Theater Review: Homeland Insecurity: or How I Learned to Love the Patriot Act

Mark-Brian Sonna, says:

I believed your review and that you didn't like the show till I got to the end...then you threw your review out the window by doing a no no on the part of a critic or any kind of reporter: you invitend something that doesn't exist in the show and then negatively criticized it in an attempt to create humor. Reviewing should not be confused with creative writting. LOL

Yawning sounds?...hmmm...I really don't mind critics bashing but you must tell the truth when you do and you know very well that there are no yawns used as cues...it's just a cheap made up shot. And when you take cheap shots by making up something that isn't in the play then it tends to invalidate the whole review.

To see other reviews that are very opposing to this be sure to visit the glowing review given to us by the Dallas Voice at www.Dallasvoice.com

This play isn't for everyone, it isn't a fast paced romp, it's a very intellectual satire.

Mark-Brian Sonna, Director of Homeland Insecurity.

Jason Rice, says:

Oh, Lord! If only a "yawn" was the most made up thing in some of the reviews I've read.

I've seen reviewers make up entire subplots, concoct blocking that never happened and even claimed stage violence with invented props to tether a flimsy pop-culture reference that didn't really work at all but being desperate to seem hip with a crowd they were really WAAAYY too young to be writing for - jumped the shark and did so badly. (and you theater folk out there know the crotchety old deranged whiner I'm talking about.)

Bad reviews are easier to be witty in, but one thing aspiring reviewers need to know is that a reputation for that kind of work gets you black-balled at theaters. They need coverage, but there's a limit. Without places to review, you don't review. And if your ulterior motive (definitely not the case here with Nolls) is to break down a group, artificially aggrandize another or both, unlike print media of the past, your history is right here ready to research. So if you give the same glowing review to Bob's Two-Bit Puppeterium's Glengarry Glen Ross as you did the zillion doallar touring show of Wicked, we're bound to know you're sleeping with the puppeteer - or trying to ;o)

I'll probably catch the show Wednesday. Knowing the reviewer, she's generally a very responsible and precise stage manager, so I'm sure she just misinterpreted something and let her general dislike of the piece (yes, ::gasp:: it can happen, people can disagree) color her interpretation.

Oh and stagejunkie/morrison you gotta KNOW these guys'll bust you. The point of a community response system is to build consensus by discussion - not to stuff the ballot box. Your "one" opinion is null now instead of doubled.

Brittany Noll, says:

I am not a liar and did not make anything up. Act Two, Scene Two Jenkins enters in a blackout and sits on the couch with a remote. Points the remote at the T.V. yawns, and the lights come. Sometimes actors change minor things up a bit during a run of a show, and maybe that is the case?

As far as morrison and stagejunkie. We all live in the same house and use the same WiFi signal.(Same IP address) They attended the show as well and wished to express their own opinion. So welcome your new members of Pegasus.

Mark-Brian Sonna, says:

Uh oh...so NOW he yawns and the lights come ON, but you said in the review he yawns and the lights turn OFF. Which is it??? HMMM...I guess she must have not really have been paying attention to the play, for the play SKEWERS the media that alters facts to make a point!

Moving on....

Kay is right, this is not a show for everyone, and people have had extremely opposing reactions to it.

We've noticed a couple of trends because of the nature of the show. This might help you decide if you want to see it or not:

People who are younger tend NOT to enjoy it (under 25); they either aren't able to grasp the concepts or they don't enjoy it because it is a dialogue heavy play, they tend to want more action, and this is definitely a play about ideas. The humor is also very sophisticated in this piece. An example being there's a references and a joke about the Securities and Exchange Commission prior to 9-11, so if you are unfamiliar with the SEC, or you were not yet an adult when 9-11 happened and didn't experience the political landscape shift of the country because you were still a kid or a teen then, you won't get the joke.

Older people (25 plus, but mostly 30 and up) are thoroughly enjoying it and laughing because they find it intellectually provocative and engenders lots of discussion. It's almost like you have to have had first hand knowledge and experience of the politics in this country pre 9-11 to fully be able to enjoy this satire.

