Tuesday, May 18, 2010

The Habit of Art, NT Live Presented by Third Rail (Grade A)

NT Live  is a HD broadcast of performances by The National Theater of London , Third Rail is hosting this series.
a new play by Alan Bennett
Director Nicholas Hytner
cast:
Frits (WH Auden) .....  Richard Griffiths
Henry (Benjamin Britten)  .....  Alex Jennings
Donald (Humphrey Carpenter)  .....  Adrian Scarborough
Tim (Stuart)  .....  Srephen Wright
Kay (Stage Manager)    Frances De La Tour

sez says: what a joy to see such a perfect production, with wit and irony and snide asides those people who we are suppose to see as 'the great ones' are played as people with flaws.  Their talents and contributions are not denied: they continue to be held in the highest esteem. But they are also human and the play focuses heavily on the underbelly of who they were.  From Auden peeing in his kitchen sink, to Britten's admiration of little boys. And while we may be told in art classes that we stand on their shoulders and that we must  genuflect to the creative genius they left for us--we also need to remember that they too stood on the backs of others, in order to do the work they did.  There are the house cleaners that keep their homes and the 'rent boys' whom they desire and toss aside--and, as the play says, 'there is always somebody left out of the story.'  Indeed isn't that always the case--how often do any of us acknowledge our debt to all the invisible people who hold the social order in place. (Grade perfect A)

3 comments:

  1. There is a variety of philosophies, artistic processes, and theatrical approaches to creating plays and drama. Some are connected to political or spiritual ideologies, and some are based on purely "artistic" concerns.

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  2. I, for one, do not believe there is any such thing as 'art' separate from the larger world--or things that stand along as 'artistic concerns'. All is connected. To discover truth we must struggle to see and to stand witness to the connections of all aspects of life. But then, that is just my opinion.

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  3. good information regarding theater.

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