For once the hype proved accurate. Black Watch, which closed its New York run yesterday, is every bit as good as the reviews, advertising and word of mouth had suggested. It goes to Sydney and Wellington next before returning to the US and Toronto next year (I think the next US venue is Norfolk, Virginia). If you’re in – or near – any of those cities, you’re in for a treat.
As someone who has, er, fond teenage memories of being barked at by NCOs from the Black Watch during hours of drill on the parade-ground and rather fonder recollections of cricket matches against the regiment, I’ve been looking forward for months to seeing Gregory Burke’s prize-winning play about the regiment’s experiences in Iraq during its current run in New York. Today’s good news then is that – hurrah! – I snagged one of the two remaining tickets for the shows’ final performance on, appropriately enough, Remembrance Sunday. So it’s really just a bonus that the New York reviews have been tremendous. Here’s Ben Brantley in the NYT: “Black Watch,” which
That wise owl Terry Teachout responds to the brouhaha over the revelation that Arthur Miller “deleted” his Downs-syndrome son from his life, by digging into his vast archive to retrieve the column he wrote when Gunter Grass’s youthful service in the Waffen SS came to public attention. Mr Teachout reminds us of five important principles whose application is by no means confined to artists in trouble: 1. Judging the sins of the past by the standards of the present can be a shortcut to self-righteousness. Make sure you have all the facts–and that you understand their historical context–before passing sentence. 2. Don’t lose your sense of proportion. 3.Remember the Golden