Theatre from my Head: 22/11/2009

Saturday, 28 November 2009

Misleading Theatre Posters: I'm looking at you Wyndhams Theatre

This week a story broke that the Wyndhams Theatre in London had put some qoute from a review of 'Shawshank Redemption' on the posters for the live show which had actually been about the film not the play. This of course is a massive problem as it can be seen as false advertising, no scratch that, it IS false advertising. When you factor in that the qoute taken was from a review of the stage show which just happened to point out that the film was better than the play. Ok I can understand that its not a great idea to put up an advert saying that the film is better than the live experience but blatantly using something that isn't about your product is low.

I think this is an appalling thing to do, after all spinning a review is pretty easy and you would think that a renowned theatre like the Wyndham would have a press officer who would know how to make the best of a bad situation. The fact that the local Trading Standards office has got involved shows how much of a snafu this is as the legal situation is on the side of any official office that wishes to take action.

Then again its sort of worked itself out this situation as Shawshank Redemption shuts today thanks to bad ticket sales of this very mediocre show.

Wednesday, 25 November 2009

Actors attacking Audience Members? Ian Hart is the latest offender! Ban him and the Theatres

"Its official Actors are RUDE, negative and general boors! The actions of a certain actor are obviously that of a madman and my suggestion is we ban theatres. After all when one finds oneself in the theatre we do not have the right to talk to our fellow patrons, our mobile phones must be turned off and we must sit still in perfect silence. Then there is the awful jokes we have to endure, the hammy over-pronunciation of every word in every Shakespeare play and the fact that everyone knows the twist to 'The Mousetrap' but isn't allowed to say. Its all rather fascist really isn't it? Its like a teacher telling you off. I say ban this 'theatre', ban the actors and ban performing arts, its a waste of public money and my bloody time.

Theatre is too dangerous and this latest maniac is living proof. What is the Government going to do about this issue that burns in the heart of our nation? Until they realise actors are more dangerous than hoodies and terrorists nothing in this country is going to improve."

This story is important as people always blow things out of proportion, an actor got angry at the perceived disrespect of this audience and got in someones face. Is that a reason to charge him with assault? I think not but who knows what a judge will say? The fact is this is happening more often, I went to the theatre 3 weeks ago to see The Mousetrap and besides us there were two people talking, behind us a man snoring and nattering everywhere it seemed. People were texting, it is disrespectful to the actors but they need to remember when Shakespeare was around they had to play over the sounds of the crowd, of the street hawkers selling their wares. So do we performers need to lighten up a bit? Or do we need to curb peoples behaviour at the theatre? Make up your own mind, me? Well I would just ignore them in the crowd and carry on acting but thats just me.