Jake Greenberg
IDC 1001H
Professor Sheehan Saldana
Nov 20, 2013
Feature Article: We want the Boobies?
I scream, you scream, we all scream for…Boobies? When going to the BAM (Brooklyn Academy of Music) to see Nosferatu, there are certain things that you expect to see, boobs is not one…or two of them. Yes, Nosferatu and all of the Dracula spin offs do have sexual innuendos, but it is just that, an innuendo. Why did the director feel it necessary to make his interpretation of Nosferatu different with overblown sex conversations and naked women? Is it due to the acronym for the theatre and a feeling that he must do something that makes you say, “BAM”? The repetition of common themes or story lines throughout all of New York City’s show houses shows a lack of creative thinking. Rather than deal with this problem, directors throughout the city have incorporated sex appeal into shows in order to keep peoples attention, even if it destroys the story line.
In 21st Century America, sex, in many forms, has leaked into countless facets of society. Part of art is being able to adapt to the changing attitudes of the times, but to what extent? It is all about the how. There is nothing wrong with incorporating nudity and sexually driven conversations in old stories to modernize them, but it should be done artfully. Half way through the show audience members actually turned to me and asked, “I thought we were here to see Nosferatu?” There is a problem when the use of sex engulfs the actual essence of the story trying to be portrayed. The director focused so much on bringing blatant seduction and bareness to the show that it took away from the performance, rather than complementing it.
Then there is the right way to do things. In another example of “bringing sexy back”, to quote Justin Timberlake, the Tennessee Williams classic, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, introduces Scarlett Johansson into the show to bring that sex appeal. The knowledge that Ms. Johansson was in it was enough for my father to attend the show, which shows that incorporating sex appeal can help popularity. The difference in this instance, however, is that upon returning from the show my father’s response was, “Wow, that show was great, the performance was so well put together. Oh, and Jake, Scarlett looked great.” That is what should be achieved from accommodating the tastes of the day and age, a hook to the show, not an anchor.
Another performance that was able to push the boundaries of what is acceptable on stage is Avenue Q, which discusses everything from Internet porn, to racism. Again, this entire show was able to make this balance because they weren’t trying to be something it’s not. This was a newly made idea that’s story was based on covering many of the hot topics in today’s media outlet. I’m sure many people during this show leaned over to their neighbor and asked, “What is this?” just like in Nosferatu, but because it is such a fresh and revealing spectacle, than because it had been a part of a bait and switch performance.
What it comes down to is that it isn’t fair to the audience to receive false advertising. Many directors have found ways, whether it is difficult or not, to accommodate the changing tastes of the public without selling-out the idea of the show. Partly because they weave it into the presentation rather than just throw it in randomly and tastelessly; partly because they advertise the changes so people can expect a certain style, rather than be distastefully surprised with an act that in no way touches on the title it hides under.
Is it too much to ask not to be lied too? People still would show up to classics like Nosferatu because of how great of a story it already is. Is this an assumption? NO, because the theatre was filled with people who willingly bought tickets to the show, expecting a version of the classical Nosferatu. A show like Cat on a Hot Tin Roof does have the room to allow a new, sexy swing on the story because the original story still had that play in it. Some stories just can’t have sex weaved into them. Those kinds of shows have appeal for that reason and to instead try to inject sex into the story will not turn out well.
It was perceptive and understandable why Grzegorz Jarzyna saw that sex appeal is a big drive for people’s attention in the New York City area, but he didn’t pick up on how to take that information in a way to benefit his theatrical display. It was a great initial idea by Jarzyna, making a vampire story sexy just like so many successful run offs, starting with Buffy the Vampire Slayer all the way up to Twilight. The difference is that they are run-offs, they in no way strain to pretend to be the original Dracula or Nosferatu. In his play he only threw sex in at random moments that only confused the audience and in no way furthered the plot. It was intended humorously, but this story is not meant to be a comedy and clearly wasn’t able to adapt into that role.
Admittedly, although shows are forms of art, they are also forms of business. That being said, if the only thing that makes a show worth coming to see is the actors and actresses indulging in sexual activities and attitudes, then that director is in the wrong form of directing. There are plenty of lucrative fields in which actors and actress’ nudity will achieve the required satisfaction in viewers, but the stage is not one of them.
