BroadwayWorld: The production, which began preview performances earlier this month ahead of its official October 4 opening at the Orpheum Theatre, has been met with mixed responses.
“I know that there are people who do get offended,” actor Olivia Bernábe, who stars as Anne, told The Guardian in an article published Saturday, September 26.
3 comments:
Art is made to question what we know as normal and I think Slam Frank does an incredible job contorting a story that everyone knows to make them question how it affects us in the world today. History has already happened so it's not worth anything getting mad over what happened but using it as a way to teach and comment on the current state of our world is a just use of past events. I particularly liked the director's quote regarding saying what makes people uncomfortable without worrying about being cancelled. Cancel culture has morphed into a large and unstoppable force that takes down voices left and right if someone slightly insinuates something the greater community doesn't agree with. It has come to the point where artists are scared to make people uncomfortable with the message that their art portrays. Overall im glad to see artists stirring the pot and making people question what they truly believe and how past events can inform our future.
I think that this article is a good reminder that art is meant to push boundaries and to make people question the things that they know, have been taught, and believe. Slam Frank is a controversial musical that is centered around a sensitive topic, but even sensitive topics can be explored and questioned. Taking care and being cautious about it is important and necessary; however, art is allowed to be controversial and to make a statement that some people might not agree with. The show Slam Frank is not for everyone, it's a satire, and it's about Anne Frank, which is a tragedy, but the fact the people have bought tickets to the off broadway show and then walked out of the theater part way through is a little bit crazy to me. Yes the show is about serious topics, and it wants the audience to consider serious questions and things, but from the bit I know about Slam Frank, the show doesn't take itself too seriously, and Slam Frank is allowed to be a satire, and to be controversial and thought provoking, and I think that when going in the audience should be able to keep all of that in mind.
I can never form a solid opinion on Slam Frank. While I understand the point of satire it sort of rubs me the wrong way. I enjoy other satire shows like Book of Mormon but I feel like the satire of Slam Frank is very different. Usually when shows involve the holocaust it is done so in a way that is more respectful and almost never used as a way to incorporate satire into a show. Throughout the process of Slam Frank being written, I watched as the show progressed and consistently thought that it was all a joke and that it wasn’t going to be an actual show. Many people in comments seemed to agree with the idea that this show was nothing but a joke and wasn’t actually going to go anywhere. I was very surprised that it even got to previews and is now playing off-broadway. It isn't that surprising that people have walked out of performances, I don’t think that's going to stop. I think this show is really hit or miss, people will likely either find it really funny or find it insensitive.
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