Friday, April 30, 2010

collective leverage: Thanks, Mike:

I’m obviously not in the business of recommending shows here. But, last night I saw the Mike Daisey piece “How Theater Failed America” at VG. I hadn’t seen it before, but I have been a part of numerous discussions about the piece, read interviews with him and read opinions about the piece. I was prepared to hate the piece and to absolutely loathe him, but I thought I should see it. I am now Mike Daisey’s #1 fan. I had thought about the piece as an indictment of institutional theatre, which, until I took this job, I had worked in most of my adult life. It’s not an indictment, it’s a freaking love story. It’s so much bigger and more powerful and more personal and full of truth and beauty and by the way absolutely hilarious than anything I have read or talked about or heard talked about. All the talking about it just doesn’t do the piece justice. Do I disagree with some of the points he makes? Yup, sure I do, but I disagree with plenty of playwrights, that doesn’t mean I’m not profoundly affected by what they have to say. Whatever you might think about what he has to say, whatever you might think you know about what he has to say, this, for me, was a great night in the theatre.