whats-on, music-theatre-arts, What the Butler Saw, Canberra Rep, theatre
Seduction, blackmail, crossdressing, insanity - all these are part of What the Butler Saw. Joe Orton's dark farce is the next production in Canberra Rep's 2020 season. What the Butler Saw, Orton's third full-length play, was first produced in 1969, two years after the playwright was murdered by his jealous and frustrated lover, Kenneth Halliwell, who then committed suicide. Director Liz Bradley says of Orton, "I think he's a very astute observer of the human condition." Orton was writing in the Swinging 60s, a time of social upheaval and change - homosexuality was legalised, censorship was loosened, women's rights and youth culture were championed - and many people were uncomfortable with what was happening. For the playwright, who enjoyed cocking a snook at social proprieties - he and Halliwell had served prison sentences for their creative and surreal vandalising of the covers of library books - it was a golden opportunity. Orton gained fame and fortune using bad taste and the bizarre to confront and provoke. Farce was a theatrical staple and Bradley says What the Butler Saw is "a piss-take of the farce itself". Orton exploited its conventions to hold up a mirror to British society. "He had a go at everything in this thing," says Bradley, who directed the play once before for The Players Company as well as a CAT Award-winning production of Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane. The new production of What the Butler Saw was postponed because of COVID-19 just as casting was about to begin but was given the go-ahead in July. Bradley and company have enjoyed exploring Orton's scathing view of society. Morals and mores, hypocrisy, the role of authority figures including the police and the medical profession, the social order - all these and more are held up to examination and ridicule in politically incorrect fashion and the action becomes increasingly chaotic. The play begins with psychiatrist Dr Prentice (played by David Cannell) in his clinic, interviewing and attempting to seduce would-be secretary Geraldine (Zoe Swan). When Dr Prentice's wife (Lainie Hart) arrives unexpectedly, he has to hide the girl. but worse is to come. A government inspector, Dr Rance (Peter Holland) also turns up, among other characters - and craziness, cross-dressing and chaos ensue as well as some bizarre revelations. Cannell says, "Nothing's really changed" in the more than 50 years since What the Butler Saw premiered, making it as relevant as ever. He says he had never been in an Orton play before and wasn't all that familiar with the man and his work but there was one connection. "My dad knew [married actors] Prunella Scales and Timothy West." The couple had been in a 1987 televised production of What the Butler Saw. "My parents told me about the show when I was about eight." Cannell was able to watch and enjoy the TV production on YouTube. During the rehearsal period, Cannell went to the coast and fell over headfirst onto a rock. "It ripped open my eyelid and eyebrow and my eye is half closed." He says "90 per cent of people" he saw afterwards thought he had simply been playing around with make-up effects. It's not hard to see why: Cannell is a performer at Questacon and has performed onstage in many stage musicals in Canberra. But that less than sympathetic reaction by many to a very real injury that could have been serious might have appealed to Joe Orton's dark sense of humour.
September 1 2020 - 1:17PM
Seduction, blackmail, crossdressing, insanity - all these are part of What the Butler Saw. Joe Orton's dark farce is the next production in Canberra Rep's 2020 season.
What the Butler Saw, Orton's third full-length play, was first produced in 1969, two years after the playwright was murdered by his jealous and frustrated lover, Kenneth Halliwell, who then committed suicide.
Director Liz Bradley says of Orton, "I think he's a very astute observer of the human condition."
Orton was writing in the Swinging 60s, a time of social upheaval and change - homosexuality was legalised, censorship was loosened, women's rights and youth culture were championed - and many people were uncomfortable with what was happening.
For the playwright, who enjoyed cocking a snook at social proprieties - he and Halliwell had served prison sentences for their creative and surreal vandalising of the covers of library books - it was a golden opportunity.
Orton gained fame and fortune using bad taste and the bizarre to confront and provoke.
Farce was a theatrical staple and Bradley says What the Butler Saw is "a piss-take of the farce itself".
Orton exploited its conventions to hold up a mirror to British society.
"He had a go at everything in this thing," says Bradley, who directed the play once before for The Players Company as well as a CAT Award-winning production of Orton's Entertaining Mr Sloane.
The new production of What the Butler Saw was postponed because of COVID-19 just as casting was about to begin but was given the go-ahead in July. Bradley and company have enjoyed exploring Orton's scathing view of society.
Morals and mores, hypocrisy, the role of authority figures including the police and the medical profession, the social order - all these and more are held up to examination and ridicule in politically incorrect fashion and the action becomes increasingly chaotic.
The play begins with psychiatrist Dr Prentice (played by David Cannell) in his clinic, interviewing and attempting to seduce would-be secretary Geraldine (Zoe Swan).
