Love’s ‘Labour’ not a lost cause in Kabul
In the Christian Science Monitor, an article about theater in Afghanistan. Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost, to be precise. That troubled land wants comedies -- but translated into Persian and adapted to omit mention of Russians. ("A mess of Russians left us but of late.")
Love, however, requires no translation and "the traditional rules of Elizabethan England about love and modesty are very similar to the strict ban on affection in modern Afghanistan." And problems with papparazzi are similar there, too, as the young star of Osama is finding out.
Roundup
The season's major awards in New York and several other cities are compiled nicely for us in the latest issue of American Theatre magazine. Thanks, TCG! I've seen so very few, alas. Maybe three winning productions. For me, this is a list of should-have's, not memories.
Must get more money. Must get more time. Must spend them at the theater.
August Wilson is dying
Sadly, August Wilson has only a few months to live. His attitude is interesting and commendable: "It's not like poker, you can't throw your hand in. I've lived a blessed life. I'm ready." The announcement was made in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette -- a fitting paper to tell, given the locale of his plays. Somehow, I've seen only one of his plays, and though disappointed a little in it, have wanted to see his earlier ones.
What can theater do?
In Saturday's New York Times, Margo Jefferson asks the most important question of theater today, while reviewing a piece at the Fringe Festival: "What can theater do that television can't?" We at Handcart ponder this question frequently.
The plays reviewed don't give the best answer: "That's the question, and the answer from Lorna Littleway, who wrote these plays, is only partly satisfying." In her brief review, Jefferson makes a second pointed comment about theater in general: "There is some very sophisticated drama on television. But when theater imitates it, theater looks second best." That the plays had Jefferson discussing the topic speaks well of them, even if they didn't achieve as much as she would like.
I'm reminded very much of Scott's initial blog entry a couple of years ago. May I recommend to all a re-reading? He says, among other things, "The theater’s unique power is to evoke -- to call upon and stimulate the imagination rather than supplant it."
Joey from the Block
Without naming names, let's agree that Boston theater coverage is not good, with the exception of Bill Marx, one of the country's best critics. Today he writes about Boston's newest critic, Joey MacIntyre, a former New Kid on the Block! Marx's reaction is tepid -- saving his acerbic wit for MacIntyre's first reviews, I suppose. Well, writing quality in Beantown won't go down, that much we know.