcissism of the text has obviously been lost on critics reluctant to do their due diligence.<BR/><BR/>The Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-21074497633144402882007-08-14T13:51:00.000+10:002007-08-14T13:51:00.000+10:00I'm afraid I was pretty much in complete agreement...I'm afraid I was pretty much in complete agreement with Cameron Woodhead's review.<BR/><BR/>The thing that puzzled me was why they based it on the Joe Cinque case at all. It seemed to take so many liberties with the characters and avoided most of what was truly interesting about that case that I thought they would have actually stood a better chance, at least with me, by making it a completely Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-46197007836450792872007-08-13T18:01:00.000+10:002007-08-13T18:01:00.000+10:00I've had various problems with Tom Wright's work o...I've had various problems with Tom Wright's work over the years - sometimes I think he has a tin ear - but that didn't bother me here. What I did feel was a certain fuzziness in the script, as if neither voice was able to be absolutely clear. And the problems I had were more with the dramaturgy than with the actual writing or even the ideas. I didn't find it offensive, and what I found Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-29617424830049643662007-08-13T17:43:00.000+10:002007-08-13T17:43:00.000+10:00I agree with John. I found it a very weak script w...I agree with John. I found it a very weak script which was attempting to be revived by flashy "shocking" images. I wasn't offended by the masturbating ghost of michael hutchinson just bored by it. The sexualisation of Anu/Una was also dissapointing... the fact that she was an extremely intelligent woman seemed to be substituted by her being a nympho. She hardly said anything intelligent in theAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-12029434173509246152007-08-13T15:29:00.000+10:002007-08-13T15:29:00.000+10:00Bardassa, that's the second time you've mentioned ...Bardassa, that's the second time you've mentioned seeing something more than once. I am all admiration! It's something I occasionally manage and would like to do much more often - it would give a much more nuanced view of a production - but simply can't find the time.Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-59398083441460708352007-08-13T13:06:00.000+10:002007-08-13T13:06:00.000+10:00I saw the Friday night performance and a preview t...I saw the Friday night performance and a preview the Friday before. Some key scenes were very good and strongly played, namely ones involving Una's 'real time' and 'real life' (the dream sequences were piling up like a jam!) interactions with her friends. Scenes like when she swapped tops with her neighbour made clear points about Una's mental state and made what was happening more disturbing.On Stage And Wallshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10123174160610622544noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-76151857679361462912007-08-13T12:02:00.000+10:002007-08-13T12:02:00.000+10:00Fair dos. It had quite a powerful visceral effect ...Fair dos. It had quite a powerful visceral effect on me - I think it reminded me of a particular kind of desolation I felt when I was young, that's not to do with under-privilege or material lack. (I was raised in Ballarat, at the time speed and heroin capital of Victoria). I agree there were problems with the text - deliberately banal of course, and it's tricky balance to be artfully banal as Alison Croggonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08398213223487458758noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-56533795923377299062007-08-13T11:55:00.000+10:002007-08-13T11:55:00.000+10:00There was a certain flatness to Friday night's (10...There was a certain flatness to Friday night's (10 Aug) performance - both from the text and, I suspect, an apprehensive audience . . .Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7202906.post-67021025970553049132007-08-13T11:13:00.000+10:002007-08-13T11:13:00.000+10:00Discussing this with a friend of mine yesterday, s...Discussing this with a friend of mine yesterday, she said that she generally agreed with Woodhead's review in The Age, except that she didn't find it offensive, just tacky. I didn't think that was too far off the mark. I thought the script was weak, with cheesy attempts to generate interest ("let's have the hot babes strip for the guys, let's have some schlocky Princess Di stuff for the chicks"Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com