Thanks, Sarah Kane, for making me gag, cringe, and choke from your grave. It is truly an art form to render an entire theatre speechless with a play lasting only an hour and forty five.
I was interested in this play since we had learned so much about Kane in our class. I knew her plays dealt with extreme themes, but, naively enough, I figured nothing could be worse than stoning a baby to death on stage. Yet here comes Kane, delivering blow after gruesome blow in her play Blasted. By the end of it, I did not blame my flatmate for deciding not to attend the play. It was a little too much for my Monday night.
From the second the older man whipped out his penis and asked the girl to "Put your mouth on it", I knew it could only go downhill from there. Of course, it did. It was a little too much, personally, and very disturbing. The dialogue felt a tad rushed and it seemed as though the characters were just speaking in circles. At first I thought it was just going to be a play about two lovers quarreling and the Cate trying to get away from the relationship she was having with Ian but apparently it was not going to be that simple. Instead we got scenes of rape, blowjobs, stutter-yelling, hand-jobs, fights, and so much blood. The only bit that was slightly comical was when the solider began eating the breakfasts. But then it dragged on way too long. I whispered to Kristin that I felt I was watching a Family Guy tangent. She whispered back, laughing, that it meant this actor ate two full breakfasts every time they performed. That's a lot of eggs.
I felt as though Kane was writing the play and thought, "Well, what other disgusting shit can I cram into this play?" So she added a bit on anal-rape, baby eating, and eye gouging. I could feel my supper wanting to make a return but instead I looked away. I definitely would not take ANYONE to see this play, unless they truly felt like seeing something twisted. Perhaps it's due to the fact that you can see the actors so clearly which makes it all that more disturbing. If it was all on film, perhaps it would not have been as shocking. Regardless, I had to listen to happy music to cleanse myself.
Thanks, Dr Q, for the opportunity to see something I normally would not have seen.
Jacqueline Lopez
UCSB
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Text message to Lilia G. at 8:00 pm, Monday 15 November: "What. The. Fuck?"
What a brilliant response. Yes, I was thinking about how much food the actor playing the soldier has to consume, especially when there's a matinee as well. Still, he gets paid, and he doesn't need to do any shopping. Fancy getting all the food you need onstage, including a couple of eyes! I like your honesty and I like your style. Happy music duly cleansing, I hope! Brilliant. Dr Q
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