Marat/Sade
I understand from the MSM that hundreds of people have been leaving a Royal Shakespeare Company‘s show early, during the interval in fact. When you hear of people leaving the theatre early you naturally come the logical conclusion that the play must be crap.
The MSM seem to think that it’s because the play is shocking, contains utter filth and depravity, scenes of water boarding and features a simulated sodomy. In these times when the execution of a leader of a country is shown in all it’s colourful glory it should be surprising that people are still upset by scenes of torture.
The papers make out that people have been going to the show without any knowledge of it’s content. The fact that the RSC sent out letters with all tickets indicating the graphic nature of the show is ignored. As is the fact that in going to see a play with references to the Marquis de Sade it is quite likely that you will see scenes of torture and other horrible stuff. Are theatre goers these days so uneducated that they haven’t heard of him, or even attempted to look him up before going to see the show. I doubt it.
The play was originally performed in 1963 before being translated from German with a run at the Aldwych Theatre in 1964 which starred Glenda Jackson. There was even a film version of it made in 1967 which included Jackson too. Even then it had critical reviews but came to be seen as a seminal production. I don’t know if there were reports of walk outs during the interval in it’s original showing but it likely there were. But then that was a time when UK society was changing as it recovered from the world wars and such shocking scenes were all new. The musical Hair was just as controversial at that time, now it’s just another play.
What could be happening is that people are just finding the show plain shite and walking out. Yes it’s probably because the show has scenes of torture, but more likely it’s because of the over the top nature of the rape and sodomy to the detriment of the story line. The overkill of the torture being there in an attempt to gain publicity.
But then when you have a newspaper to sell and you want to sell lots of copy and get lots of publicity for your paper you have to be controversial.
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1
October 25, 2011 at 11:33 -
“Are theatre goers these days so uneducated that they haven’t heard of him…”
Perhaps they are under the impression it’s a play about the life of the legendary easy-listening 80s pop star?
Disclaimer: I have ‘Is It A Crime?’ on my iPod…
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4
October 25, 2011 at 12:22 -
Why can’t theatres publish their own ratings systems for the guidance of theaatregoers. They could even nick the one the BBFC uses. This production would be R-Rated, and anyone who goes would know what to expect. I would be able to take my kids to anything rated 12A or below. It would cost nothing as theatres could self-assess. Information is power – theatres need to provide more of it in a form the public can digest.
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5
October 25, 2011 at 12:37 -
Who subsidises the RSC and similar shows? Could it be possible that it finances itself through the colossal revenues collected through the box office? And where’s the Bard in all of this? – Just asking…
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6
October 25, 2011 at 12:49 -
” but more likely it’s because of the over the top nature of the rape and sodomy to the detriment of the story line”…
wouldn’t the over the top nature of rape and torture be essential for a Marquis de Sade storyline?
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7
October 25, 2011 at 15:40 -
Under CommunNuLabour’s notorious and ludicrous “Dangerous pictures act” (Blunkett and Straw’s abomination) someone who possessed a picture of scenes from this fictional presentation of the Marat/Sade, and possibly extracts from the perfectly legal 1967 film too, could face years in jail and a place on the sex offender’s register. It’s legal to watch all this “nasty stuff” , but don’t dare have a picture of it at home- you might become one of NL’s newly created sex criminals.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2008/4/part/5
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8
October 25, 2011 at 15:51 -
” … came to be seen as a seminal production”
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9
October 25, 2011 at 15:53 -
I’m disgusted by all plays.
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10
October 25, 2011 at 17:08 -
I saw the film on Tv a few years ago. I saw a stage production when I was a student. The Sade bit gives the game away, as does the full and very long title. Anyone expecting a choir of angels to feature will be sadly up the proverbial creek with no paddle in sight and no bailing can either.
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11
October 25, 2011 at 20:09 -
Last time I was at the RSC in Stratford, I cleared off at half time, because it was indeed crap. Not offended, just bored by de facto am-dram masquerading as something much more.
(Don Jon if you want to avoid it).
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12
October 25, 2011 at 20:54 -
Perhaps these people knew what to expect, but left early because there just wasn’t enough of it.
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13
October 25, 2011 at 23:45 -
Last time I went to the theatre was in nineteen-eighty… one, I think. We found out we could get massive student discounts which made it cheaper than the cinema.
It was The Barber of Seville and we all rolled home plastered bellowing out a garbled rendition of ‘Figaro!’.
Nobody called the police. Or maybe they did and the police didn’t believe them.
Yeah. We were right cultured pissheads in them days, not like those modern yobs.
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