By: Greg Berman

Greg Berman — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 00:29:27 +0000

I saw both of these in the past few days and would add a couple notes.
I thought First Love was an amazing piece I’d also love to read. I think the humor from darkness that is typical to Beckett comes off better when read out loud. But I wasn’t that taken with the performance. It was halting and uncertain which I think was a distracting. I wasn’t sure but it seemed like Lovett also forgot his lines in the middle. And the bench did not come down when I saw it, perhaps it should have. I liked the simplicity of the set.
With Daisy, I went on my friends suggestion knowing nothing about it and expecting to be in and out of there. Two hours later I was totally engrossed and the time for me flew by. I actually wanted to hear the blow by blow of the 90s all the more and loved the way the history of Apple and the trip to Shengen was interwoven. If anything I wished it didn’t completely become all about the message because the story is more complicated than just the issue. But I can handle the issue because I think its an important one. Unlike this blogger, I didn’t think it was obvious that Apple products and all electronics were made by hand but maybe I’m more naive. And no in the US factory conditions are not like in The Jungle- that was the turn of the century. These days, these types of work conditions don’t exist because of labor unions, a free press, and the rights of Americans that we often take for granted. But its become normal apparently for us to ignore the qualities of work conditions elsewhere and to let corporations make our decisions for us and run our country.

By: Sara

Sara — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:23:10 +0000

Wow; I’m surprised you weren’t completely impressed by either of these performances!
Daisey does not scold the audience for consuming the product. He does the opposite! He clearly states that it’s the sum of consumer culture that has created the demand for cheap/slave-like labor in other countries. He also knows we know this, but I admit that I (as did Daisey) thought that iPhones were probably made by robots! Knowing that sweat shops and hellish factories churn as we speak, we still fabricate “but surely…” statements to assuage our inertia in consuming. Did you really know that 430,000 people work at Foxconn? That they sleep there in coffin-like bunks, guarded under arms? I was blown away by these facts, and every other. Daisey merely refreshes the idea that we are allowed to sympathize with those thousands, and that we still have voices as consumers. We can take five minutes to speak our wishes here and there, just as we did for the green revolution. Daisey does not preach or guilt; he simply reminds (and inspires) us to communicate our desires.
I pretty much worshipped both of these solo actors and found the time in both shows to fly by. One of my buddies who loves Beckett is dying to see First Love again. The slow burn of the loathesomeness of that character, who perhaps represents us all yet reminds us what we do not want to be, was executed flawlessly by Lovett. I sensed no ego in his performance, except in the character. I can imagine no better delivery of that hateful yet mannered Beckett double-talk.
I totally appreciate your honest opinion; it’s easy for this blog to be a TBA love-fest. Just wanted to add my rebuttal.

Comments on: Daisy St. Gare

By: Greg Berman

By: Sara