When Dr Prentice's wife (Lainie Hart) arrives unexpectedly, he has to hide the girl. but worse is to come.
A government inspector, Dr Rance (Peter Holland) also turns up, among other characters - and craziness, cross-dressing and chaos ensue as well as some bizarre revelations.
Cannell says, "Nothing's really changed" in the more than 50 years since What the Butler Saw premiered, making it as relevant as ever.
He says he had never been in an Orton play before and wasn't all that familiar with the man and his work but there was one connection.
"My dad knew [married actors] Prunella Scales and Timothy West."
The couple had been in a 1987 televised production of What the Butler Saw.
"My parents told me about the show when I was about eight."
Cannell was able to watch and enjoy the TV production on YouTube.
During the rehearsal period, Cannell went to the coast and fell over headfirst onto a rock.
"It ripped open my eyelid and eyebrow and my eye is half closed."
He says "90 per cent of people" he saw afterwards thought he had simply been playing around with make-up effects.
It's not hard to see why: Cannell is a performer at Questacon and has performed onstage in many stage musicals in Canberra.
But that less than sympathetic reaction by many to a very real injury that could have been serious might have appealed to Joe Orton's dark sense of humour.
What the Butler Saw. By Joe Orton. Directed by Liz Bradley. Canberra Rep. Canberra Rep Theatre (Theatre 3), Ellery Crescent, Acton. September 10 to 26. Wednesday to Saturday at 8pm, with 2pm matinees on September 19, 20 and 26. Limited seating. Bookings by phone only: Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm on 6257 1950. canberrarep.org.au.
View post:
Joe Orton's What the Butler Saw is a dark farce presented by Canberra Rep - The Canberra Times
- Manzi: Ducati teams wanted me to be disqualified, mistakes ... - Crash - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Today in History: July 24, Apollo 11 returns home from the moon - Plainview Daily Herald - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- McClellan: A trip to Scotland reveals a family motto that is just right - St. Louis Post-Dispatch - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- AMD CEO will consider other foundries besides Taiwan ... - Seeking Alpha - July 21st, 2023 [July 21st, 2023]
- Bill Maher Drools All Over Elon Musk in Softball Sitdown - The Daily Beast - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- QAnon's popularity has been fueled by the playful and participatory ... - LSE - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Its been rough, but we have to hang on - Santa Barbara News-Press - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Flamenco and a Venerated Teacher Return to Steps on Broadway - westsiderag.com - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- R.M.N. Director Cristian Mungiu on Xenophobia and the Dangers of Politically Correct Filmmaking - Hollywood Reporter - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- My baptism of fire into trucking - Big Rigs - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Sinicization of the Uyghurs in Xinjiang: An Indian View - Bitter Winter - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Diljit da jawab nahin: Why the munda made us go balle, balle - Times of India - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Why was Don Lemon fired by CNN? Veteran news anchor let go after 17 years - AS USA - April 30th, 2023 [April 30th, 2023]
- Agent Movie Review: A spy film that puts the fire in misfire - cinemaexpress - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Voice and Hammer - Longreads - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- This coronation is being styled in an apologetic tone - Reaction - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 21 Comedy Movies That Were Ahead of Their Time - MovieWeb - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Remembering Barry Humphries, art lover, artist and creator of Dame ... - Art Newspaper - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Everything you need to know about the 2023 Met Gala... - Jordan News - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 10 Sitcoms With Content That Hasn't Aged Well - Collider - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Things to do in Wilmington NC this weekend April 27-30 - StarNewsOnline.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Bill Maher Is Clueless About Chicago, Guns, and Poverty - The Daily Beast - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- 10 Best R-Rated Comedies of the 21st Century, Ranked - Collider - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Let's talk tachles: What do Olim truly think of Israel? - Ynetnews - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Parker: Tim Scott and American exceptionalism | News, Sports, Jobs - Daily Herald - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Letters: 'When I say my name is Karen, will others think I'm a b---h?' - National Post - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Chef Shannons Byron Bay boys-only bash - The Age - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan: Why Salman Khans lone superhero formula doesnt work for the masses anymore - The Indian Express - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- THE OTHER SIDE: They left the dogsThe Tucker Trump Show - theberkshireedge.com - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Kenny vs. Spenny: Iconic Canadian frenemies prove some things never change - Global News - April 29th, 2023 [April 29th, 2023]
