Was Irwin played by someone else on stage, then? Looking at the Hytner article again I suppose there is one line which can be read that way, but I didn't register it at first, and had thought the whole cast the same. The idea of having Irwin become a spin doctor does seem to be a rather heavy-handed way of clarifying the point; I wanted a little more focus, sure, but that just sounds like polemic. Whereas leaving it at TV historian, especially with Frances de la Tour's comment as to what *sort* of TV historian, seems a subtler and also more general way of making the same connection. From what you say, the piece is better without that stuff - and I'm definitely glad Posner got a (slightly) happier ending.
I can very much picture 'Bye Bye Blackbird' working a lot better in the theatre, though.
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Date: 2007-03-21 07:11 pm (UTC)Was Irwin played by someone else on stage, then? Looking at the Hytner article again I suppose there is one line which can be read that way, but I didn't register it at first, and had thought the whole cast the same.
The idea of having Irwin become a spin doctor does seem to be a rather heavy-handed way of clarifying the point; I wanted a little more focus, sure, but that just sounds like polemic. Whereas leaving it at TV historian, especially with Frances de la Tour's comment as to what *sort* of TV historian, seems a subtler and also more general way of making the same connection. From what you say, the piece is better without that stuff - and I'm definitely glad Posner got a (slightly) happier ending.
I can very much picture 'Bye Bye Blackbird' working a lot better in the theatre, though.