Meg’s Moan In | Megan's Head

Bad, dead theatre

On January 5, 2012

In Cape Town, meg's moan in, show reviews

I could feel it coming. I had been finding it harder and harder to say what I really felt about certain shows. I found myself being kinder than usual. I started feeling bad for performers. I started softening a harsh response. And then I went to see a show that I found so dismal, dreary and dead I couldn’t actually write a blog post about it at all. I had found the production completely ill considered, deadly boring, unsuccessfully designed, hideously under-interpreted, base and crass, and a waste of my (not very) precious time. I was angry when I left. I felt like bits of tatty wool were about to be pulled over audiences’ eyes. As I walked back to my car I decided that I would keep my big mouth shut on this one and simmer in my own stew of disgust.

And now I am paying for it, because then I started seeing the ‘good things’ that other people were saying about this dismal production. I thought I was going crazy. I started feeling like I was on another planet. How was this possible? Surely not? But, yes. From what I could gather, certain bloggers and critics seemed to sort-of like this show. Others were obviously co-opted into saying good things. And I started boiling in my own bitter juices. This was an injustice. People were going to go off to this show on the recommendation of others and they would be (secretly, if not publicly) horrified that this crap could be considered to be good.

So, I have made a new year’s resolution about this. I am going to say what I feel, every single time. I will end up making people cross. I will offend certain performers and piss off directors. But, honestly, I am missing the whole point of doing this if I don’t put it out there, good, bad and completely hideous.

PS. For those of you who wondered what I thought about the unmentionable show before you decided to go and see it, I promise to honour your readership better and more from now on.

Bad Borrusso’s

By megan

On December 14, 2011

In Cape Town, complaints dept, meg's moan in

Ja, their pizzas are really, really good, but it’s not worth it. It was Big Friendly’s birthday yesterday and we met our friends the Noodles for pizza at Borrusso’s. We got there at 1830, placed our orders ten minutes later and got our last pizza at 1950. I kid you not.

We waited while all around us got served. We waited and waited and the children started gnawing their fingers. One hour and twenty minutes later we got our pizzas, one at a time, and the little girl’s one came last, ten minutes after the rest. It was a birthday celebration gone horribly wrong by the lack of attention of our waitron and the rest of the chaotic staff. Who has ever heard of the pizza maker having to “remake” a pizza because it broke? Borrusso’s you are over extended, and can’t serve your customers.

Desperate for an answer

By megan

On December 7, 2011

In Cape Town, complaints dept, deeply personal, meg's moan in, theatre stuff

It’s no secret that I have been in a rage since I came back from London, and it’s all been about how SA theatre is a badly treated, abused, neglected, barely tolerated, under supported, hideous cripple in the room that needs charity in order for it to keep making its last gasping breath. I know you’ll think I’m exaggerating here, but I promise you, I am not.

My latest preoccupation and cause of my rage is how Rose Red has struggled for an audience during its run at the Kalk Bay Theatre. Now, I saw this beautiful gem of a show on opening night and raved about it. I was not the only one. From what I remember everybody, from blog to newspaper, had only great things to say about this show. The story is accessible, the performances are superb, the direction is fantastic, the marketing has been great. So I keep asking myself, what’s the problem? Why has it been so roundly snubbed by potential audiences?

And actually, I don’t want to ask this shit anymore, I just want to dish out blame. Am I wasting my time? Are we all just wasting our time, trying to make beautiful work for nobody? Why haven’t people gone to see this beautiful show? Why? Please tell me. Tell me why you haven’t gone.

Sunday Crimes

By megan

On December 4, 2011

In complaints dept, meg's moan in, political, reading, world of work, writing

Big Friendly bought a hard copy of the Sunday Times this morning, for us to check out while we ate breakfast on this still, delicious, summer Sunday in Cape Town. Unfortunately, all it did was add fuel to the fiery rage that I have been in since I got back from London and creative arts heaven.

