After seeing Blasted at SoHo Rep, I knew I had to speak about it, trying to convey my unabashed enthusiasm for this powerful play as a countermeasure against the backlash that such graphic productions often get. Yes, there is extreme violence, methodically, hyper-realistically depicted by director Sarah Benson, but just like any double-sided coin, it's necessary to wholly embrace and evoke this darkness in order to show the light at the other end, too. And so I thought I'd speak as a reminder of just why it's worth crawling through Sarah Kane's increasingly fragmented work. But, talk about coincidence: Stephen Daldry was there to talk about Billy Elliot, and reminded me that when he'd been artistic director for Royal Court ('92-'98), he'd actually commissioned Blasted, and been a huge supporter for the young talents (Kane was 23 when she wrote Blasted, her first play). His attention is turned now more toward helping young actors--there are three Billy Elliots alternating in the Broadway musical--but it's the distinguished mark of a director who sees potential and seeks to help it grow.
