I have a hunch about why The Hills of California, by one of my favorite living British playwrights, Jez Butterworth, keeps appearing on TDF.
Hills takes place in northern England, Yorkshire country. I find the Yorkshire accent impenetrable and suspect that many theatergoers do, and spread negative word-of-mouth.
Last night I understood maybe 5% of the dialog in the first act of Hills. (Same problem several years ago with the Yorkshire accents in Hangmen, by my very favorite living British playwright, Martin McDonagh.)
Years ago, Germans often spoke with clear British accents in English language films. Why can't non-traditional casting in New York theater extend to accents? If Yorkshire accents must remain, how about supertitles? |