- Politician who called herself 'mother of the politically incorrect ... - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- CT man charged with threatening to kill Florida sheriff on 'hit list' for ... - Torrington Register Citizen - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- BROADWAY REVIEW: 'Peter Pan Goes Wrong' is a total blast; plus it ... - New York Daily News - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Harvard donor Ken Griffin's backing of DeSantis stirs predictable ... - The Boston Globe - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- TV shows to watch this week: 'West Wing' fans should rally around ... - Star Tribune - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Why Is It So Hard to Watch 'Friends' Now? - Collider - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Belinda Carlisle: Touring with Green Day was one big hot mess - NME - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Chinese scholars believe in gender equality - Times Higher Education - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Five Year Social Media Ban For Online Preacher - Vision Christian Media - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- A Toast to Tom Eating His Feelings on Succession - Vulture - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Turtle love and the messages of Roald Dahl - The Saturday Paper - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- New Book Offers the CATHOLIC Case for ID - Discovery Institute - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Roy Chubby Brown to play Hanley gig tonight despite calls for show to be cancelled - Stoke-on-Trent Live - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- 4 dead, 28 wounded at U.S. birthday party shooting - inform.kz/en - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- People protest for ban on assault weapons in Washington - Independent - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- The shadow of Xi Jinping, misinformation and hurt religious sentiments - Business Standard - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Night Jitters: TVs Late Crowd Grapples With Weakness in the Wee Hours - Variety - April 22nd, 2023 [April 22nd, 2023]
- Donald Trump called Chinese leader Xi Jinping a 'brilliant man' and said there is no one in Hollywood with the - Business Insider India - April 17th, 2023 [April 17th, 2023]
- /pol/ - Wikipedia - March 4th, 2023 [March 4th, 2023]
- The Top 20+ Questions on Politically Correct Terms [with Answers!] - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- 15 Very Politically Incorrect Things That Are Also Absolutely True ... - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- From Politically Correct To Cancel Culture, How Accountability ... - NPR - February 20th, 2023 [February 20th, 2023]
- Is ChatGPT Partisan? Poems About Trump And Biden Raise Questions About The AI Bots BiasHeres What Experts Think - Forbes - February 5th, 2023 [February 5th, 2023]
- NM Gov. Grisham calls for new gun control laws, citing recent ... - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- What Does Woke Mean in Politics? - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Richard Barnett expected to testify in his trial - KATV - January 22nd, 2023 [January 22nd, 2023]
- Twitter suspends Babylon Bee over Rachel Levine 'Man of the Year' title - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- The Taste With Vir: To blame or not to blame the Civil Aviation Ministry - Hindustan Times - December 23rd, 2022 [December 23rd, 2022]
- 'Yellowstone' Season 5, Episode 6 Recap: Jamie and Sarah Join Forces, Plan to Oust John as Governor - Entertainment Tonight - December 16th, 2022 [December 16th, 2022]
- Will Ferrell, Maya Rudolph, Nick Kroll and More Take The Hollywood Reporters Annual Comedy Survey - Hollywood Reporter - November 23rd, 2022 [November 23rd, 2022]
- Measuring Stakeholder Capitalism - The World Economic Forum - October 21st, 2022 [October 21st, 2022]
- Netanyahu memoir: Dems feeling more leftist pressure on Israel than they publicly admit - Forward - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Living Among Trolls: It's Orwellian, But It's Real - odishabytes - OdishaBytes - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- SMOKERS' CORNER: THE POLITICS OF TRANSGRESSION - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- This Week in Lincolnville: Do the People Belong to the Land - PenBayPilot.com - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Meghan Markle and Harry blow as Americans back Kate and Prince William over Sussexes - Express - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Which side are you on, anyway? Rethinking academic freedom - University World News - October 17th, 2022 [October 17th, 2022]
- Politically Incorrect Canadian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Our Unmad lives - The Business Standard - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Biden threatens 'consequences' against Saudi Arabia over OPEC oil production cuts, links with Russia - Must Read Alaska - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- 'Backsides' voted but fireworks are likely with one Hamilton councillor - Richard Swainson - Stuff - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Does it actually have an influence?: Expert weighs in PM Trudeaus viral bungee jump video - Yahoo News - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Jordan Hogg: In 15 years, Ive never come across another disabled director - The Guardian - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- The phenomenon of 'Hawa' vs 'Poran' - Dhaka Tribune - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- SMOKERS' CORNER: THE RESURGENCE OF THE FAR-RIGHT - Newspaper - DAWN.COM - DAWN.com - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Paddy Considine's filmography: What were the House of the Dragon actor's best works? - Bolavip - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- Word on the street: 'Never heard of him' - Aucklanders react to Brown mayoral win - Stuff - October 15th, 2022 [October 15th, 2022]
- QC The Producers revels in being politically incorrect - WHBF - OurQuadCities.com - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- Interdependence as a weapon in the era of non-peace: Failure in Ukraine and danger in Taiwan - Atalayar - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]
- 'Ramy' Season 3 Review: Ramy Youssef's Comical, Rich Look At Muslim Family Life Is The Best One Yet - The Playlist - October 2nd, 2022 [October 2nd, 2022]