timothytheatre's review against another edition
4.0
Quietly haunting, Crouch's 'Adler and Gibb' premiered at the Royal Court in 2014. One of many art-based plays I'm reading during the research phase for my own play 'The Girl in the Green Jumper' it was recommended to me by a director who enjoys Crouch's work.
In a three star review, The Guardian described it as 'a high-concept satire on the cult of the artist'. I'm more tempted to award it a four star review (from the page only so far) and would love to see it onstage.
It's themes echo those 'm exploring for my play. Who has the right to dig up the past? (Quite literally in this play.) Who tells our story, and how can a deceased artist be fairly critiqued - both their life and their work? Does everyone and anyone truly have the right to 'rest in peace', away from the scrutiny of modern society?
"Deliberately challenging for audiences", act one leaves us with more questions than answers. This is often lauded as a positive for a stage text, yet in her Total Theatre review, Beccy Smith tells of one particularly confused audience member with an interval quote: "I don't want to have to work this hard; I come here to be entertained!"
Yet the play's mysteries, at least to me, create an uneasy, compelling landscape, making the journey of realisation even more rewarding.
Even just reading of Louise and Sam's invasion of Gibb's home - and thus her personal life - was uncomfortable; a real sense of 'we shouldn't be here'. I imagine this claustrophobic world to feel further jarring on stage, not least with the absurdity of random props and the unnatural acting styles prescribed in the text. A great read and very thought provoking.
In a three star review, The Guardian described it as 'a high-concept satire on the cult of the artist'. I'm more tempted to award it a four star review (from the page only so far) and would love to see it onstage.
It's themes echo those 'm exploring for my play. Who has the right to dig up the past? (Quite literally in this play.) Who tells our story, and how can a deceased artist be fairly critiqued - both their life and their work? Does everyone and anyone truly have the right to 'rest in peace', away from the scrutiny of modern society?
"Deliberately challenging for audiences", act one leaves us with more questions than answers. This is often lauded as a positive for a stage text, yet in her Total Theatre review, Beccy Smith tells of one particularly confused audience member with an interval quote: "I don't want to have to work this hard; I come here to be entertained!"
Yet the play's mysteries, at least to me, create an uneasy, compelling landscape, making the journey of realisation even more rewarding.
Even just reading of Louise and Sam's invasion of Gibb's home - and thus her personal life - was uncomfortable; a real sense of 'we shouldn't be here'. I imagine this claustrophobic world to feel further jarring on stage, not least with the absurdity of random props and the unnatural acting styles prescribed in the text. A great read and very thought provoking.
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