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November 29, 2006

Comments

mwanji

It's only after I finished the first paragraph that I realised that you didn't mean "put Hedda Gabler on ice" in the Holiday On Ice sense...

Steve Smith

Now there's a thought...

Sylvia

Oh, for God's sake - the corseted Cate Blanchett Hedda was terrible! Just terrible! That's not traditional theater, that's bad theater. To me it seems that theater is really only truly alive in Germany and Eastern Europe. America, and so it seems Australia, has a lot to learn. People here have no idea what theater is, when all there is is either glittery Broadway (empty calories) or off-off B'way with oftentimes poorly trained casts (and/or overworked waitors). When is America going to consider theater an art form as id does classical music and dance and visual art?

David Cote

"Theater is only truly alive in Germany and Eastern Europe." Hm. Well that's your opinion, Sylvia, but it's a pretty sweeping generalization that I can't imagine a sane person making about any other art form. And while it's true that we somewhat lack a solid, subsidized culture of theater for art's sake, I don't think that the situation is that dire. Yes, we could do much better, but NYC has a thriving nonprofit theater scene. As for Cate Blanchett's Hedda, I strongly disagree. It was superficially traditional Ibsen acted with a rather pronounced modern brio. Given the melodramatic longeurs of Ibsen, a little slap & tickle was most welcome. If it wasn't to your taste fine, but don't try to erect some arbitrary standard to classical art theater, some Platonic Ibsen.

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