I had the pleasure of attending the Halifax County Little Theatre's production of the musical revue show, Smokey Joe's Cafe. I really enjoyed the show. It showcased local talent in a very positive light. I commend the group for the courage to tackle a show that relies completely on music with very little dialog.
I'm a musical theatre fan, and while this production isn't on par with Broadway or any national touring company productions, it was an extraordinary performance for an amateur troupe.
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7 comments:
On behalf of Halifax County Little Theatre, I would like to point out that, by contract, we are forbidden to record, in any form, any part of any performance of Smokey Joe's Cafe. We have upheld our contractual obligations to the best of our ability, and respectfully ask that you remove the recording, illegally made, of the song "In The Neighborhood"from UTube and this website.
Thank you for recommending the show to readers. I must say, however, that your constructive criticism would have been much more effective and would have seemed much kinder had it been offered privately to anyone directly involved with the production, don't you think?
Sincerely,
Sandy Slayton, President, Halifax County Little Theatre
I have removed the video from this site and deleted it from youtube.com. I was not aware that the recording was made illegally, and I apologize.
Also, I didn't see any harm in my constructive criticism, but at your request I have deleted that from my post as well. I hope you will pass it along to those who might see it for what it was--a way to improve the troupe. That is truly the spirit in which they were offered and it was my honest opinion about the show. Anything less would've read like a press release instead of an honest review.
I guess the old adage, "everyone is a critic," is true. However, I will refrain from reviewing future HCLT productions, even though I will continue to attend and enjoy them.
Thank you for reading the blog and for pointing out my faux pas. I hope I haven't caused any irreparable harm to you or HCLT.
Sincerely,
HN
HN,
Thank you for removing the video. I had posted the link to your blog on halifaxtalk.com, and didn't realize the firestorm it would unleash.
I apologize to everyone; you, Ms. Slayton, and HCLT.
AndyR
I understand what they are saying about the contract. Is there is written prohibition in the program or otherwise posted so that others know of the illegality of such recordings?
I honestly fail to see the big deal about th comments. I thought you made reasonable comments, and are certainly not the first person to post a video on YouTube. I felt that the constructive criticism was totally appropriate, and further I think you are the one that is owed an apology from Sandy Slayton.
I cannot believe that she honestly thinks that all criticisms should be offered only to those "directly involved in the production". That is silly.
Anonymous,
Thanks for reading the blog and for your comment.
HN
Thank you for removing the video. Our programs always state that any recording is not permitted, and we always announce the same before every show. People don't always understand why this is such a big deal to us, but we could be fined, forced to close the show immediately, or both if we were found to be in violation of our contract. These contracts are VERY specific; in this case we were not even allowed to videotape dance rehearsals for the purpose of helping the actors learn the steps.
If I overreacted to your constructive criticism I do apologize. I did, in fact, appreciate the things you said, and I hope as a result the upcoming performances will be even better. It's just that for the most part, those helping backstage in whatever capacity, as well as those onstage, are all volunteers, many of them doing something new and challenging to them. I just hated to think of how they would feel reading your constructive criticism in such a public forum, or hearing about it as part of the public buzz of the show. It could be that it didn't even bother anyone but me.
You're right, an honest review is a valuable tool for improving whatever we do. We can write our own press releases; we'll have to adjust to hearing real views expressed openly. Keep writing; we can take it.
Sandy,
Thank you for the very gracious reply. I wish you and everyone else involved with HCLT all the success in the world.
I understand that you are all volunteers and I meant no disrespect at all with my comments. I've been volunteering off and on for most of my life, so I understand what a selfless and sometimes thankless job it can be.
To me, the benefit of contributing to a group like HCLT is that the end product is more than the sum of it's parts. Your Smokey Joe's production is really very good and everyone involved should be very, very proud of what they've accomplished.
I look forward to hearing what you guys will be performing next season. If you will include me on the distribution list for that press release, I'd be more than happy to post about it here on my blog. Of course I'm hoping for more musicals!
Break a leg!
HN
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