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Index: Theatre in New York

Letting down the élites.

Alana Shilling: ‘The NYCO’s production did nothing but render Offenbach’s operetta as a thoroughly pleasurable, madcap romp. So we return to the question of why that production inspired such rancor amongst audience members (and orchestra) despite critical acclaim? Why did La Périchole arouse such a resistance to enjoyment? It was not a simple case of latent Puritanism and the vestiges of anti-theatricality, though such prejudices did play a role. It was a matter of an unfortunate collision between inheriting one history too earnestly while rejecting the myths bequeathed by another.’

Out of the past.

Alana Shilling: ‘Even the most creative of past productions do not sever ties with the values of the masque. One of the greatest innovations in the definitive 1970 Midsummer, is the aforementioned doubling of roles, which brings Titania/Hippolyta and Oberon/Theseus together. The inevitable emphasis on the parallels of the human and fairy lands that this pairing entails is a gesture not unlike the identification between allegorical fantasy and earthly reality so dear to courtly masques. Moreover, Brook aimed to capture the imagination by eroding the boundary between stage and audience. These are principles dear to the masque.’