I have recently written to the Student about my negative experience seeing the juke-box musical The Bodyguard at the Edinburgh Playhouse. To summarise my negative experience, the musical was amazing, but the rowdy audience members sitting next to me were problematic — singing, talking, eating loudly, and using their phone flashlights during the performance.
I wondered if this was a rare experience. So, when I went home for Easter to my hometown of Bratislava, Slovakia, I decided to go and see the Slovak version of The Bodyguard. The price of the tickets was similar, around 30 pounds, however in the Playhouse I was in the back row of stalls and here I was in the front row of the balcony. I deduced from this that the profit made was much higher for the UK tour of the musical.
At the entrance, I showed my ticket and was let in without any security checks, which was different to the Playhouse experience. I was surprised that no signs and announcements mentioned not to sing along with the actors, and I was worried my experience might repeat, however I quickly figured why when the first song came. All the Whitney Houston songs were translated into Slovak. Why? I guess the answer is that the songs tell part of the story, and you cannot expect the Slovak audience to speak English. This meant the songs, while okay, had no energy compared to the ones in the UK tour of the musical. The audience behaviour was also different. People treated the show as a unique and special event. Theatre culture is not that big in Slovakia, and although the prices were similar, the wages are lower, and a theatre visit might be a rare occasion for an average Slovak.
Other aspects of the musical were acceptable considering the fact that the production is smaller, however at some points it felt as if I was watching a high-school production. The choreography was weak and the wardrobe gave the feeling of being bought in a cheap fast fashion clothing store. The musical is about a wealthy and famous singer that goes to the Oscars, and the costumes therefore left much to be desired.
But why was there such a big difference in the quality of the productions? Is it the lack of funding or lesser expectations of a Slovakian society that has most likely not seen a musical in a foreign country? Could it be the smaller amount of talent available to choose from in a smaller country — or the quality of education in universities?
While there was a standing ovation and the cast bowed at least 7 times, I was sitting and clapping in my seat. Did I get used to UK-touring musicals and do I expect more to be achieved from smaller productions?
I do not think there is one answer and I believe that the ‘problem’ is more complex. Issues include the lack of funding, low wages, and the need for changes and development. I do not want to say that the state of Slovak theatre is bad — I have seen productions that I have enjoyed — but I believe I realised that differences exist.
Image ‘Jukebox Jive’ by Jeff H Blum is licensed under CC BY 2.0.