Pittsburgh Tribune-Review: "Director Stuart Carden knows that some will find David Harrower's 'Blackbird' disturbing.
The play, now in previews for a Saturday opening at City Theatre, revolves around a man and the woman with whom he had a sexual relationship when she was 12. Ray, now in his mid-50s, has spent time in jail for his actions and moved on with his life. But the 27-year-old Una still harbors unresolved issues."
5 comments:
I saw a production of this several years ago in London--I bought the ticket on a whim, having no idea what the show was about, and left the theatre in a kind of stunned, thoughtful mood. This play is heavy and deals with some very rough subject matter. I hope this cast does as good a job of handling this tough show as the cast I saw in London. A two-hander of this nature is not easy.
One thing that works will in this play is the fact we are focused on the two characters, proving the playwrights decision to remove the other 15 or so extraneous characters a wise one. When a drama takes on issues of this severity, adding in too many characters only serves to distract and detract from the emotional story being told. The facts are only tainted by the participants in the act and not by outside observers or second-hand friends. While the two characters on stage may have differing opinions about events, they are the only two in this case that matter.
I absolutely cannot wait to see this show. This is such a powerful and touchy subject to be broached by everyone involved, and I will be so interested to see how much of a toll the very weight of the subject matter has taken on the actors, the director's decisions and the design elements.
The whole theme of survival, recooperation and the obvious scars should be a very interesting g breaking point for the design team, and I'm curious how they'll express that when the tension between the two characters (especially Una's unrelenting anger) mounts.
Knowing people who've gone through traumatic experiences like this, and what they've had to live with, I think this play really respects waht people go through. From this article, I know I'd like to see this play. Just reading the blurb on the PTM page, I didn't want to see it, but after reading the full play, and learning how they're handling this, I want to see it. It looks like it's going to be a powerful play, and an emotionally exhausting one too.
i think this is an interesting twist on traumatic situations like this. I really would love to go see this play. i like the fact that it focuses on the perspective of the predator and the pray. i think i gives a heavy mood and would definitely leave the audience thinking about the story and the plot long after they see the show.
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