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Post by asfound on May 21, 2018 6:49:25 GMT
How is it played for laughs??? Cake's character is horrible about it and says many mean things HE thinks are funny, but it's clear that the other three characters (and on the night I saw it, the whole audience) didn't side with him, since we clearly aren't meant to. You can't single the play out for transphobia when the character being transphobic literally doesn't have one redeeming feature and doesn't solely choose to be awful about transgender people but a total sweetheart about everything else. but the other character dont disagree with him or call him out Without spoiling it, the transphobic character 'wins' the arguement In my mind there is nothing wrong with a script that doesn't simplistically resolve every issue or argument based on current social trends and mores, or reflects the outlook/morals of the typical theatre-goer. In reality this isn't what happens so why should depictions of bigoted characters be any different? Sometimes the bad guys do win. I sometimes worry that our currents social media driven over-sensitivities and neuroticisms aren't engendering a rather sanitised and homogenised creative environment in theatre. But I'm just a layperson so I have no idea about that aspect really; it just seems like I'm hearing the same discourse in new plays. |
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371 posts
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Post by popcultureboy on May 21, 2018 7:12:11 GMT
but the other character dont disagree with him or call him out Without spoiling it, the transphobic character 'wins' the arguement The reason one of the other three struggles with the revelation is, I thought, well handled and made sense (and also wasn't transphobic). I also seem to recall that the transphobic diatribe is shouted down, a lot. The others hardly stand around and applaud while listening to a lecture on why trans people aren't really people. Let's also not forget that the play is about 4 candidates competing for a high profile job and at the start they are told if any of them leave the room for any reason, they're out of the running. So of course the ridiculous alpha male resorts to all kinds of name calling and button pushing to provoke enough of a reaction from the other three that they storm out in a fury or in tears. He's relentlessly awful to everyone. It fits for his character. It doesn't make the play transphobic. |
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2,480 posts
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Post by zahidf on May 21, 2018 7:22:08 GMT
but the other character dont disagree with him or call him out Without spoiling it, the transphobic character 'wins' the arguement The reason one of the other three struggles with the revelation is, I thought, well handled and made sense (and also wasn't transphobic). I also seem to recall that the transphobic diatribe is shouted down, a lot. The others hardly stand around and applaud while listening to a lecture on why trans people aren't really people. Let's also not forget that the play is about 4 candidates competing for a high profile job and at the start they are told if any of them leave the room for any reason, they're out of the running. So of course the ridiculous alpha male resorts to all kinds of name calling and button pushing to provoke enough of a reaction from the other three that they storm out in a fury or in tears. He's relentlessly awful to everyone. It fits for his character. It doesn't make the play transphobic. I suppose my problem is that the other characters didnt like the alpha males language, but they agreed with his bigoted conclusion. (and within the context of that scene outside the rest of the play, gave the same reasons for reaching that conclusion) If you are going to try and get humour out of the situation from a minority's situation, you need to be careful not the punch downwards. I dont think that scene succeeded Anyway, its all subjective to a degree. Id be interested in other peoples view once they have seen it! |
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39 posts
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Post by pochard on May 21, 2018 21:48:22 GMT
I agree that the transphobia section didn't sit well within the rest of the play - to me it didn't add enough to the play to make up for the jibes. I don't want to say too much for fear of spoilers, but I'm sure I read somewhere that it was a thriller..?
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371 posts
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Post by popcultureboy on May 22, 2018 6:59:55 GMT
I suppose my problem is that the other characters didnt like the alpha males language, but they agreed with his bigoted conclusion. (and within the context of that scene outside the rest of the play, gave the same reasons for reaching that conclusion) If you are going to try and get humour out of the situation from a minority's situation, you need to be careful not the punch downwards. I dont think that scene succeeded The conclusion is bigoted, but the whole point of the exercise is to get people out of the room/running for the job, so of course the others won't disagree with the conclusion as it keeps them in the running. I took this whole sequence to underline the prejudices and obstacles the transgender community face in the workplace, from the gross alpha male thinking feminising names and talking about periods is hilarious to HR's "concerns" about time off work for the operations etc. This absolutely does NOT make the play transphobic. As for it being a thriller, it's been referred to as taut and psychologically intense, but I really don't know where they got that from. There was a film adapted from the play in 2005, just called The Method, which ups the ante to seven applicants and sounds WAY more effed up and downbeat than the play, certainly as the quirky little oddity it's being presented as here. |
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4,975 posts
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Post by Phantom of London on Jun 2, 2018 16:41:51 GMT
What an interesting premise for a play, which I found to be uncomfortable, brutal and equally absorbing. I see where the angles for Mamet come in and The Appreentice, you even had a male version of Katie Hopkin if you please, but oddly this also had shades of 1984 and Mike Bartlett’s Bull about it.
The Transgender bit didn’t bother me, maybe because I got a heads up on here - but an audience member walked out because of it.
One day Laura Pitt-Pulford is going to bag herself an Olivier, bit like Emma Williams where it is insane they have not won anything yet.
Also interesting that this play has been to 60 countries and translated into 20 languages, I assumed that the London gets plays first or second, however here is not the case.
Is this the way Human Resources are going, being Psychologists or will they be replaced by Artificial Intelligents?
4 Stars
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3,303 posts
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Post by david on Jun 3, 2018 17:36:04 GMT
Having watched this at today's matinee,I have to agree with other posts that it was both a brutal and honest assessment of people and what lengths people will go to to get what they want.
It worked well as a straight through play as I don't know where you could put an interval.
There really where some nice touches of comedy,particularly the hat scene along with the more darker elements such as the transgender scene which immediately followed the hat scene. Although tough to watch, I thought it was well written and gave an honest assessment of what happens in real life.
Overall, not a bad play to end the theatre weekend and considering the temperatures outside, the auditorium was actually nice and cool to sit in for once!
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8,097 posts
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Post by alece10 on Jun 3, 2018 18:56:25 GMT
I also saw this today and my head hurt after.
Very clever and very complicated.
Enjoyed it more than I thought I would.
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