This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/nov/02/spill-festival-best-little-whorehouse-texas-ipswich-review

The article has changed 2 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Spill festival review – riotously entertaining with plenty of surprises Spill festival review – riotously entertaining with plenty of surprises
(35 minutes later)
Anyone turning up at the New Wolsey theatre on Friday for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, best known for its movie incarnation with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, was in for a surprise. But then part of the pleasure of the Spill festival of Performance is its ability to defy expectations: even its location in Suffolk makes a statement about the place of live art and where audiences can be found.Anyone turning up at the New Wolsey theatre on Friday for The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, best known for its movie incarnation with Dolly Parton and Burt Reynolds, was in for a surprise. But then part of the pleasure of the Spill festival of Performance is its ability to defy expectations: even its location in Suffolk makes a statement about the place of live art and where audiences can be found.
Its takeover of spaces throughout Ipswich was full of unexpected juxtapositions, not least the blowing up of a cardboard replica of Holyroodhouse out the back of a building that had been the town’s police station. When Harry Giles first proposed the idea, his local Edinburgh police force popped round to check he wasn’t a terrorist.Its takeover of spaces throughout Ipswich was full of unexpected juxtapositions, not least the blowing up of a cardboard replica of Holyroodhouse out the back of a building that had been the town’s police station. When Harry Giles first proposed the idea, his local Edinburgh police force popped round to check he wasn’t a terrorist.
In the end, I Want to Blow up the Palace of Holyroodhouse went with less of a bang than a genteel pop, but its mere presence at a former site of authority made a statement. As did other works, including Jamal Harewood’s The Privileged which turned the basement into a polar bear pen where the audience, following instructions, pet and feed the animal. What begins apparently playfully becomes an extraordinary charged and disturbing meditation on cultural stereotypes and perceptions and fears of the black male. In the end, I Want to Blow up the Palace of Holyroodhouse went with less of a bang than a genteel pop, but its mere presence at a former site of authority made a statement. As did other works, including Jamal Harewood’s The Privileged, which turned the basement into a polar bear pen where the audience, following instructions, pet and feed the animal. What begins apparently playfully becomes an extraordinary charged and disturbing meditation on cultural stereotypes and perceptions and fears relating to the black male.
Questions around space also haunted Getinthebackofthevan’s live art community musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (pictured), played out on the main stage of a regional repertory theatre. A gender-bending reinvention of the show, including one-on-one interludes – its very presence on that stage raised issues around legitimacy, what we value culturally and who owns and holds particular spaces and where different kinds of art can take place. Riotously entertaining, its real surprise was the revelation that the live art community boasts quite so many musical theatre divas. Questions around space also haunted Getinthebackofthevan’s live art community musical, The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (pictured), played out on the main stage of a regional repertory theatre. A gender-bending reinvention of the show, including one-on-one interludes – its very presence on that stage raised issues around legitimacy, what we value culturally and who owns and holds particular spaces and where different kinds of art can take place. Riotously entertaining, its real surprise was the revelation that the live art community boasts quite so many musical theatre divas.