‘Why I won’t be going to see Hamilton in Australia’
I greet the news that Hamilton is coming to Australia next year with a trepidation because I hear it is also three hours long.
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I went to a show the other night and it was so short I almost passed myself leaving as I arrived. Cowboy, a theatrical dance work by Michael Smith of Gold Coast outfit The Farm was on at the new Metro Arts at West Village at West End as part of Brisbane Festival.
It was a great show but even if it hadn’t been, it was only 45 minutes long. I can do 45 minutes no worries. At last a show under an hour! I’ve been waiting for something like that for years.
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Even better, the next day I went to another Brisbane Festival event in a park at Hendra to hear Tyrone Noonan sing. I can listen to him for hours on end but due to COVID-19 his gig was just 20 minutes.
So there is an upside to the pandemic! Short shows. Don’t get me wrong, if something is really good I will hang in there. I’ve done three hours of Spartacus by the Bolshoi Ballet without any trouble.
But I greet the news that Hamilton is coming to Australia next year with a certain amount of trepidation because I hear it is also three hours long.
And I hate hip-hop music so I may be in trouble. Could they, perhaps, do an express version once a week? A 50-minute highlights show? Just a thought.
Musicals are always too long, which is why I usually sit on the end of the row near the door. Just in case.
I recall being at a musical at QPAC some years ago and being trapped in the middle of the auditorium. I was so desperate to get out I seriously considered faking a medical episode.
I reckon less is more in the theatre and unless it’s a masterpiece you really should bring it in under two hours. Ninety minutes is enough for most things though, an hour, even better.
One wonders why I go out at all sometimes. Well I can tell you why. I go out so I can come home again. It’s that simple. Then I can recline with a cup of tea and a digestive biscuit and enjoy the evening in retrospect.
Everything’s always better in retrospect, don’t you agree?