"The Room" Weirdness
Moderators: Orlion, Dragonlily
"The Room" Weirdness
As some of you may know, I write theatre reviews in Los Angeles. The night after tomorrow (Thursday, February 4) I'm going to see [i]"The Room"[/i] a world premiere at the world-famous REDCAT theatre of a hitherto unpublished play by Harold Pinter.
Pinter btw is a big dead, one of the most important English language playwrights of the 20th century. He is renowned for writing works around silences and pauses. I've even appeared in a couple of his works myself.
The Wooster Group--an internationally renowned theatre company--is doing this production. But Samuel French, the publisher that handles the works of the Pinter estate, has forbidden any reviews of the play!
And they say they're not at liberty to discuss why.
So when I see the play to which I've been invited as a theatre critic, I'm supposed to write about the play but not review the production. Somehow.
Pinter btw is a big dead, one of the most important English language playwrights of the 20th century. He is renowned for writing works around silences and pauses. I've even appeared in a couple of his works myself.
The Wooster Group--an internationally renowned theatre company--is doing this production. But Samuel French, the publisher that handles the works of the Pinter estate, has forbidden any reviews of the play!
And they say they're not at liberty to discuss why.
So when I see the play to which I've been invited as a theatre critic, I'm supposed to write about the play but not review the production. Somehow.
"O let my name be in the Book of Love!
It be there, I care not of the other great book Above.
Strike it out! Or, write it in anew. But
Let my name be in the Book of Love!" --Omar Khayam
It be there, I care not of the other great book Above.
Strike it out! Or, write it in anew. But
Let my name be in the Book of Love!" --Omar Khayam
- Cord Hurn
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Seems an odd demand for this Samuel French to make, Zahir! It's like he's somehow ashamed or uncomfortable about the production that the Wooster Group is doing. I wonder what legal basis he has to make such a demand of reviewers? Is your accepting of a ticket somehow contingent on your agreeing to reviewing the show as the publisher wishes? I suppose if you could get your hands on the script it would be something to work with, or you could listen to the play with your eyes closed.. It all sounds very weird!
- Orlion
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People are doing that with other mediums, like movies and video games. Essentially, you try to control the information about the product so nothing negative comes out about it to affect sales.
Not sure how that applies here, though.
Not sure how that applies here, though.
'Tis dream to think that Reason can
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Govern the reasoning creature, man.
- Herman Melville
I am Lazarus, come from the dead,
Come back to tell you all, I shall tell you all!
"All creation is a huge, ornate, imaginary, and unintended fiction; if it could be deciphered it would yield a single shocking word."
-John Crowley
Here is my review: zahirblue.blogspot.com/2016/02/the-room-review.html.
"O let my name be in the Book of Love!
It be there, I care not of the other great book Above.
Strike it out! Or, write it in anew. But
Let my name be in the Book of Love!" --Omar Khayam
It be there, I care not of the other great book Above.
Strike it out! Or, write it in anew. But
Let my name be in the Book of Love!" --Omar Khayam
I think it was a reaction to the way people were living unauthentic lives--the forced cheerfulness, the strident effort to be "normal," the relentless drive for prosperity in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when the Cold War was in full swing, and social problems were ignored whenever possible. Society as a whole was often in denial, and many were the artists in all media trying hard to force some authentic emotion, something real.
"O let my name be in the Book of Love!
It be there, I care not of the other great book Above.
Strike it out! Or, write it in anew. But
Let my name be in the Book of Love!" --Omar Khayam
It be there, I care not of the other great book Above.
Strike it out! Or, write it in anew. But
Let my name be in the Book of Love!" --Omar Khayam
- Cord Hurn
- Servant of the Band
- Posts: 7668
- Joined: Mon Oct 28, 2013 7:08 pm
- Location: Alpine, Arizona, USA
- Has thanked: 6 times
- Been thanked: 4 times
Zahir wrote:I think it was a reaction to the way people were living unauthentic lives--the forced cheerfulness, the strident effort to be "normal," the relentless drive for prosperity in the aftermath of the Holocaust, when the Cold War was in full swing, and social problems were ignored whenever possible. Society as a whole was often in denial, and many were the artists in all media trying hard to force some authentic emotion, something real.
..As if, the people themselves were that empty room, down below, underneath.