Thursday, July 05, 2012
Fake members only: why theatre should handle realism with care
guardian.co.uk: A few weeks ago, the subject of this column was theatre previews: what their function is and whether, with audiences increasingly tweeting and blogging their responses, it's still practical or justifiable to have a run of critic-free performances before press night. And, usefully extending this debate, a production that has just opened in London offers an intriguing example of the sort of changes that can be made during previews. What disappeared was Stephen Mangan's penis.
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This article brings up two distinctly interesting points about the nature of the relationship between the audience and the artistic team, and also that of realism in theatre. The relationship between the people creating the show and the audience is always treading a thin line. During previews for a show there are always things that “don’t work” for the audience, but at this point the production/artistic team has to carefully decide whether to do something about it. I tend to lean towards the side of the audience, saying that if the audience doesn’t like something or isn’t reacting then something should be done. For me this is especially true in commercial theatre where the goal is to entertain the audience so they keep coming back and giving you their money. On the other hand though many directors really want to preserve their artistic vision of the show, no matter what the audience thinks. I view it more as constructive criticism, and as a note that should be dealt with.
The other concept brought up in this article is that of reality in theatre, especially in relation to how an audience reacts. Many times when people go see theatre they expect to be taken out of the real world and put in to the world created by the show. When the show is more realistic this doesn’t happen as much and can be quite jarring for an audience. I think one reason the nudity in Spring Awakening and to some degree Equus worked is because there was enough in the show to establish some sort of alternate world, especially in Spring Awakening which plays with the contrast of modern and older times as well as having music. In the play mentioned here, giving birth is a very real concept for many people, and that helps to center the reality that threw the audience off.
I agree with Mark Lawson in his opinion of the audience's reaction to the more revealing part of the play. "Viewers may have believed that they were witnessing something seriously transgressive..." Even though times are changing and audiences have a higher tolerance for somewhat exposed ideas, society still has it's conscience. While it is productive for theatres to experiment in their plays they must keep in mind of the norms of the time or be prepared to face what ever reaction that may come about.
Birthday is a new play written by Joe Penhall about a man who gives birth. This article addresses 2 issues that a Penhall has run into while creating this new work. These issues are realism and the purpose of previews. In terms of the issue of the realism on stage, the man who has to give birth wears a prosthetic false front. This gives him hairy breasts and the look of being nine-months pregnant. The prosthetic also includes a very real looking, but fake, penis. When audiences saw the penis three was a range of reactions. Some found it humorous, while other just felt uncomfortable. Seeing these reactions to the penis in previews, Penhall has made the choice to have audiences not see the penis. This just proves the purpose of having a preview. A preview is there to show the creative staff how an audience's reaction to the work before it opens. Most of the time little changes like covering up a penis are made, or line changes. However, a preview is not the final production because changes are still able to . With this known one should not judge the show Like a critic because it is like judging the first draft of a book years before it is published. I personally have no problem with a penis being shown during the course of a show. Nonetheless, a playwright and director need to to be cautious during the creation of a play to not scare away their audiences, but instead leave them with a message. I’m bringing this idea of leaving a message because all of the plays that have successfully used realism have changed the way I think about the world. These are plays such as Next To Normal and Rent. A message is not needed to make a play realistic, but it helps. As long as the concept/message is still clear without seeing the penis than I’m also fine with that. In the end, Birthday is a good example of how realism and previews play a major role in a show.
There are a couple of warring concepts in this article. On the one hand, the author has a point about theatrics being 'too real,' and how that can inspire discomfort. Yes, undue amounts of discomfort during a comedy scene (especially one that's pushing some boundaries anyway) can be bad. But sometimes discomfort with truth is good. If theater was only a place for fun, games, and fantasy then it would be drastically different. The Ancient Greeks revealed societal and personal flaws through both comedy and tragedy; big issues are brought to light, and handled with care onstage. Art and truth are tied together, and even fantastical works such as Wicked bear resounding social meaning. The author has a point, but when it comes down to it reality is made clearer in theater, not suspended.
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