Emily Udell's "Teatro Americano" has lots of good sound but lacks a coherent script. The intro, featuring the electronic jingle from an ice cream truck a propos of nothing, sends the listener's focus in an errant direction. The first 1:00 of ambling interview doesn't contribute to the vector of the story, which is in fact about the Chicano activist play "La Victima". Actualities are disjointed – players comment on their characters before any part of the plot is explicated.
Crisp sound, of which Udell has collected plenty, is crucial to making good radio. But, like cooking without a recipe, just throwing in fresh stuff and stirring does not a story make.
At 3:00 we get a forward promo for performances in April 2005 in Chicago, which dates and places the piece such that it cannot be rebroadcast in the current form.
"La Victima" sounds like a play listeners would like to hear more about. There are compelling elements here that, restructured with focus and with a broad audience in mind, can make a solid radio piece.
Review of Teatro Americano
Geo Beach
Posted on September 13, 2005 at 04:45 PM
Emily Udell's "Teatro Americano" has lots of good sound but lacks a coherent script. The intro, featuring the electronic jingle from an ice cream truck a propos of nothing, sends the listener's focus in an errant direction. The first 1:00 of ambling interview doesn't contribute to the vector of the story, which is in fact about the Chicano activist play "La Victima". Actualities are disjointed – players comment on their characters before any part of the plot is explicated.
Crisp sound, of which Udell has collected plenty, is crucial to making good radio. But, like cooking without a recipe, just throwing in fresh stuff and stirring does not a story make.
At 3:00 we get a forward promo for performances in April 2005 in Chicago, which dates and places the piece such that it cannot be rebroadcast in the current form.
"La Victima" sounds like a play listeners would like to hear more about. There are compelling elements here that, restructured with focus and with a broad audience in mind, can make a solid radio piece.