This said, a few found it so provocative they STORMED out seething in anger from the theatre for they found the play outrageously politically offensive to their sensibilities and shared their beliefs with everyone as they were leaving.

So there you have it: some find it boring, others find it stimulating, and others react nearly violently to it.

It's amazing what words can do and how people differ upon hearing the same words. Just look at the two polar opposite reviews.

In my opinion, the fact that people are reacting so strongly to it suggests it's hitting a nerve. We've also now experienced people returning to see it a second time and bringing their friends to see it, and that says more then any good or bad review could ever give us.

The bottom line is most of the public is loving it. And yes, some like this reviewer hated it.

And we are cool with it...

Mark-Brian

Jason Rice, says:

Mike, as always, you are a visionary. I think we'll add it to our 2009 season.

<img alt="Good Leads" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3059/2603070852_6cd7acbd33.jpg?v=0" title="But what about the GOOD leads?">

stagejunkie/morrison - apologies. Welcome to the fray-- and the fun. But don't get too defensive. Theater producers know they are stepping out there and subject to abuse. Know also that a critic in modern media takes on the same cloak of scrutiny. At least Nolls comes to the table with more cred than a lot of 'em. I also think she writes much better than your average techie, so cool!

And I'd say "I'll go see it and get back an honest report" but anybody that reads much of this knows I'll be too biased towards Mark-Brian's work to be worth listening to anyway. (Despite his last "good" review he gave me - LOL! I'm still smarting from some of that!)

Scott Doyle, says:

It's not just alienating a portion of a prospective audience. MBS, thanks for effectively slapping the intelligence of all young adults in the face simply because a select few walked out of your show.

Welcome to the roomies.

Mark-Brian Sonna, says:

You make a good point Morrison, perhaps clarification is needed:

The comment about the younger people is not condescending it's a fact. I've had other young actors who are friends of mine come and tell me that the show itself doesn't seem relevant to them because while they understood it it didn't connect to them because of the enormous shift this country has gone through after the post 9-11 experience, and they too fouind it tedious. They weren't old enough to grasp on a personal level the change. I can tell you I can't relate to the Kennedy assasination in the same way that someone older then me because I didn't experience the shift the country went through after that event. I understand that the people in the country began to truly distrust its government after the way the assasination was handled and thus fueled conspiracy theories that would never have been spoken out loud before that. So a play based on that shift wouldn't hold my interest because I wouldn't relate to it, especially a play where there is a lot of discussion. I too would probably find it boring, just like Homeland Insecurity didn't hold the reviewer (and as we've now discovered other young people's interest).

We've stated in the publicity that this show isn't really for all. This show is definitely targeted to an older demographic.

As far as the productions values...curiously enough while she criticized it, other reviewers applaud it....

ANOTHER glowing review has come out. This reviewer is older (which follows the pattern I mentioned). Check out:

http://www.edgedallas.com/index.php?c...

You know, you can't please everyone!

But all this furor over this review is helping ticket sales! So thanks!

Mark-Brian

Scott Doyle, says:

18-24 year olds were 11-17 in 2001. Definitely alive, and with the intertron young 'uns (as Morrison pointed out) are more apt to follow current events.

I just turned 25, and 9/11/01 was the beginning of my first semester in college. Clearly an age when I could understand pre &amp; post conditions. Won't be seeing me at the show as a result of "all this furor"...whereas I was relatively interested when I <a href="http://www.pegasusnews.com/news/2008/jun/11/mbs-productions-world-premiere-homeland-insecurity/">first </a> read about it.

Mark-Brian Sonna, says:

Yes, Scott, you made my point. Thank you!

You were a teen back then, and I'd venture to guess you were probably living at home for most of the years prior to 9-11. Were you clued into the world and understand it? Yes, but unless you were emancipated at an early age you hadn't lived for YEARS experiencing the freedom of going into concerts without being frisked or wanded, been able to walk into airports without having everything double and triple checked, having to have extensive background checks for passports, or even needing a passport to be able to leave the country, or going into most government building without having to go through metal detectors, or even carrying pliers or a box cutter on a plane. 9-11 happened and so many of our freedoms went away. Yes, you may know about it, and experienced it some, but you did not have a lifetime of experiences in this area to have it abruptly change thanks to the Patriot Act and post 9-11 paranoia. This play is about how even now our freedoms are slowly and methodically being removed right in front of us and no one is questioning it.

