How good does it need to be?
March 12th, 2008
Recently at a few productions I’ve seen, there have been standing ovations. None of the productions I saw merited such overwhelming praise. It’s almost as if, starved of quality theatre, audiences in Bangalore raise average performances well above their due.
I have often wondered whether I am mistaken in my belief that the production was poor, but I am pretty sure it is not the case. I just tend to be more selective in my praise. Even the recent set of plays I commented on were not good enough to warrant getting off my butt no matter how uncomfortable the seats at Rangashankara (which is a topic for another day!).
Rather, as one can see from other reviews of the same productions, I was among the few who didn’t tear into them like a tiger into a half-dead deer. Okay the analogy is a little over-the-top, but you get my drift. And I didn’t give these performances a standing ovation.
I think we need a better understanding of theatre in Bangalore. It cannot be compared to film. Neither can it be accepted as good just because of the method or idea or plot or any one or two things. It needs to come together as a whole. Then it deserves all the applause it gets. Agree?
Categories: theatre |
