Two Short Pieces That Are Long On Anger: “Gary The Thief” and “Plevna: Meditations On Hatred”
by The Happiest Medium on July 19, 2010
The Happiest Medium Review by guest contributor Kate Mickere
(L-R): Alex Draper, performer of Plevna: Meditations on Hatred, and Robert Emmet Lunney, performer of Gary the Thief (photo credit: Stan Barouh)
Four floors below the sizzling New York streets, the Potomac Theatre Project is exploring hate.
Gary the Thief and Plevna: Meditations on Hatred are two dramatic poems by Howard Barker (both directed by Richard Romagnoli) . The playwright, who has coined the term “Theatre of Catastrophe” to describe his work, is arguing for the return of tragedy in the theatre. Tragedy, in Barker’s opinion, makes theatre more poetic. This short presentation, however, is mostly devoid of the heightened theatricality Barker typically pursues.
