Archive for February, 2009

Cultural Currency

Sunday, February 22nd, 2009

Many of you are right now watching Hollywood congratulate itself. Since you saw some of the nominated films; you might mistakenly believe you have some investment in these awards. You’re fooling yourself. Your opinion means nothing to the Academy Awards.

Is that bad? Not at all! Your opinion means something to you and to those who hear it. Also, watching the Academy Awards allows you to contrast your opinion with Hollywood’s self-regard. You don’t affect the winners, but you do get to pocket some cultural currency. Even if you haven’t seen the movies, you can talk about them.

But I want to talk to you about Universal Robots instead.

Not just talk; I want it to mean something to you. Mac Rogers has taken a historically notable play—a play that was cultural currency; a play that gave us a concept we still employ daily—and turned it into something elegant, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

I wrote about the workshop production of Universal Robots last year. The cast and script are largely the same, but new director Rosemary Andress brings to the work vivid stage pictures that make the play even more spellbinding.

Of course I want you to see it; there are two weeks left to do so. And of course I know you can’t. I know that “you” as a reader of this weblog barely exist.

Again, I want Universal Robots to mean something to you. It means something to me. It’s a play that deserves to be cultural currency.

Tags: ,
Posted in General | No Comments »

Meta Meta Itamar

Tuesday, February 10th, 2009

Go see the Itamar Moses play Love/Stories (or But You Will Get Used To It) at The Flea!

It includes the short Authorial Intent, which was called “[T]he best part of McCarter Theatre’s last Short Play Festival.” by some guy on the Internet.

One warning: it’s all metatheatre. I came upstairs after the MTC production of The Four Of Us ranting: “Moses really needs to write a play that isn’t about writing a play. Even though he’s really really good at it.”

Then came the baseball/steroids play Back Back Back, which wasn’t metatheatre but was also really really good. Unfortunately, though, it was so true-to-life that Mark McGuire’s self-serving, vague explanations became the de facto moral of the story. Also, in our current LOL A-ROID era, the events of Back Back Back are so two scandals ago.

Love/Stories is solidly written and terrifically acted. Even if Moses is a snake eating his own tail, watching him eat is its own reward.

Tags:
Posted in General | No Comments »

My Manifesto

Sunday, February 8th, 2009

Four years ago I wrote a manifesto about The Odd Couple. The great thing about manifestos is that you don’t have to follow them, at least not until you start believing in them.

And I believe in The Odd Couple.

The Odd Couple not as it is written, but how it should be written. In fact as it is written underneath its well-worn laugh lines.

I now believe that not only is my manifesto a valid approach to The Odd Couple, but that it is the only acceptable approach to The Odd Couple. The raw, cathartic power within Neil Simon’s work must become a part of all future productions.

Obviously, this requires some effort on my part; a careful abridgment of the original text is underway. Note the usual Mariano time delays—your toddler might be old enough to play Murray the Cop by the time I finish.

Why tell you this now? Two reasons:

  1. I saw Che, Part One on Friday, starring my dream Felix Ungar. A true revolutionary!
  2. A photograph came up in one of my Facebook feeds tonight from a production of The Odd Couple happening right now. As I type these words, somewhere in America these men are your Felix and Oscar. Unacceptable!

This must end!

Posted in The Odd Couple | No Comments »