tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8673965398898619575.post3494211830647425567..comments2024-02-05T01:03:12.476-08:00Comments on Que j'ai rêvé: This American WifePaul Rekkhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14877967547670893967noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8673965398898619575.post-84255676510834845032008-09-21T10:02:00.000-07:002008-09-21T10:02:00.000-07:00Hi, Trevor.I had kinda hoped to avoid dragging unp...Hi, Trevor.<BR/><BR/>I had kinda hoped to avoid dragging unpublic issues into public, and still do, but I do have to say that I question your ability to speak as an authority on the internal affairs of an artistic ensemble in which you played no part.<BR/><BR/>If you'll take a quick look around, you'll see that I write at least a small entry on every show I see. I don't give free passes to shows I dislike or shows with friends involved, because one can often mine the best discussions from the former and the latter is the sole reason for the self-inflating two-faced post-show lobby discussion that I despise so much and hope to cut through. I certainly don't give free passes to shows by new companies, shows receiving no press, and shows that no one is aware of -- on the contrary, in that situation, I would find not wanting to be written about a little counterproductive.<BR/><BR/>The act of producing a show inspires no awe in me, Trevor. Anyone in this town could and does produce a show with a little bit of cash and/or a couple connections. Producing falls under the same rules as acting, writing, directing, designing, or any other aspect of the theatrical process: if you are going to do it, you damn well better do it well. There's no pat on the back just for trying.<BR/><BR/>"This wasn't really about art, was it?"<BR/><BR/>That seems to be the problem. For me it almost always is about art, and it sometimes seems to be harder than I feel it should to find 'artists' of the same mindset. Otherwise this could have been a discussion on the merits/demerits of This American Wife and its goals rather than an exercise in unfounded accusations and comparing resumes.Paul Rekkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14877967547670893967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8673965398898619575.post-80627063856337815032008-09-21T01:34:00.000-07:002008-09-21T01:34:00.000-07:00This wasn't really about art, was it? How easy for...This wasn't really about art, was it? How easy for you to criticize the work of a company you abandoned. What poor taste. And such hypocrisy. If there's no bad blood, why bother writing a negative review at all, especially for a show that has received no press by a new theater company no one has heard of? How truly passive-aggressive. Tell me: how many shows have you written and produced in Chicago, Adam/Bries/Paul? I mean actually produced, not just talked about producing. Your stint with Per Diem was all talk, no action, just as your blog is. Your compatriots followed through and produced a show. You have not. Shame on you.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03729237352722911374noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8673965398898619575.post-86720534088510981942008-09-15T18:01:00.000-07:002008-09-15T18:01:00.000-07:00Isn't it amazing how brevity can be the saving gra...Isn't it amazing how brevity can be the saving grace of a terrible show? The two worst things I've seen so far this year (directed by the same guy, incidentally, though I'll not name names) were both alike in badness, but I consider one 'better' than the other because it, too, was only 45 minutes long.<BR/><BR/>Threepenny Opera, huh? Look for the 'Ed was here' scrawled on one of the tables....seriously though, I'd tell you to keep an eye out for Sara Sevigny, but I know you won't be able to keep your eyes off her anyway. Enjoy!<BR/> <BR/>p.s.- I think "No Darkness Round My Stone" was cool too, but I have to admit the first time one of them exited by running into a wall and collapsing, it made me giggle. I think some of them were better at that than others.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com