The Corrie Show must go on

JWR.com ^ | 6-3-06 | Julia Gorin

[veronica]

After the New York Theater Workshop had the good taste to back away from staging "My Name is Rachel Corrie" a few months ago, the British production has moved to New York's Minetta Lane Theater for a one-month run starting October 15th.

It's a one-woman show based on diaries and e-mails written by the 23-year-old American "human rights" campaigner (i.e. terrorist rights campaigner), who was crushed in 2003 when she wouldn't get out of the way of an Israeli bulldozer as she protected a Palestinian explosive-smuggling tunnel from demolition.

Reuters reported that the play, directed by actor Alan Rickman, "was a hit in London."

No kidding. England isn't exactly known for its Judeophilia. Besides that, there are more Muslims on London streets than anyone else (to paraphrase Saddam Hussein: if you want to fight Islamic terrorism, you should start by bombing London) — so the likely ethnic makeup of the audience also had something to do with the play being a smash.

[50sDad]

Weel, this certainly lowers my opinion of Alan Rickman.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Watch Die Hard and Quigley Down Under and that should cheer you up.

[APRPEH]

before

after:

[VoiceOfBruck]

In other words, in order to end up under a bulldozer, you would have to really want to be under a bulldozer. It would have to be your life's ambition to be under a bulldozer. And if that's your life's goal, there's nothing anyone can do about it. So it's a good thing that the play's intention is to be celebratory of Corrie's life: unlike most of us, she achieved her dream and died doing what she loved: being under bulldozers.

LOL!!!! That's hysterical!

[veronica]

:)

[cibco]

You forgot the IHOP alert. ;0)

[facedown]

As am I, since I adore English comedy. I mean, let's be honest: I've seen how slowly a bulldozer moves. There's a lot of construction in my neighborhood, and my dog and I had to get out of the way of one that was heading toward us. We managed to do so 16 times before it got close. In other words, in order to end up under a bulldozer, you would have to really want to be under a bulldozer. It would have to be your life's ambition to be under a bulldozer. And if that's your life's goal, there's nothing anyone can do about it. So it's a good thing that the play's intention is to be celebratory of Corrie's life: unlike most of us, she achieved her dream and died doing what she loved: being under bulldozers.

Yikes.

[kevkrom]

I'd love to see a review that went something like this:

... As for the performace, it was somewhat marginal, though the inanity of the source material should be taken into account. Still, at the end, once things really got rolling, everything just seemed too flat.

[Jaxter]

[facedown]

OK, OK, so you can cut and paste faster than I can. 8^)

[Rummyfan]

This reviewer found the perfomance flat!

[quikdrw]

Quigley Down Under is always worth watching.

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

Articles on Israel can also be found by clicking on the Topic or Keyword Israel.

..................

[Shimmer128]

There's that "begs the question" again, used incorrectly.

[satchmodog9]

[satchmodog9]

[Stultis]

It's a one-woman show

There's the problem. If I may suggest a more accurate staging:

As Corrie is prattling away about "peace" a trap door opens behind her on the stage, from whence emerges a more or less continuous stream of Palestinians carrying guns, explosives, grenade launchers and other arms and military gear. This, along with similar activities, maybe the lynching of a "collaborator" for instance, goes on throughout the play. Corrie is seemingly oblivious to this activity. Except every once in a awhile a terrorist drops their deadly load and Corrie (without pausing in her "peace" spiel) turns around and helps the terrorist recover their burden, or a terrorist comes upstage to shake Corrie's hand and she responds with a kiss on the cheek, etc.

[Question_Assumptions]

Does the play include her showing Palestinian kids how to burn American flags?

[Designer]

"If I may suggest a more accurate staging:"

Final scene: a cardboard bulldozer enters stage right, slowly crushing "Rachel" as she sings her swan song.

(standing ovation to follow)