Tuesday, October 30, 2007

DVD Review: Primo is an amazing performance!

Through "Primo", Anthony Sher has demonstrated how brilliant and powerful theatre can be, whilst tastefully showing all the respect that Primo Levi and his Auschwitz story deserve.
For those of us who don't live in London or New York, we must thank theatre practitioners like the great Sir Anthony Sher for producing these resources for an enthusiastic audience. I attempted to showed a section of the DVD to my senior drama students as an example of a monologue performance and they wouldn't let me turn it off!
I could easily write an essay on how great this performance is but in an attempt to offer a brief review, I will simply say that if you love theatre and great acting, this DVD is a must!
(Note: This is a copy of my review from Amazon)

DVD Review: What Fantastic Coffee!

I originally purchased "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee" with two purposes in mind. I had seen H.S. Drama students performing excerpts from the DVD as monologues and I was curious to see more. As such, I was attempting to 1.) satify my own personal interest in theatre, and 2.) exploring the potential of the DVD as a teaching text for senior high school Drama students by studying how one actor performances (like Anthony Sher's Primo) can be entertaining, sustain an audience relationship and utilise a variety of performance techniques. Especially for those students that don't have regular access to live performance for whatever reason.
Personally, I found "Wake Up and Smell The Coffee" an excellent, entertaining and challenging show. It has been recorded maintaining a sense of the live performance atmosphere and the interview extra adds another interesting perspective to the whole performance making process. I particularly love how Bogosian manages to link each set piece into a collective thematic whole that not only entertains but also provokes us. He doesn't seem to hold back on any taboo subjects and attacks pertinent topics. The show seems so relevant to our contermporary world that there is a starting notice informing us that the performance was written and performed prior to September 11th 2001. I would happily recommend the DVD to anyone interested in performance, social commentary and/or comedy.
In regards to my second purpose as a teaching tool, I would feel less comfort offering this DVD to a room of senior students to watch as a whole but there are certainly plenty of sections within that would lend themselves to a student viewing and will help budding actors to appreciate how one actor can use elements of theatre to create a engaging performance. Finally, as a theatre lover, I would like to thank Mr. Bogosian for making this performance available.
(Note: This is a copy of my review from Amazon)

DVD Review: Othello Teaching and Transformation!

I loved this "Othello" and as such, I highly reccommend it, for all that's worth. Especially if you are an English teacher looking for a successful and interesting transformation of Shakespeare's Othello into a contemporary context. This masterpiece theatre 2001 production is an excellent example of what is possible. Remember to look for the related Materpiece Theatre website resources that accompany the production.
This "Othello" has been translated into the modern language/ context of a London Met Police Department and you should be aware that this is not a direct "loyal" adaptation of Othello. It is a contemporary response to Shakespeare's "Othello" making several significant changes to the narrative detail whilst still maintaining thematic integrity. It has the potential to leave an audience divided over the ending and provoke much intelligent discussion in response. Whilst this "Othello" was made in the same year as "O", I personally believe that it leaves the Amercian film for dead. This film has a strong visual style and all the acting performances are strong. Especially Christopher Eccleston's Ben Jago with his manic asides directly to the camera which I personally really enjoyed.
Whether you watch for it pleasure or for study, this "Othello" deserves to be on your Shakespearean radar.
(Note: This is copy of my review from Amazon)

Act One: Scene One

Welcome to One Theatre Friend. Through this blog experiment, I hope to engage in discussion about theatre, share some opinions on performance, and offer information on resources, books, DVDs and teaching materials. I'm interested all things theatrical through my involvement with theatre as:
  • An enthusiastic theatre audience member
  • A High School Drama and English teacher
  • A community theatre director and designer
  • A frustrated playwright

I will endeavour to build on this initial entry in the near future