Today’s Sunday Times is a fat one. Yes there are at least 10 pull outs for christmas adverts. There is a whole food weekly and a whole travel weekly AND a whole home weekly. These are not pages, these are baby newspaperlets. And then, on page 3 of the review 2 section there is a page called Arts & Entertainment. At the top of the page are Critic’s choices – one each for Cape Town, Durban and Joburg. These are a sentence or two long. Then there is ONE other article featuring performance artist Kemang wa Lehulere. That’s it. The rest of the page is taken up with a Cape Union Mart ad and a Vodacom ad. It is December. There are hundreds of amazing exhibitions, shows, concerts and art related things to do in Cape Town alone, and the best the Sunday Slimes can come up with is a third of a page. Sies. It is worse than pathetic. It is a proper shame. Shame on you. Shame on us.

Tabloid style reviewing

By megan

On November 16, 2011

In Cape Town, complaints dept, deeply personal, me on stage, meg's moan in

Take a look at my blog. Scroll down a few pages and you will see that I have liked or loved at least eight things in a row. Ok, that does include a movie, but still. Eight in a row is pretty good going I think. Especially for me, since I have been called harsh, and vicious and bitchy and horrible, amongst other things. You will notice that the most comments any one of those rave reviews got was three. Yup, three people committing to comment on the good stuff. Then go to the ninth thing. The one I didn’t like so much. 20 comments. And they are rude!

So, I’m understanding something here, and relating to the tabloids who have made a business of smut and negative and scandalous. That’s what people want. They get excited and hot under the collar. They get defensive and personal and mad. But mostly, they get emotional.

Forget rave reviews. Forget brilliant performances. Forget me trying my hardest to conjour up an audience for something worth seeing. No, people want me to hate something and slag it off. That’s when people get sent to my blog. That’s when word gets out. That’s when people jump on the comment wagon and sing their stuff from the meganshead rooftop. And that’s when I get my reputation for being a theatre hating, blonde hating, music hating cow. It would be hilarious if it weren’t so revealing. This is an industry that loves the dirt, the scandal the failure. And I find it weird. Pretend I hated Hol. Get excited and go and see for yourself.

Getting it straight – blogging 101

By megan

On September 29, 2011

In Cape Town, complaints dept, meg's moan in, theatre stuff, writing

Let’s face it, most people don’t actually what a blog is. Us bloggers need to realise that. We write and angst and joke and spew and the whole time (well, for me anyway) there are a few people out there who read everything I write, some people who come to meganshead to read my snoek braai post and others because they googled themselves or the play they were in and they pressed the mouse and, boom!

This means some people take what I write personally. Some people think I am a theatre critic. Or a chef. Some people have decided I am one of those weird people who work for free (with regard to this blog it’s absolutely true) and just, you know, do publicity for things. They think that stuff because, although they would never actually admit it, they have never actually read this blog, either on purpose or by accident. This is totally ok, until they ask me to, you know do a press release, or an interview (huh? An interview or press release on a blog?) for some thing that I know nothing about.

And I get hissy, because, come on, surely? But I need to remember that a lot of people have no idea how the interweb works, or blogs, or websites even, or facebroek, or twitter. Which is fine. I have had to learn the hard way, and I’ve made some nasty, uncomfortable and even expensive (not so much financially, but definitely emotionally, philosophically and ethically) mistakes, here on my blog and on the other social network spaces. I have opened my mouth too wide when I shouldn’t have. I have kept it shut when I should have shouted. I have made bad choices and even bad calls. And I have had moments of great success, even a spot of good opinion, and even, if I say so myself, some not too bad writing. That’s what having a blog is all about.

I just get blown away when there are people (chops) who have actual paying jobs that are to do with internet and online media and networking, and they don’t know the difference between a blog post, a private or corporate twitter account, a facebook page or facebook friend, and a common or garden press release, and I end up getting involved to set it all straight. No man. Honestly, if you don’t know what you are smoking, pass the bong along.

Megan's Head

A place where Megan gets off her head.

Category: meg’s moan in (Page 3 of 18)

Bad, dead theatre

Bad Borrusso’s

Desperate for an answer

Sunday Crimes

Tabloid style reviewing

Getting it straight – blogging 101

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