In the third episode of the second season of Slings & Arrows<\/i>, the curse claims more and more victims. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Slings & Arrows<\/i>.<\/p>\n
Damn, this episode is intense<\/i>. LET\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S TALK.<\/p>\n
Frog Hammer<\/b><\/p>\n
You know that aphorism, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153A broken clock is right twice a day\u00e2\u20ac\u009d? I feel like that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a perfect summation of Sanjay as a character. Every so often, he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not wrong<\/i>, and some of what he says touches on an actual truth. The problem is that literally everything else about him<\/i> is an utter disaster. At the heart of the campaign that he launches for the New Burbage Festival\u00e2\u20ac\u201dwhich he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t tell Richard about at all\u00e2\u20ac\u201dis an irony that could<\/i> work in terms of advertising and re-branding. I think we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve all seen successful advertising in which negative reviews are used in an ironic and positive angle. The problem, though, is that while Sanjay and his team might understand that, they think that being ironic is all they need. If they can offensively poke fun at the fact that the majority of the festival\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s subscribers are both older and closer to death, then they can do whatever they want in the next prong of ads! In a weird way, I might<\/i> be able to see how this works, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a part of me that thinks the writers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll go that way because it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s funny as hell.<\/p>\n
But I come at this knowing that at its heart, a lot of theater struggles with the idea of access. Theater is expensive to put on, and that makes the cost of attending<\/i> live theater prohibitive, too. In this sense, directly insulting the people with the time and the money to invest in theater is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 a really bad idea. Look, I spent a portion of my life working a soul-sucking job at Ticketmaster in their theater subscription department. There is perhaps not a more entitled, eager-to-complain group of people than old white folks who buy theater tickets. After I got moved to customer service, I spent a mind-numbing three months being yelled at by people just<\/i> like those who call into the festival offices. These people had the fucking time<\/i> to devote hours and hours to complaining about things that, in the long run, did not matter. We had a legacy system set in place so that the best seats could go to longtime supporters, and if someone lapsed on payments or gave up their subscription, they were put at the back of the line in terms of availability.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even count how many of these people would call up, say they hadn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been a member for years<\/i>, and expect me to give them their old seats back. I do recall a conversation I once had that felt like I was the star of one of those old school prank shows, and it went thus:<\/p>\n Me: Hi, this is Mark, thank you for calling the Broadway subscription line.*<\/p>\n Person: Hi, I am a longtime supporter of the seasons at the Pantages Theater**, and I would like to purchase my seats for this years\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 season.<\/p>\n Me, opening up the script for a renewal process: Absolutely, and thank you so much for your patronage! Can I get the name for your account?<\/p>\n Person: (Gives their name.)<\/p>\n Me: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m having trouble finding your current subscription. Is it perhaps under another name? Am I spelling it correctly?<\/p>\n Person: Oh, I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have a subscription now.<\/p>\n Me: Oh, well you said you were a longtime supporter. My apologies, I would love to get you started on a new subscription. Can I open an account under that name?<\/p>\n Person: We were located in Orchestra Row x<\/i>, with seats y<\/i> and z<\/i>. Can I get those seats back?<\/p>\n Me, quietly looking at the seat map, despite knowing that all but about 15 seats are accounted for, and the only open subscriptions are in the Balcony section: I would love to help you get the best seats possible for the upcoming season!\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Person: So can you get me those seats again?<\/p>\n Me: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, the season starts in two weeks, so most of our seats are already taken. How would you like Balcony Row a<\/i>, seats b<\/i> and c<\/i>?\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Person: But I was in those seats for 23 years. Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t I have them back?<\/p>\n Me: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, but those seats are already allocated to another party.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Person: Is it Rachel? Did Rachel take them?<\/p>\n Me: I cannot give that information over the phone.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Person: Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you just give them other seats? We supported the theater longer.<\/p>\n Me: When did you last participate in the subscription program?<\/p>\n Person: That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not relevant information. Can I get those seats, please?<\/p>\n Me, having looked up the old accounts that expired and discovering that she had not paid for six years: Well, since it has been a few years since your last subscription, we cannot bump you up in line. You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll have to purchase what you can this year, and then when renewals open next<\/i> year, you can upgrade your seats.<\/p>\n Person: Are you even from this country? Do you even know how important the theater is?<\/p>\n Me: I am based out of Los Angeles. I am sorry you are dissatisfied. Would you like to purchase the Balcony tickets for this year?<\/p>\n Person: The people in those seats don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even like<\/i> the theater. They don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t deserve them. Can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t you just accidentally delete them and put me in them?<\/p>\n Me: I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m sorry, but that would not be fair, since they have already paid for a full season of tickets. Would you like the Balcony tickets?<\/p>\n Person: You lowlife trash<\/i>, you probably haven\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t been to the theater. What do you watch? Do you even know what the theater is<\/i>?<\/p>\n Me: So, are the Balcony seats fine?<\/p>\n Person: Can I speak to your supervisor? Maybe they actually speak English.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n They bought the balcony seats, for the record.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Interns<\/b><\/p>\n I find the whole intern economy shaky at best, especially since it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s one of the most acceptable forms of free labor in our world. It teaches people some pretty terrible things about self worth and how much they should be paid for what they do, and on an even more horrendous level, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a way for companies to exploit labor for their own end. