tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7200658218238769688.post1453071721695566483..comments2024-01-20T16:46:43.636+11:00Comments on Kevin Jackson's Theatre Diary: A Streetcar Named DesireGeorge Khuthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10220918958933755405noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7200658218238769688.post-54617337804085405472009-12-24T16:06:14.344+11:002009-12-24T16:06:14.344+11:00Kevin, somewhat belatedly in response to your comm...Kevin, somewhat belatedly in response to your comments, I was not in any way intending to slight the acting performance of Cate in this one -- you do go into some detailed analysis of her and other actor's performances. She is without doubt an artist of the highest order and her roles have varied greatly and evidence that. I am not only familiar with her work in film, but looking at a Wikipedia summary of her stage work I probably saw her before she became so high profile in Top Girls and Oleanna (now that I remember!) by STC and the Blind Giant Is Dancing at Belvoir in the early 90s etc. I cannot claim like you perhaps can to have previously seen multiple stage productions of Streetcar to compare, and can probably only admit to having seen the film version with Brando. My experience may not therefore compare with your highly professional one. I did say that I might consider my own assessment to be jaundiced, but I did not go into the theatre with a determined and express intention to form that view. Perhaps it was just one of those nights where it simply did not work for me and this was what I was talking about. It was not a deliberate tall poppy cutting exercise (more of a comment on STC subscribers maybe).Mr Minknoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7200658218238769688.post-47896860258897220652009-12-07T09:30:10.175+11:002009-12-07T09:30:10.175+11:00Interesting review of Cate's performance by Be...Interesting review of Cate's performance by Ben Brantley in the NEW YORK TIMES.<br /><br /><a href="http://theater.nytimes.com/2009/12/03/theater/reviews/03streetcar.html" rel="nofollow">CLICK HERE TO READ.</a><br /><br />Pearl (Moderator)Pearly Productionshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09396337485453591780noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7200658218238769688.post-15072524487778867982009-12-06T21:17:14.101+11:002009-12-06T21:17:14.101+11:00Mr Mink, perhaps you haven't ever seen Cates w...Mr Mink, perhaps you haven't ever seen Cates work before she became what is commonly called a "celebrity" She was trained at what is essentially a theatrical institute and has always devoured and expertly executed her roles, eventually also mastering the art of screen acting. I can't imagine how one could not acknowledge her portrayal of Blanche as a great, original, incredibly clever portrayal, even in the presence of of, "celebrity-addled adulation"Perhaps you were overwhelmed yourself by the 'movie star' live in front of you, and didn't allow yourself enjoy the experience, distracted by the fact that she is actually real. Cate has been mastering her craft on stage for for over 16 years now. Theatre is where she developed her skill and continues to do so.KBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02458810730442257231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7200658218238769688.post-13529073765766719982009-12-01T13:04:37.892+11:002009-12-01T13:04:37.892+11:00Kevin, I was lucky enough to get a ticket to this ...Kevin, I was lucky enough to get a ticket to this in a further extended week (I did say lucky - but mostly in the sense that there was incredible demand for the tickets). Personally I think this was likely for all the wrong reasons - the season sold out to subscribers almost as soon as it was released no doubt due to the relatively rare presence of Our Cate on the Australian stage. The fact that there were similarly 2 standing ovations or whatever at the performance I went to were in my jaundiced view a reflection of the celebrity value and scarcity value of seeing Our Cate on the Australian stage and were self-congratulatory - not necessarily for the overwhelming quality of the production. You can probably tell therefore that I was somewhat unmoved by the production and did not share the celebrity-addled adulation by the North Shore set who make up the STC subscribers (used to, but have switched allegiance to Belvoir)Mr Minknoreply@blogger.com