Blowsy Irish Drunks

[half_double]

BRUCE VILLANCH: It’s a political reaction, not an artistic one. Like when Colleen Dewhurst said Olivier could no longer play Othello. I asked her if that meant she could only play big, blowsy Irish drunks.
NATHAN LANE: Did she deck you?
BV: No, but now I can never make a play for Campbell Scott.The Life in 3 Parts crew decided, after nearly 7

Comments

[riverrocks]

1) Stan, I like your writing and I like that play. You knew that, but I figured you could hear me say it again. If you'd like, I'll even call you up and put a couple of loops of it on your voice mail

[before]

One problem is that we're not at a point where a gay couple can just exist in any kind of literature. They automatically become a 'statement'... "Why are they gay? Why are they men? Why didn't it work; are you saying gay couples are doomed to fail?" So as soon as it appears political, you're bashed because you aren't representing them as only a gay man playwright could, every specific mentioned is assumed to be laced with symbolism, blah blah blah. Listen to the comments, no matter how idiotic, and remember that even though most are idiots it shows how idiots will react to the play. Then you just need to compensate for that. Example:

Man A: Why are we fighting over Joni Mitchell, anyway? We're not lesbians.

Man B: What are you, a idiot?

Resume play.

As for whether you have the right to write it... well that's just a damned stupid question. Yes. Yes you do.

--BWJ

[viajes]

Hmm. I like to be openminded and listen to different kinds of people and everything but once in awhile you just have to say, "You know what? This person is stupid and I'm going to ignore everything they tell me." That is my advice for this experience: laugh about it and then put it out of your head as completely irrelevant. If at all possible.

Also, I haven't read this play, and these stupid people have. This is not fair and must be remedied.

[discoflamingo]

I will merely echo the sentiment that you have the right to write what you feel inspired to write. Nobody can take that away from you - especially not very stupid people.