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Blogs by Jerome Parisse
Theatre Value Meal: Small, Medium, or Large? 5/29/2010 3:28:26 PM
Late last year I went to see “God of Carnage” at the Sydney Opera House Theatre. The play, by Yasmina Reza, the famous French playwright, which won the 2009 Tony Award for Best Play, was indeed excellent – and very Reza. Small thinking bourgeois fighting over a variety of issues and revealing who they really are. I had a blast and the audience was in stitches. Interestingly enough, Reza declared in an interview that she was slightly miffed at people laughing at the play when it was supposed to be more drama. Never mind, the play is well structured, satirical, and a real feast for the eyes and the ears.
The reason I’m bringing it up today is that I have noticed over the last few years a tendency for theatre (certainly in Australia, but also around the world) to become more well-behaved, almost bland. What I mean by that is that ”big” scenes seem to disappear and are being replaced by scenes that are more manageable for the audience, less scary, but at the same time not always as interesting. What I liked in Reza’s play, among other things, is that it was BIG. I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not seen it, but there are in particular two scenes that fit the “big” description. Characters behave outrageously, and are not afraid of doing so. Emotions are expressed. Anger is not contained. Shame is revealed. The acting is big. It is both funny and riveting, and so much of the characters is on display that you’d need ten minutes of dialogue to reach the same effect. I don’t mean that all theatre has to be that big, but it would certainly benefit from bigger display of emotions, actions and ideas. Theatre is to shock, to force people to think, and not always to please or be well-mannered so as not to hurt the audience’s feelings. Shamelessly I can say that I like it big. And by contrast, big scenes make you pay more attention to the more subtle ones. Could we please have more of this “bigger” theatre? I’ve been a fan of Reza for a long time, and once again, she has delivered.
