tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post6420679572533542929..comments2023-12-17T05:31:18.637-05:00Comments on 'kül: metaDRAMA: Mr. Big Stuff (a k a Who Do You Think You Are?)Aaron Ricciohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-3133612319325250692009-06-05T13:17:16.103-04:002009-06-05T13:17:16.103-04:00I confess nothing!I confess nothing!Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01183078884824734105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-50310149148730710942009-06-04T22:37:53.945-04:002009-06-04T22:37:53.945-04:00Yeah, I got comps. It's funny, though, cuz Kaz...Yeah, I got comps. It's funny, though, cuz Kazee said something to the effect of you paid your admission and have the right to say what you want about it. Um, no I didn't, but I *still* reserve that right. <br /><br />He also said something about struggling nonprofits in the current economy. I said that I'm not some mindless cheerleader for the theater world. That's the job of certain theater Web sites who seem content to publish rewritten press releases. <br /><br />I left a message with the press contact at Huntington, saying they're getting a bit of a black eye in the blogosphere, what with the Maso/Kennedy flap, and now this. I suggested that they might want to develop a slightly less contentious relationship with the critical community.Chris Caggianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14219001225193609117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-51870024486097313382009-06-04T16:53:41.381-04:002009-06-04T16:53:41.381-04:00Chris, I think this has to do with the whole "...Chris, I think this has to do with the whole "reviewer"/"blogger" dynamic that I mentioned in the body of the post. A reviewer is expected to *WRITE* about the show (as opposed to speaking to the cast about it), as they're talking as much to the audience as to the creatives. (Although, as we discovered here, a reviewer is also expected to compromise their integrity for the glory of a somewhat communistic approach to theater.) <br /><br />On the other hand, the blogger is, I guess, expected not to say anything, because who the fuck are they, exactly, anyway? (Language used for emphasis, but pardon me all the same.) It's somewhat of a double-standard, though, because Huntington is eager for "comments" and publicists have greedily quoted the user reviews of "nytimes.com." <br /><br />I don't think the Huntington's issue has as much to do with its lackluster PR as it does with their thin skin and egomania. But hey, I'm probably just inviting the wrath of Maso and co. just for writing this.<br /><br />(By the way, I'm hoping you at least had comps to see "Pirates," because if you bought your tickets, wrote your opinion, and got attacked for it, then I'm confused.)Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-16352700918155613892009-06-04T14:01:57.852-04:002009-06-04T14:01:57.852-04:00Aaron, Latest development: I received an angry and...Aaron, Latest development: I received an angry and semi-threatening email from Steve Kazee, the pirate king in Pirates at the Huntington. Or at least I found the following threatening: <br /><br />"Better yet, I am still at the Huntington for another week and a half so please show up at the theatre and look me in my eye and say the same things that you are so comfortable saying about me in your blog. I would have far more respect for you if you did."<br /><br />Or am I reading too much into it? Perhaps it's just heterosexual swagger. <br /><br />In any case, it appears that the Huntington has some PR issues on its hands.Chris Caggianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14219001225193609117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-38528148259472527092009-06-04T12:13:11.764-04:002009-06-04T12:13:11.764-04:00Freeman - Agreed. Wait. Does this mean that you...Freeman - Agreed. Wait. Does this mean that you'll be filling up the house of Glee Club with ringers? ;)Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-75012096607244999072009-06-04T12:11:35.128-04:002009-06-04T12:11:35.128-04:00Chris - Aye, but here's the rub. You're a ...Chris - Aye, but here's the rub. You're a musical theater expert. Your "serviceable" is bound to be different from that of the Huntington's audience. Likewise with Kennedy. Based on audience reaction (whether it's canned or not, as Freeman adds, and which I'm entitled to believe, given how many people Maso was actually able to corral), "Pirates" is gold. (That's pyrite to you, pun intended.)<br /><br />The real question, then, blows back to a different one that was floating around the theatrosphere a few weeks ago: what is the obligation of a theater? This, perhaps, is where critics may be of most use. Passive audiences are willing to forgive a lot in the pursuit of entertainment. Active critics are likelier to be more demanding, in the pursuit of art. In other words, critics--especially those with the ability to "make or break a show"--serve as a check on theaters that might otherwise just water down their product.<br /><br />In this context, "listening to the audience" is on par with a member of our representational government "taking a bribe"--it's a form of corruption. (Extending this metaphor, Maso's actions make even more sense: he is lobbying for a more favorable "judge" to be elected to the critical courts.)<br /><br />In any case, what I'm most surprised by is this. Let's say that I liked "Pirates," and then read Kennedy's negative review. Why am I angry? She's asking that Huntington's next show be *even better* than something I already liked. Why would I be against that?Aaron Ricciohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05003634532469211190noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-56526002594280639772009-06-04T10:34:21.348-04:002009-06-04T10:34:21.348-04:00I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this. Le...I really enjoyed reading your thoughts on this. Let me throw something out there:<br /><br />Producers know that comedies don't generally work as well without a houseful of laughing people. Try watching the funniest movie you've ever seen sometime by yourself, and see how hard you laugh. That's why they will fill up the houses of a comedy when they know critics are coming: they're hoping that if a critic hears a positive response around himself or herself, he or she will be more likely to have a good time.<br /><br />Which is to say: watching a comedy is one of the most charged environments, I would assume, for a critic. Laughter can truly eliminate some people's reservations about a play... if they laugh, the play has won them over, case closed. Trying to have something close to a singular, independent view on a comedy, (unless it's just not funny) is a really challenging task.Freemanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01183078884824734105noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5740282838839188438.post-39605005769979919932009-06-04T10:03:47.797-04:002009-06-04T10:03:47.797-04:00Aaron: I actually saw Pirates, and I agree with pr...Aaron: I actually saw Pirates, and I agree with pretty much everything Louise Kennedy had to say. See my review: <br /><br />http://ccaggiano.typepad.com/everything_i_know_i_learn/2009/06/pirates-at-the-huntington-.html<br /><br />If Maso wants better reviews, perhaps he should see to it that the Huntington puts on better shows.Chris Caggianohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14219001225193609117noreply@blogger.com