Last Friday night Stuart and I went to see the first preview performance of Martin McDonagh's new play A Very, Very, Very Dark Matter at the Bridge Theatre in London's glitzy London Bridge Quarter.
A 'comedy' stars Jim Broadbent playing Hans Christian Anderson. To us the night seemed to be childish, racist, sexist, disablist, and a third-rate pantomime. Dark? No. Offensive.
"Did you hear the one about the disabled, black, African midget locked in a box...?"
Sure we laughed. But for the wrong reasons. We laughed at it. Because lazy stereotyping should be laughed at, not with.
I hope I am wrong and I have entirely missed the point and the joke is on me and it is high satire. Not since Mr Burns at the Almeida have I felt so cross at a play. Especially a comedy!
As the Kings of the Spaniards might say, "I don't get it." #EmperorsNewClothes
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