[Mb-hair] STUFF HAPPENS

[Michael Butler]

STUFF HAPPENS
 
Yesterday I saw the final performance of STUFF HAPPENS by David Hare. Gordon
Davidson directed this American Premiere, starring Keith Carradine
 
It was a triple-header for me. The subject referred to the famous words,
³stuff happens² uttered by our Secretary of Defense (original named War by
our founding fathers). Donald Rumsfeld was referring to press queries about
the trashing of Baghdad. The wholesale destruction of great portions of the
city. Demolished in particular were sites of great cultural importance to
the world. Libraries and museums wiped out at the site of the world¹s oldest
civilizations. Nothing so devastating had happened there since the Mongols
centuries ago. So our SOD said, ³stuff happens².
 
The super British playwright David Hare wrote this play. It opened last year
in London. It has an important slant of Britain¹s Tony Blair¹s involvement
with glancing references to the ŒDowning Street Papers¹ so recently
sidetracked in the US by the Rovegate scandals. It is a shame as those
revelations are of critical importance to knowledge of how the people of the
US and UK were set up for the invasion of Iraq.
 
I was really interested to see what the great Gordon Davidson was going to
present as his final directorial effort for the Center Theatre group at the
Mark Taper Forum. Davidson¹s tenure at the Taper has been as long as the
history of HAIR. I have had the opportunity of watching the wonderful work
of this theatrical icon during my period of producing. I have had such
respect for his pushing the envelope.
So rather than a classic Shakespeare, he presented a classic tragedy of
today¹s hubris.
 
Thirdly, I had the pleasure of seeing Keith Carradine perform as President
George W. Bush. I wanted to see Keith handle such a difficult role. We were
together in HAIR. I had seen him in many other roles since and have great
respect for his work. Once again he did a superb job, alternating between
the Bush machismo, which impressed so many and the Bush arrogance dismayed
by the most.
 
So what can I tell you about STUFF HAPPENS? I am not a critic and don¹t know
quite how to put to words what I saw. It is a great theatre piece, long in
time but short in space. One wanted to hear every word as so much was said.
The design (Ming Cho Lee) was very appropriate to the piece. You felt like
you were witnessing history being made. Great work was done by others
playing Cheney (Dakin Matthews), Rice (Lorraine Toussaint) and Rumsfeld
(John Michael Higgins). Blair (Julian Sands) and Wolfowitz (Kip Gilman) were
portrayed. Powell (Tyrees Allen) was outstanding. Not to forget de Villepin
(Stephen Spinella), and thanks to the Producer Ann E. Wareham.
 
My greatest regret is that this piece is not going to tour over the country.
 
To aid your insight I have scanned and attach the pertinent segments of text
from the playbill. STUFF HAPPENS is a history lesson in and of itself, which
you will find interesting. For those who cannot download the attachment I am
going to ask Nina Dayton, Archivist of HAIR to put it on the site.
http://www.michaelbutler.com/files/STUFFHAPPENS.PDF
 
 

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