Quote: Harridan @ October 12 2013, 11:51 PM BST
It wasn't a static camera, the recording wasn't too bad, it was just the overacting. I get that the process of stage-acting is different because there are limitations in what you can convey to a large crowd, but I've been to plenty of good performances where the acting is wonderful. What I find very odd is that they all overact in the same way - that kind of stage-school child actor kind of acting.
Maybe the average level of stage acting has dropped off then? I never go to plays any more since I left London 15 years ago. You'd get good stuff at the National, Almeida, Bush, Hampstead, Lyric in Hammersmith, Riverside, Old Red Lion etc.
Or maybe better TV acting - imported US drama for instance - has made us more critical of theatre acting?
Maybe the production you just saw was badly directed? So it could be that the quality of directors has declined? I'd imagine that pay for theatre directors is fairly low, and the good ones are quickly tempted by TV/Film/Ads.
It's an interesting topic, and an important one.