I too loved the Apple and Gabriel plays, and I so agree with your assessment. I was in the third tow center and could not hear. To me, it was an insult to the audience for the actors to not care whether they were heard or not, regardless of the direction they received. For a piece about the beginnings of one of the greatest theatrical stories and accomplishments of the 20th century, the performances were totally passionless. I went with a friend who had actually worked briefly with Joe Papp and some of the other characters on stage, and she said that Papp was not well represented.
To quote Frank Rich:
"A producer does not have to be an intellectual, a businessman or a manager. No specific training is required. Magic is, even if it is only pulled off with mirrors and smoke. What a producer does, usually out of view, is cause plays to be produced and induce people into attending those plays. A producer is not an artist but makes it possible for artists to do their best work and find an audience.
To accomplish this, a producer must have the cunning of a master politician, the wiliness of a snake-oil salesman, the fanatical drive of a megalomaniac and, given the eternal precariousness of the New York theater, nerves of steel. It doesn't hurt, either, to have some taste and a consuming passion for the stage.
Mr. Papp ...has all these attributes and then some, including an idealism that led him to fight for freedom of expression throughout his career."
This Papp was nowhere to be seen in this production. It is truly sad that in celebrating its own genesis some 50 years ago, the Public could only come up with this. |
