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October 06, 2006
prejudice, passion or politics?
A long time ago a Southern Italian boyfriend told me stories of his college days. Apparently he'd been one of those earnest young men who staged sit-ins at their university, discussed politics all night and got beaten up by the police the next day. He told me that while expressing oneself as concisely, completely and accurately as possible might be considered an elegant use of English, the same did not apply to his mother tongue. Evidently descriptive, flowery discourse that discussed the same tiny point from every conceivable angle was the only educated Italian way.
I often wondered how much of the desire to express himself in such a long-winded fashion was a result of his education and culture and how much was really just personal preference. I found myself asking a similar question tonight as I watched Déjà Donné at The Place. There’s no doubt that the performance belabours the point or that its politics and message are stark and simplistic, but is this accident, choice or a cultural thing and should it make a difference to my review?
“It’s important to understand we are more than our possessions”, “We should live by the happiness of others and not by greed and selfishness”. It's true that these ideas are often lost, forgotten or ignored, but the naivety of the message is still annoying. If “My Name Is King” had been performed at a matinee and for school children I’d say it was excellent, but this evening’s audience was exclusively adult and although the motivation, intent and actions of the troupe are laudable, I remain antipathetic towards the performance itself.
Writing this review will be a challenge..
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