George Benlian on movies, books and few other things

A sunday afternoon with perhaps America's most respected living Playwright

Edward Albee is a living legend of the Theater World. The author of thirty plays including several well known classicsand for sure one very important masterpiece being "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?", it is a rare privilege to be part of an audience for an on-stage Q&A with him at the Sydney Theater Company.

"What could be worse than getting to the end of your life and realizing you hadn't lived it?" . In just one sentence, Albee has provided a pivotal platform of his work as a dramatist. It may be a disturbing one but for him "writing should be useful. If it can't instruct people a little bit more about the responsibilities of consciousness there's no point in doing it." 

Born in 1928 he was adopted at only two weeks old by a wealthy family who failed to make of him an important corporate identity. Instead, the young Albee left home for good before he was twenty and for ten years he tried without success at all sorts of writing including poetry and prose. In 1958, his first play - a one act called "Zoo story" was premiered in Berlin in a German translation. What an odd way to start a career as a playwright of english language yet be performed in a language that you don't understand.

The highlight of Albee's career remains the creation of "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on Broadway in October 1962. A controversial piece of work on middle class American couple taking a grim yet objective view on the previous decade idealistic American family . Before Albee, both John Updike and Richard Yates treated the same subject in two important books "Rubbit run" and "Revolutionary Road" in the early sixties.

The success of this long and complex drama has made Albee an important American voice of the Twentieth and the early part of the Twenty first centuries. Over the years he has challenged audiences and his austerity has disappointed many. The principle of writing which is probably the same as any other creative art form is to stimulate the recipient. Albee has made this principle as his golden rule hencethe existence of a chaotic theatrical journey that will not leave your sophisticated theater goer indifferent.

This afternoon was also the perfect occasion to purchase a rare first edition of "Who's afraid of Virginia Woolf?" published in 1962 in pristine condition and get Albee signed. I guess in a matter of minutes my investment doubled if not tripled in value.

British Playwright Harold Pinter dead at 78 years old

The passing of British Playwright Harold Pinter is not a surprise. He was a cancer patient since 2002. He lost his battle against his sickness on the 24th of December in London.

Pinter remains an important ambassador of intellectual Britain as a world renown playwright and an anti-war activist denouncing the American politic of recent years. In 2005, the year of his Nobel Price attribution, he condemned in a severe declaration many injustices of the current World affairs.

Harold Pinter will be remembered as one of the most influencial dramatist of the twentieth century along other great figures like Bertolt Brecht and Samuel Beckett. He introduced a perturbation in conceiving language as a non communicative tool saying "What we hear is an indication of what we don't hear". He revolted against the grandilonquent British Theatre and played a key role in the redefinition of this Art by exploring a new and more abstract style known at the time as the creation of new plays by "Angry Young Men" which also included Edward Bond and Joe Orton.

The strange and compelling talent of Pinter produced an innovative theatre that half a century later continue to be imposed all over the World. A courageous writer who didn't mind to provoke and to be unpopular among certain elite.

Large number of articles about the work and life of Harold Pinter exist on the internet. For a good referrence of his writings i will recommend www.haroldpinter.org 

You can listen to Pinter's recorded speech for the Nobel price of Litterature at the following link http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/2005/pinter-lecture.html

At Sydney Theatre Open Day 2008

An open day is always a top idea. Husband and wife Andrew Upton and Cate Blanchett, the duo behind the selection of plays at Sydney Theatre Company for the year 2009 had the brilliant initiative to open their doors to the public eager to find out what goes behind the preparation of a play. A rare opportunity to go behind the scenes, observe rehearsals, witness on how props are made and participate to a series of workshops and talks.

I attended to the informal chat between Cate and Andrew about their perspective of a fresh approach for the most important theatre company in Sydney. Away from the glamour of Hollywood, Cate has a definite vision shared with her husband about the place of Sydney Theatre company that should occupy in the Artistic domain of this City. I like to see new ideas into conception and realization. After all, we are far away to compete with theatres in New York, London or Paris. It is important for a program to always captivate the attention of an audience by the selection of outstanding plays. I do consider myself a theatre fan however i have been bored watching some plays. So theatre unlike the movies could generaly be either very good or very bad.

Cate and Andrew made their first selection with a balanced program. "A streetcar named Desire" by Tennessee Williams is definitely the highlight of the year specialy Blanchett will perform in it. Then you have the chance to see new productions of old plays by Tom Stoppard "Travesties" and David Williamson "The Removalists" .The man behind "Lantana", Andrew Bovell has a brand new play called "When the rain stops". French theatre will be present with "God of Carnage" by Yasmina Reza and followers of British playwright Martin Crimp will be curious to see "The City" as noted in the annual program as a "theatrical adventure from the naturalistic to the surreal"

For more information on next year program check out the Sydney theatre website www.sydneytheatre.com.au

 

My Fair Lady at Theatre Royal

Funny, witty and perfectly british, "My Fair Lady" the musical is an absolute joy to watch. Currently playing at the Theatre Royal in the heart of Sydney CBD, this is a first class entertainment for anyone who appreciates grandeur in theatre. What makes this experience even more unforgetable is the presence of the renown british actor Richard E Grant in the role of Professor Henry Higgins. Richard is well known for his work as an actor in British and American productions and has recently directed a movie called "Wah Wah" inspired from his childhood memories in South Africa in the early 1960's

"My Fair Lady" is one of the most respected and loved musical of the twentieth century. Before its creation in Broadway in 1956,  George Bernard Shaw wrote in 1913 "Pygmalion" a play on the complexity of relationships between male and female in the social context of the early twentieth century.

Professor Henry Higgins is a linguistic who accepts a bet from Colonel Pickering on not only refining the very Cockney Eliza Doolitle speech but also teaching her manners of a true Lady. Obviously a fine subject for a successful comedy maintaining however a deeper social message about class differences and ultimately an expected conflict between the almost misogynist Higgins and the refined Doolitle. Nevertheless, "My Fair Lady" is a love story and the happy end is a natural necessity.

Taryn Fiebig as Eliza Doolttle is convincing. A soloist, Taryn has been with Opera Australia since 2005 and has performed in great classics such as "Don Giovanni", The Pirates of Penzance" and "La Boheme". The supporting cast and specialy John Wood, Nancye Hayes and Rhys McConnochie are all simply wonderful. I have to say John, a veteran of Australian Theatre and Television steals the show as the drunk father of Eliza.

"My Fair Lady" was made into a movie in 1964 by George Cuckor; Rex Harrisson and Audrey Hepburn playing the principle roles. Currently a new cinematic version is in pre production and the casting although not finalised announces Daniel Day Lewis and Keira Knightley for the main roles.

An outstanding musical with lavish sets, extravagant costumes and lots of great laughs. Not to be missed.

www.myfairlady.org.au