"One woman show"

[theDudesmummy]

FFS

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/article/2024/may/28/hamlet-review-one-woman-juggling-act-exposes-limits-of-eddie-izzards-acting-ability?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

Of course it is massively annoying, but I increasingly think that it is not a good look to keep having threads that point at trans individuals, even if they are celebrities.

In any case, what was more interesting about the article was nothing to do with his trans status - it was more interesting to learn just how poor the show evidently was: a celebrity promoted above his abilities it would seem.

That was interesting. And surprising. To me at any rate, I always thought he was really talented. I saw him play Lenny Bruce on the stage in London many years ago and I thought he was brilliant.

Only one star review - ouch. Eddie has been doing the rounds on chat shows, explaining that the production has already been successful in the US.

One star for the show and one star for The Guardian on this

He’s a really talented comedian. I think playing all the roles in Hamlet would be a stretch for anyone.

One woman. Where is she?

They relentlessly push all this on us and when women get fed up and say mean things all you get is 'we shouldn't be focusing on individuals, it's mean'.

That's the point of them pushing individuals at us. And not the overall strategy.

Wrong thread

Oh OP please don’t be mean. It’s not nice and girly. I had to turn them off when they were being interviewed on virgin radio. I thought they were brilliant running the marathons. But not now. You can’t just change your gender when you feel like it. Glad it gets one star just shows what a poor actor they are.

I don't think he is a poor actor at all. I have seen him be terrific on stage, in the play Lenny. But this sounds like a terrible show and not the right project for him at all. But my main point was the Guardian's trademark total disingenuous ridiculousness on this issue.

The Guardian are simply making fools of themselves by referring to this as a one-woman show. I hope the time is coming when they feel deeply embarrassed that they ever published this kind of rot.

Though the review is funny - I'll give them that.

Surely it's a 2 person show - Eddie and Suzy?

Non woman show

One girl show, surely?

https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/oct/29/doctor-jekyll-review-risible-horror-leaves-eddie-izzard-no-place-to-hyde

This reminded me to look at the Jekyll and Hyde review from last year - also 1 star. Izzard ‘gurns and preens’ made me laugh.

Women can't generalise when talking about trans issues, or highlight individuals.

I'd have thought calling it a solo show would have been the most obvious way to discribe it, regardless of eddies gender identity. 'One woman show' goes against the trend to gender neutralise everything.

I read that this morning, before it was posted here (so pre reading the FWR commentary.)

This stood out to me:

Hamlet’s women are hardly prominent figures but here they feel especially shadowy. We gain no insight into the queen and her “too hasty” marriage, nor feel Ophelia’s tragedy as she unravels.

I wondered if the journalist was inviting us to connect the dots or failing to connect them themself.

Let’s face it, if an actual woman looked like that she’d never get near a casting line up.

There is a wider point illustrated by this individual though. There is an issue with gender parity in theatre, particularly relating to older women & female-led drama. This show being recorded as a one woman show performed by a 62-year-old distorts reality.

What woman? It's Eddie Izzard in drag. Article is all about how poor the show is.

Totally. It is a 'one woman' show, referred to as she throughout the article, but treated like a privileged bloke from beginning to end.

Yes, I can only see a man in the photo.

Other matters aside, I've no difficulty believing Tennant could deliver a memorable, legend of a one-man Hamlet. He was outstanding when he mimicked other characters in his RSC performance.

https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2008/aug/06/theatre.rsc

Yes, we don't have to worry that women aged 60+ don't get roles in theatre because 'she's' proving they do.

So when he is playing the male characters is he a man pretending to be men, or is he a man pretending to be a woman pretending to be men? How much disbelief is the audience supposed to suspend?