Post Gazette: British secret agent James Bond is on record as liking his martinis shaken not stirred. But for the significant portion of the American population with a predisposition to alcoholism, it doesn't much matter -- just so they get their fix.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Off the Wall's 'Shaken and Stirred' packs an emotional wallop
Post Gazette: British secret agent James Bond is on record as liking his martinis shaken not stirred. But for the significant portion of the American population with a predisposition to alcoholism, it doesn't much matter -- just so they get their fix.
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3 comments:
This sounds like an interesting play to go and see. I can understand how a topic such as alcoholism would attract somewhat of an emotional roller coaster. It is a difficult topic, one that is frequently dealt with in a humorous manner. It is certainly a real addiction and very serious. Not many take it that way when it is seen in a show or a film, sometimes in a TV series. Everyone laughs when the mother-in-law to be swigs back pure vodka as she meets her new son- in- law. People connect to that awkwardness and they understand the difficulties that relationships bring and the difficulties that life itself brings. What the humor is showing us however, is that there is no way to deal with the hardships other than to waste away in a martini. I think that it is important that this show demonstrates the other side to alcoholism while occasionally reminding us of the very familiar humor that tends to be associated with alcohol.
I think taking a reference from something as iconic as James Bond is making a very large statement. Alcohol is something that is around us everyday all day and it seems normal. However it is something that effects many people in a negative way. I agree with js144 that it is a common device used in entertainment that we don't even think about. Maybe we should. I always appreciate playwrights that are not afraid to address a touchy subject. Maybe we need more of that brought to the mainstream. I'd like to see it.
James Bond, like the old Humphrey Bogart films and even current shows such as Mad Men, made things like cigarettes and rampant alcohol intake COOL. Nothing bad can happen cause no one's doing anything really wrong, right?? If a person can 'handle' their alcohol [ie, drink a LOT and then go fight spies or drive a vehicle], many would view it as a level of skill or as an envious ability...
... I also suspect that most college-age people don't care whether their martinis are shaken or stirred because most of us cannot afford a good enough gin for that to matter...
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