>From: "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
>From: "Lloyd W. Hanson" <lloyd.hanson@n...>
>COMMENT: Here is another possibility and I am not trying to be difficult.
>
>Each generation views emotion on stage in a different way and with
>differing
>degrees of intensity. I believe we now live in an age where emotion is
>grossly overdisplayed in all venues of performance, be it theatre, opera,
>musicals, or whatever. In my opinion there is little attempt at subtlety
>and major attempts to "'show" the audience what is being "acted".
>
Or it may be that the attempts to "show" the audience lack the genuine heart
and emotion that define good acting, regardless of the style.
Here's my example: Last night, I watched most of "Where Are My Children?"
on TCM. It's a 1913 drama about a district attorney who prosecutes the
abortionist who caused the death of his housekeeper's young daughter. The
DA doesn't know that his wife has sought this abortionist's services
herself, and even recommends him to her friends.[Yes, I know this is
controversial. The film has an anti-abortion message, but is quite balanced
in its approach-- and overwhelmingly sad.]
The district attorney was played by the stage actor Tyrone Power, father of
the 1940s Hollywood star. Power's acting was florid and old-fashioned, and
yet I couldn't help watching him, and grieving with him. His performance
was genuine, real, and powerful.
On another tangent, regarding Karena's futile search for a "Traviata"
recording that would contain the same emotion as the production she saw:
Perhaps she has the same problem I do. I find opera recordings rather flat,
and need to have a bit of theater along with the music.
Elizabeth Finkler
http://home.earthlink.net/~mightymezzo/
mightymezzo@h...
mightymezzo@h...
"Virtue is triumphant only in theatrical productions." --The Mikado
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