[Mb-hair] Visceral connections

[richard haase]

it is
death is still death
im not criticizing you
just discussing
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Martin Eayrs" <martin at eayrs.com>
To: <mb-hair at islandlists.com>
Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2005 12:53 PM
Subject: [Mb-hair] Visceral connections


> 
> Richard
> 
> I wasn't belittling the Iraq war - just saying times were different 
> and people were being conscripted back in the 60s - 'be the first one 
> on the block to have your boy come home in a box' is not so relevant 
> today. Not yet.
> 
> But your second point is a good one, if confused. (Not you confused, 
> the point confusing two things). If HAiR arrives DOA it is DOA in the 
> commercial sense. Most (all really) of my theatrical life has been in 
> amateur theatre where making money is merely hoping to cover costs if 
> you couldn't find a sponsor.
> 
> Nothing wrong with amateur theatre (yeh, I know, 'theater' to you 
> guys) and nothing wrong with professional theatre either (and a 
> guy/gal has to eat) but the confusion comes in when you consider how 
> to rate success.
> 
> If success is measured in $$ signs then we're betraying values we 
> once believed in (maybe rightly, who am I to say). But a show can be 
> a great show and not make money. Does that make it any worse a show. 
> The public is notoriously fickle, often intellectually challenged and 
> mentalised by reviewers and such. Why did Paul Simon's Capeman flop ?
> 
> Maybe HAiR will never have the impact it once had - maybe it won't 
> have the long runs - but that doesn't make it any worse. Sure, people 
> won't react viscerally to the issues - it would be odd if they did if 
> you think about it - but it's not the fault of the musical itself or 
> the production.
> 
> The decision to stage HAiR can't be an easy one today given the cost 
> of mounting any show - but if I had an amateur theatre group of young 
> people wanting to stage a fun musical and learn about themselves 
> maybe HAiR would still be a good candidate.
> 
> Martin
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