Wake Up Mr. Foreman! Your Theatre is Boring!

I'm sorry if this offends those who think Richard Foreman is the king of avant-garde theatre, but frankly, I think his plays are pointless. Maybe I'm missing something. Maybe the point is to be pointless, and in that case, goal achieved. Apparently, I'm supposed to feel disarmed or disillusioned by his work, but all I feel is distracted and disinterested. You could easily say I'm just not smart enough or deep enough to understand, and I ain't arguing that. I may not be, but I always thought theater was supposed to be somewhat engaging and entertaining. I've now seen three of his productions and found all of them so dull and monotonous that the only thing I'm left bewildered by is why so many people profess him to be some sort of theatrical genius.

Don't misunderstand, I respect the guy. Anyone who can produce fifty shows in nearly forty years should be commended, and if there are people who get something out of them, than far be it for me to criticize, but to be completely honest, I just don't get it. And I don't think most of the critics do either. The only reason he gets such glowing reviews is that the critics are too chicken-shit to say they don't get it either. Since most of the material is so out there, all that is left for them to do is sound elitist and proclaim their reverence and awe. Again, maybe we aren't supposed to get it. In his latest program notes he says, "Relax, don't work overly hard to understand...Just stay alert and notice everything that arise and asks to be 'noticed'." That's all fair and good, if only I could stay awake, let alone alert. I'm all for probing my unconscious mind, but if I want to spend my time in an acid trip stuck somewhere in 1972, I’ll buy the drugs myself. It would certainly be a better use of my money. Or better yet, just call me Mr. Sleepy and I'll take a nap.