Theater & Performance Nov 1, 2012 at 4:00 am

Stumptown Stages' Aptly Titled Dracula, A Musical Nightmare

Comments

1
Since Portland most certainly does not, by any stretch of the imagination, have a single burlesque hall or performing ensemble, I'm guessing that you're judging this on the standard of long-depressing strip clubs. Stumptown produced a remarkably strong and humorous version of Stoker's classic tale. The Merc is notorious for displaying open contempt for shows that take talent, discipline and professional standards, so a bash in this publication is actually a rousing ovation for those who appreciate performance art. I hope that in the future the Merc might actually send a reviewer to a show, instead of someone desperately trying to be part of a dying underground.
2
Since Portland most certainly does not, by any stretch of the imagination, have a single burlesque hall or performing ensemble, I'm guessing that you're judging this on the standard of long-depressing strip clubs. Stumptown produced a remarkably strong and humorous version of Stoker's classic tale. The Merc is notorious for displaying open contempt for shows that take talent, discipline and professional standards, so a bash in this publication is actually a rousing ovation for those who appreciate performance art. I hope that in the future the Merc might actually send a reviewer to a show, instead of someone desperately trying to be part of a dying underground.
3
You can always tell when a theater reviewer is someone who couldn't make it as an actor/actress themselves. Case in point, Alison Hallett. A person of such embittered contempt for Portland theater, who has never had a good thing to say about most local theater. She should be replaced by someone who doesn't have such a large chip on their shoulder and has at least some working knowledge of theater.

As for the production, I have seen it more than once during its run, and audiences have enjoyed the show greatly. I've heard nothing but how fun the show is and good things about the whole cast, murmured through the lobby and elevators.

I would think that the Mercury would hire someone who actually knows something about theater to be a theater reviewer. If Ms. Hallett was the best applicant for the job, I'd hate to have seen the worst.
4
I saw this show with my 11-y-o granddaughter. She loved it so much that we attended a second performance. I thought the show was hilarious as did she. Acting was professional. Choreography was flawless. Singing and music were tight and well-blended. Perhaps the production improved after Ms. Hallett's abysmal review. Otherwise, I must disagree with Ms. Hallett in the strongest terms and would wonder what other factors skewed her perception.
5
"I chose to interpret this as a sign that the standing ovation has lost any meaning whatsoever; a more charitable interpretation would be that the Sunday crowd found much to enjoy in this show that I simply did not." A less charitable interpretation would be that Alison Hallett is completely out-of-touch and doesn't know her ass from a hole in the ground regarding theater. Perhaps she would be better off posing such drivel on a personal blog, rather than purporting to be an actual theater reviewer.
6
It's time for us to wake up. The mere fact that Ms. Hallett has an opinion about a show that she saw and that it differs from yours, and that it automatically means that she has no idea what she is talking about, shows the complete ignorance of this community.

The problem with this town is we think that our shit doesn't stink. We love everything that we do, which leaves us no room to grow and actually thrive as an artistic community. I've been doing theater in this town for the past 7 years, and a majority of what we do is blow smoke up peoples asses. I appreciate Allison, because she shares her opinion, that's it, that's all, nothing more.

You have an opinion too, and what I would love to know, is in your opinion, what makes an actual theater reviewer? What does that look like? If it's not Allison, then who in this town is an actual theater reviewer? Because all I ever see in reviews in this town are not actually reviews, but book reports. This towns' publications do an outstanding job of giving me the synopsis of every show that they see, but nothing more. I've never read one solid opinion from anyone other than Allison and Benjamin Waterhouse. We are so afraid of negative reviews it's astounding. How do we expect to grow as a community and create more challenging work if all we ever expect everyone to say is how lovely everything is?

What I would love to do is to challenge this community to start expecting more from each other. If we don't like something we see, it's okay to say something about it. We don't have to hide from it and sugar coat it. We don't have to bully the people who do say that they didn't like something. It's okay for us to create a discussion and a discussion can only be made if you have two oposing views and that both parties are willing to hear each other and then find the meaning and value in the other person's thoughts and ideas. Look, it's okay for us to get better, to be stronger, to have to swallow our medicine from time to time, it's how we can not only thrive as a nation but as a community. Our goal on any artistic level is to provide truth, be it onstage, in an art gallery or in a song. We call out the actor who is not genuine. We dismiss the singer who does not sing from the heart. We close the book that provides us with false information. Yet when we experience truth in the real world, we run away from it. We hide and say it's not truth, but lies, it's not correct, it's absolutely wrong. Well that's bullshit. If we expect it from one, we have to expect it from the other, and be okay with it.

I think it's time that we all come to the realization that not everything we put onstage, or in an art piece, or in a movie theater or at a book reading or a song that a band plays in this town is golden. It's time to accept the fact, that we have some work to do in order to get to the place where we already think we are. We all need to put more heart, and passion into the things we are doing in order to deserve the praise that we are so quickly ready to give ourselves and expect.

Thank you,

Casey Alan McFeron
7
Casey,
Apparently someone hit a nerve. Nothing you say about theater in this town is inaccurate; however, no one commenting here said everything on stage in this town is great. And no one is saying they have a problem with negative reviews. They are saying THIS negative review seems off base. But to answer a couple of your comments:
Ms Hallett did not just disagree with the commenters here, she disagrees with the ENTIRE audience that saw the show that night. By her own admission her experience of the show was completely different from EVERYONE around her. So which is more likely: that 99% of the people in the audience were just too "unchallenging" in their thinking and that Allison is the one true voice of theatrical reason in this town; or that maybe, just maybe, Ms Hallett missed something. I've seen reviews by people who admit upfront they hate the type of show they're reviewing. My question to them is "then why review it?" Send someone to review it who is at least going to give the show a fair chance.
Your question about who IS a theater reviewer is beside the point. An absence of other reviewers does not make the one any better (or worse).
As for your OPINION about how theater should be in this town and how people should relate to the arts, well, you are entitled to your opinion. I'm not even saying I disagree. But neither of our opinions is the "RIGHT" way to view theater or the arts. Not everything has to be deep, significant, and weighty to appeal. Maybe some people prefer hearing a nonsense song sung lightly to a "deep" exploration of the human condition (because no one has ever tackled THAT before - how fresh!).
Regardless, Ms Hallett is entitled to her opinion, and the (in her case) majority of the people who disagree with her are entitled to theirs. MY view is that a reviewer should represent more than their opinion (like back it up with something other than "the music was annoying" - wow, stop throwing around that technical jargon!). Otherwise, as I commented, what's the difference between a reviewer and some shmoe with a blog?

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