Monday, February 04, 2008

Social Climbing

Dear Dave,

What does it take to get to hang out with the Timberlines? I undersstand that according to a responder a few blogs ago (was it Frank Creasy?)I am just someone who writes an occaisional theatre review but I feel that I am vital to the "scene" anyway. Plus we have kids the same age who could be entertained by each other. We might even have some mutually interesting topics for conversation like uhhh, I don't
know..local theatre?

Just asking.
MB

PS: Will do blog on "Little Women" soon. My opinion should count on this one because I am getting paid to see the show and review it rather than just going to see it for pleasure as in the case of "Rumplestiltskin's Daughter". Apparently someone thinks my thoughts on a show are invalid unless I am on official critic duty. Does that mean if an actor is not getting paid to do a role their performance doesn't count?

9 comments:

Angelika HausFrauSki said...

I didn't see you after! What night did you come?

I still owe you a lunch...I haven't forgotten!

Anonymous said...

speaking of social climber

Anonymous said...

What does it take to hang out with the Timberlines...I hear if you volunteer to babysit for free you are waaaaay in!

Dave T said...

Hey -- I want to know what it takes to get Angie to owe you a lunch!

Angelika HausFrauSki said...

Ouch, clssyldy. Why the hate?


Dave, if you want lunch, all you have to do is ask. I have no life, especially during the day, 'cause I have no day job.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Frank Creasy said...

Well, I have no clear recollection of that comment. But I'm sure those words were taken out of context.

Besides, I don't get to hang out with the Timberlines myself. I just act in the occasional theatre production - I can't hope for such social strata!

Frank Creasy said...

Aha - having fallen behind a bit I see the sources now of both my own "contribution" to this post, as well as the "social climbing" reference(interesting, very provocative).

Well Mary, without going into a blow by blow explanation, the overall intention of my point was to question the relative merits of various opinions based on the roles we bring to SEE a production: Theatre critic, average audience member, theatre-critic-coming-just-for-fun. The upshot was that the opinion of each IS valid, and our anonymous theatre goer's opinion is just as valid (not less, not more) than yours or Dave's or mine or Susan Haubenstock's. Oh, by the way, full disclosure here: I have many friends in Rumpelstiltsken's Daughter but did not see the show. Also, though I acted in umpteen productions at Longwood College, I was actually a SOCIOLOGY major, and I can't help but fall back into that mode on occasion. I often wonder why we give more credence to some opinions than others, discounting intelligent, sensitive perceptions such as our anonymous theatre going commentor.

I did intend to generate a debate, but not to offend or discount your opinion Mary. If I did the latter, my humble apologies.

However, I must also insist that whether the reviews are good or bad(in the newspaper, on a blog, wherever), the CRITICAL reviews are at the ticket office and in the living rooms and offices and restaurants and coffee shops. If people such as our anonymous theatre going friend love a show, establish a relationship with a theatre company, become PATRONS - then theatre in Richmond will thrive, not merely survive.

Finally, and again in all sincerity (I tend to be flippant or sarcastic in tone in my comments at times, though not willfully malicious), I do think many comments herein have been unduly associated with others I've read that truly seem to be rather mean spirited or worse. I've read comments from friends in the community who seemed rather innocent when I read them, but generated animated debates in this space, as if we're yelling "What did you mean by THAT? Well, F YOU TOO!" We're theatre people, and we play around and gossip and act stupid and write goofy things on blogs. We have no editors, and the writers are on strike - you think everything we write is well considered and rewritten each time? Now, REALLY! We're actors, not writers, some of us have trouble putting a paragraph together!

It's gotten a bit serious folks, can't we all just get along???

Come on...group hug! (snif)

To borrow from Rick St. Peter -

PEACE!

Anonymous said...

You can see the show this weekend Frank! Fri 7pm, Sat 10am, 3pm and Sun at 2pm! Come on you know you want to go!