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t think it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s entirely unethical, and the idea of having people intern somewhere to get an idea of what a profession is like is a brilliant notion. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s like a trial run at a career, and that<\/i> aspect of it is something that could be very rewarding for people who aren\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t sure what they want to do with their life. (I mean, I also have THOUGHTS on the notion that here in America, we basically ask a teenager to plot out their whole life before they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve barely lived their own.)\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n All that being said: oh my god, the depiction of interns here is SO CRUSHINGLY REAL. Look, if you didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t understand why Anna despised<\/i> the idea of having interns, here you go! THEY ARE A DISASTER. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what you get when you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got disinterested people not being paid for a job that should<\/i> be paid. It literally creates more work for Anna, just as she said it would! I WEEP FOR ANNA.<\/p>\n The Creative Process<\/b><\/p>\n I still enjoy that Oliver works both as a means of presenting Geoffrey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s mental illness to the audience and<\/i> can give us an insight into how his internal creative process operates. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m also maintaining that the major problem here is that Geoffrey still hasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t found a way to make Macbeth<\/i> his own. Indeed, he does his best to work through Oliver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s massive cache of notes and produce a coherent vision out of them. But it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Oliver’s<\/i> vision. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not bad, mind you, and there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s some genuinely fascinating shit here that provides a new means of understanding this play.<\/p>\n However, there\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a pivotal moment towards the end of \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rarer Monsters\u00e2\u20ac\u009d where Geoffrey finally<\/i> breaks through Oliver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interpretation and offers his own insight. He suggests that Macbeth<\/i> will be more effective and more haunting if the audience is reminded that Macbeth is human. Which is in direct contradiction to Oliver\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s idea that Macbeth has to be quintessentially evil throughout, that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s almost like a force of nature. I like<\/i> Geoffrey\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s interpretation a lot, though! It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a really fascinating interpretation, and as the director, that\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s what he is supposed<\/i> to do. Except Oliver is shadow directing this play from beyond the grave, and the result is\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 well, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a mess. AND HENRY BREEDLOVE IS CERTAINLY NOT HELPING MATTERS. Geoffrey has<\/i> to make this production his own, or he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll never escape Oliver.<\/p>\n The Relationship<\/b><\/p>\n Which does not mean that Geoffrey is above reproach. The episode strives to balance his creative struggle with the emotional one between him and Ellen. Both characters are shown to be deeply flawed, and I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t want to ignore those elements. Henry is<\/i> right that Geoffrey often can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see the little details that do matter when putting on a play. Ellen is absolutely justified in feeling like Geoffrey doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t spend any time with her. She gives him so many signs that she just wants company<\/i>, and he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so wrapped up in this play and pleasing everyone that he doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t see them at all. Does that mean it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fair for her to seek out Henry\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s comfort? Or tell Henry things that Henry can use to sabotage Geoffrey? BECAUSE THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S HAPPENING, TOO. Henry is also<\/i> manipulating Ellen, and I DON\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T LIKE HIM. IT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S REALLY GROSS.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Honestly, this wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t how I saw these two separating, even though I anticipated that this relationship wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t last. Ellen needs more support than she\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s getting; Geoffrey needs a support that she can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t provide. This play might not be cursed, but it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s absolutely ripping the two of them apart. Well, it also seems to have brought in Darren Nicholes (I CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T WAIT FOR THE ABSURDITY HE WILL CREATE) after the director for Romeo & Juliet<\/i> broke her neck. At the same time\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 this is kind of what the New Burbage Festival is like ALL THE TIME. Chaos. Beautiful, aching chaos.<\/p>\n WHEW.<\/p>\n *That is not what it was called, but you get the idea.<\/p>\n **I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m pretty sure I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t handle this theater\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s subscriptions, but I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m just using a recognizable name.\u00c2\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rarer Monsters\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n – My YA contemporary debut, ANGER IS A GIFT<\/a>, is now out in the world!\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>If you’d like to stay up-to-date on all announcements regarding my books, sign up for my newsletter<\/a>! DO IT.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In the third episode of the second season of Slings & Arrows, the curse claims more and more victims. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch Slings & Arrows.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[692],"tags":[693],"class_list":["post-6971","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-slings-arrows","tag-mark-watches-slings-and-arrows"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6971"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6971\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6971"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6971"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6971"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}