For the record, emeraldBLUE will always publicly contest reviews we find unfair and damaging. Below is the response to Graeme Strachan's review, published by The British Theatre Guide.
OH dear. And so the curse of the Edinburgh Fringe strikes again. That being, the use of ill-informed / inexperienced / amateur (delete as applicable) reviewers by the many publications who grace the city as the Fringe rolls into town.
I must say that I am disappointed to find I now regard the British Theatre Guide as part of that cohort. Blame Graeme Strachan's rather lazy take on Silence In Court, at the New Town Theatre.
As someone who works in both the media and the arts, I feel it is imperative that such damaging reviews are challenged publicly. So, let's take Strachan's ramblings one at a time.
He writes, 'for anyone with the slightest inkling of the legal process, the entire affair is a shambolic mess of incorrect procedures and legal misteps.'
Wrong. It may surprise him to know that Silence In Court has developed a cult following on the Scottish legal scene with barristers and court officials commending the accuracy of the script and way in which the characters are portrayed.
Take a scan of the public reviews on the Edinburgh Fringe website for example, and you will find:
'It [Silence In Court] is extremely contemporary legally and very cleverly done. The acting is exemplary (I have a legal background and thus an extensive experience of different courtrooms and can honestly say that there is no difference between this 'court' and any Crown Court in this country). This is especially so given that a significant part of the piece is impromptu with jurors getting to ask questions of those giving evidence and the answers they provided were wholly convincing.- David Barrett
Given the choice between respecting the opinion of of someone working in the legal system and a 'reviewer,' until now unheard of, well, I know who I would listen too. Strachan may also be interested to know that the script was developed with people who work daily, in the court system.
Next, he writes, 'Taking for granted that despite the Scottish cast, and setting, these are the Engish [SIC] Court procedures and styles.'
How misguided. As stated in the programme, the court procedures are drawn from a number of legal processes from around the world. These are then merged to create a 'fictional' mock court, which is "anywhere, somewhere, nowhere."
As I said, all this is stated in the programme, if only he had bothered to read it.
The jury also get to cross-examine the accused and accuser in this production - I'd like to sit in the public gallery of the English (and there is an 'l' in English) court in which Strachan last saw that happen. Although, from his review, I doubt that he has ever experienced a Court Room. I am happy to be corrected on that mater.
Highlighting the Scottish cast... well, I find it worrying that he should get hung up on the nationality of the actors. They are actors, not Scottish actors, and, just for the record, not all of them are Scottish.
But perhaps the comment that highlights Strachan's amateur approach to reviewing is his final line, which gives away the ending of the piece however he may attempt to couch it otherwise. Unforgivable.
Of course, the reviewer is not alone in all this. In my other capacity as the Arts and Entertainment Editor of the Edinburgh Evening News, I have a unique poacher-come-gamekeeper insight into the world of theatre. As such, I see it as my responsibility to ensure that reviewers I dispatch to see works have an understanding of the art form they are covering.
It allows my readers to have confidence in their reviews. They write with authority.
I wonder if Strachan is at all familiar with Forum Theatre and, if not, why he was asked to see Silence In Court.
A sad day for the British Theatre Guide then. You do yourself and your readers a great disservice with such reviews and only weaken the authority with which you comment.
Silence In Court will shortly undertake a European Tour and we are in negotiations to tour England. The show has also received FIVE STAR reviews from established critics.
Perhaps Strachan would be best served writing about the world of video games and beer festivals, which he highlights so proudly in his biography on your site. I'm sure he writes with authority on those topics.
