REVIEW: Devil's Disciple @ Shaw Festival

[Richard Plant]

David Akin:
 
It's great to have you providing a commentary on the theatre. I'd like to
add a comment myself. Please don't take my point as in any way meant to
detract from the vlaue of your review in helping launch a bit more
discussion of theatre.
I note an often found pejorative use of the term melodrama. I wonder what
have you got against melodrama? Might it be that you are referring
to ineffective melodrama as opposed to the genre in whole? Hamlet,
several of Euripides' plays, and countless others can be seen to have a
close affinity to melodrama, drawing considerable power from melodramatic
apsects. Moreover, there are many melodramas, particularly from the 19th
century, whose performance by strong companies made powerful impacts on
their audiences. In short, the source of the problem might not be
melodrama, but a weakness in approach or production elements.
 
Richard Plant