rOcKS @ 'The Pitmen Painters'

[WiCkEDrOcKS]

Posted: 11/13/10 at 12:02pm

Saw it on Thursday. Some very brief thoughts:

It's well-written, often funny, develops some interesting characters, but never becomes anything original. All of the art-related questions raised in this show have been raised time and time again. "What is art?", "who 'creates' art? the viewer or the artist?", plus the whole art vs commerce issue, etc. It really had nothing new or urgent to say.

The second act is much weaker than the first. The laughs all seem to derive from the same place, and after a while they become less and less funny (ie insulting the younger miner's knowledge, the idea that these men were so uneducated about art...).

But it is relatively enjoyable, even if it is kind of mundane. Technically, it is well-developed, I just never thought it really came to life. The cast is not to blame, though, as they were each sensational. I thought the acting was wonderful. As was the direction which moved the action along nicely. It's not like the play is BAD, I just found it to be uninspired and unoriginal.

The geriatrics seemed to eat it up though.

**1/2 out of ****