And I know you'll hate me for saying this becaue you might perceive it as a personal attack, but it really isn't: The implication in this play by having Corporal Jenkins be young (he's 24 in the play) is that because most young people have not fully experienced the changes they aren't clued into them and the ramifications of ignoring what is happening and they will allow it to continue and grow. By jenkins being young it also implies that young people aren't as tolerant to having an open discussion and take it personally when a contrarian viewpoint is presented. It's not a pleasant message. Debatable? yes. But nonetheless these are some of the points this comedy is making.

By the way...ANOTHER review came out and it's also a good one....it gave me a chance to send out a funny email press blast:

"Reviews are in and MOST critics love the show. In the American tradition of government censorship we won’t quote from the single negative review..."

And we quote the good reviews!

LOL. So see even a bad review helps! I've barraged and terrorized this page long enough. It's time to put it to bed.

Night ya'll!

MB

Jason Rice, says:

Oh, Man, RoyceH, if you start that kinda chase you'll get tired. Theater is a small small town in a big city. In math, you have Erdos Numbers that rarely get above 6 (co-publishers tracing back to Paul Erdos). In local theater, I doubt the the longest distance between collaborating artists is more than 3 -- maybe 4 if they're really reclusive or grumpy.

Three degrees of Mark-Brian anyone?

(For the record even though they're feuding here, Noll's MBS number would be "2")

And Mark-Brian, cheer up. When they are old and grumpy and some earth-shattering event changes their paradigm like Watergate and the Oil Embargoes did our folks, it'll be too late to argue and they'll swallow their pride like we had to on 9-11.

Special bonus track - find a copy of Bob Roberts (1990) and see if you can imagine that picture being made today.

Jason Rice, says:

And frankly, Noll, Sonna, I wish I could send both of you off to your rooms to cool off, because I think you two could work together in the future very well if you can just chill out.

And don't come out till you're ready to behave.

Mark-Brian Sonna, says:

I know I just said night ya'll but I do need to clarify one thing implied as to why I got a good review from Mr. Soden:

I did have an artistic relationship with Mr. Soden...Over a year ago he hired me to direct a play of his. He owes me no favors nor do I owe him any favors...

But if that implies the motive for a good review then in the true interst of disclosure the reviewer should have stated that she's worked for differnt theatres that are in DIRECT competition with my theatre group.

The theatre world is a bit incestuous. If having a previous association disqualified critics, ther'ed be none in this town!

Mark-Brian Sonna, says:

gosh Jason, I guess my postings must be coming across as much more serious then I am intending. I'm actually laughing here while I type! didn't mean to sound so dour!

Jason Rice, says:

Yep - I think our generation relies waaaayy too much on tone of voice and doesn't pay careful enough attention to word choice.

Sarcasm is way different here in C-Space, bud. I keep getting in Dutch for that myself.

Just say "Thanks" and "Good Night, Gracie"

;o)

Scott Doyle, says:

&lt;-- Not a queen. =(

MBS, if 18 years isn't enough time to have an understanding for the world around you, what is? I flew plenty before I was even in high school. Flying, concerts, etc aren't strictly set aside for peeps who've reached the age of majority, chief.

To flat out state that your moderately reviewed show is automagically over our heads tells much of your own environmental misperceptions.

I honestly don't care what the young character portrays - won't be seeing the show, and probably won't see anymore that you'll be involved with. I strongly urge you to continue yapping, though. Surely you'll offend plenty of other demographics as well.

Jason Rice, says:

Jtmbls - I say we chalk the thread up to DC. Clapper has GOT to trump a cat fight.

(Sorry ScoDo - low hanging fruit... oh there it goes. The puns begin and will end when the thread does.)