Slings & Arrows

Mar 21, 2006 17:05

If you haven't seen Slings and Arrows then I highly recommend that you do it is a gem of a show.

This post contains spoilers


Season One
‘Slings & Arrows’ is based in the fictional town of New Burbage where legendary theatrical madman Geoffrey Tennant (Paul Gross) returns to the New Burbage Theatre Festival, the site of his greatest triumph and most humiliating failure, to assume the Artistic Directorship after the sudden death of his mentor, Oliver Welles (Stephen Ouimette). When Geoffrey arrives he finds that Oliver is still there, in spirit anyway, and with his guidance (and often in spite of it) Geoffrey attempts to reconcile with his past while wrestling the Festival back from the marketing department. Despite a bitter leading lady, a clueless leading man, and a scheming General Manager, he manages to stage a remarkable production of Hamlet; the play that drove him mad.

Season Two
Geoffrey’s triumph with "Hamlet" last season has done nothing to solve the theatre’s financial woes, and now he has no choice but to mount a new production of the most jinxed play in theatrical history: "Macbeth." And put up with an arrogant leading actor and the return of Oliver.

“I have fixed the toilet.”

The first two episodes of season one do well in introducing the characters and the situation that the festival finds itself in with failing Shakespeare productions. But it’s the third episode were Geoffrey is in charge of the festival that the series really begins to pick up pace and because it is a six episode series the series is therefore focused on one main plot which is the problems they face performing Hamlet. But while that is the constant theme it's the problems that the characters face that is the most interesting.

Anna: (holding Oliver‘s skull.) “It’s not heavy at all.”
Geoffrey: “It’s much lighter without the ego.”

My favourite scenes are those that are either centred around Ellen and Geoffrey or Geoffrey and Oliver or even Geoffrey trying to deal with anyone. Paul Gross is absolutely fantastic as Geoffrey as he is a great comic actor. He seems to walk the fine line of Geoffrey being mad and begin very big, character wise but Gross always seems to rein it back to the right level each time and in the first episode I was sort of sitting around waiting for Geoffrey to return. I adore the phone conversation between him and Oliver as he tepidly picks up the phone and holds it to his ear. Martha Burns as Ellen the ageing diva is also brilliant and her diva ways of turning up late and her self centeredness is of a childish nature that she is just a great comical character. I love it when she’s doing a show or clearly wants someone to go away that she’ll yell at them and then calmly say that she’s stressed or nervous.

“You penetrated her home and exploded didn’t you, you little horn dog.”

The constant fighting between Ellen and Geoffrey but the undeniable chemistry between the two is great to watch (but that wouldn‘t be hard since Gross and Burns are real life husband and wife.) At the begin the barbs they throw at each other or more often than not just releases of tension and they each let it roll off their backs, kind of like kids in the playground. That is until the last episode of season one were they talk to each other like adults and begin to resolve the issue of why Geoffrey left. Once that is resolved when we come back for season two they are back to just throwing off handed barbs to each other and the attraction between the two is rekindled. Although they do then have problems when Oliver returns.

“I poured him into a river and swans ate him. What do I have to do to get this man out of my life?!”

I like that the issue of whether or not Geoffrey is insane or that Oliver is a ghost is questioned and Geoffrey’s concern and refusal to be insane and looking like fool again is actually quite serious and I like that it effects his relationship with Ellen and that she talk to Henry about it, even though that is somewhat a betrayal but she’s concerned about him and admits she doesn’t know how to deal with it. I wonder when it returns for the final series if Oliver will return because Geoffrey does say to Oliver at the end of season two that it’s over and he doesn’t want him to haunt him anymore. If Oliver does return I hope there are some scenes were Ellen and Geoffrey talk about it and his mental state.

“I wanted to strangle a swan.”

I just want to mention Jennifer Irwin as Holly Day who is absolutely superb as the bitch who intends to turn the Festival into one big souvenir store and stage musicals. But because she is so fantastic I now find myself skipping her parts because the character of Holly is so spin chillingly annoying that I just want reach into the screen and kill her. The whole seasons you are just wanting for her to get her comeuppance and hopefully to also be run over by a pig truck.

“I can’t comfort you right now- I’m on hold.”

I’m looking forward to the third but sadly last season of the show, but the best thing about the show is you can tell that the writers did plan where the season was going to go and character and plot development are hugely benefited by that. Also the show flows easily into it’s second season which is also helped by that fact that the show has one director, Peter Wellington.

Note: Summary in italic from imdb

pg, tv discussion, slings & arrows

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