The Playgoer: It all comes down to...

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Monday, March 27, 2006

It all comes down to...

...CREDIBILITY.

Either you believe New York Theatre Workshop when they keep saying they've only "postponed" the show not canceled.

Or you don't.

The different views on this controversy have come down to those two sides.

What I've tried to do here is show why there's serious reason to doubt their credibility on that claim. Fine, maybe they're not lying, only self-deluded. But why, when after 4 weeks of what must be agonizing controversy for them, would they not by now say Ok, we are ready to produce the who on this date. Sure Royal Court may not be answering calls and maybe they're waiting for their confirmation. But have they even proposed a date to them? By this point, wouldn't it be worth announcing the proposal publicly just to force a response? (They do want to move on, don't they?)

My bet is NYTW's strategy now is to keep saying they want to do the show until Royal Court announces it's going with someone else. Then Jim Nicola will get to do the unseemly thing of saying the Royal Court reneged. That way they think they're not at fault in the public eye.

Pathetic, no?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

The Royal Court's statement made clear that it would not allow NYTW to do the play: "A postponement at any time, but especially at this late stage, is not the action of an organisation committed to producing MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE. The Royal Court cannot be confident that the political climate will have changed in a year's time and we are deeply saddened that the New York Theatre Workshop feels unable to let the play be seen now. However, the Royal Court Theatre remains committed to bringing MY NAME IS RACHEL CORRIE to a U.S. audience at the earliest opportunity."

Is Jim Nicola and Co. so literally minded that they can't understand what has been said here?

Anonymous said...

Playgoer,

You can't be thanked enough for the excellent job you have done at this site of keeping abreast of the more important developments in this story. Thanks!

freespeechlover said...

Here, here. Playgoer is more than just your average blog! It's a way of life!!!!!!!!!!!!! A toast to playgoer, researcher par excellence.

Playgoer said...

Thanks Mom & Dad!

Seriously, I'm very grateful to find here every day that I'm not alone in caring about this.

The flouishing of the Comments section, in particular (in volume and in quality of discourse) has been one the greatest benefits of the increased attention.

So, no... thank YOU

Anonymous said...

I too, really appreciate all you have done to chronicle this situation and to incite action as well.

Nothing that James Nicola, Brian Lehrer or anyone else can say changes a simple truth. If you live in London, you can put on your coat and take yourself to see a play about one woman's journey through life until her untimely end.

Here in the shining city on the hill that we call America, you can't do that. You aren't to be trusted to think for yourself. Nothing will change that distasteful reality until Rachel Corrie is performed here, at home, without the spoon feeding of contextualization.