Letters to the editor
JUDY MELBOURNE: I am sure if David Washington had experienced the same sort of loss of their children that the Beaumont parents did, or in fact the loss of any child, then he too certainly would not appreciate an opera being written which was “loosely” based on their experience (Arts debate: who’s exploiting who?, InDaily, 14 October 2013). Just think of them just for a few moments! Maybe in 100 years it would be different, but certainly not now.
CAROL FAULKNER: It doesn’t really matter what you or I think of turning the Beaumont tragedy into an opera. We can debate its appropriateness and artistic value but at the end of the day we probably won’t give it a second thought. If anything is playing on our minds as we drift off to sleep it’s likely to be the electricity bill or tomorrow’s hectic schedule.
Not so Jim and Nancy Beaumont. As a parent, I can’t help but put myself in their shoes and imagine the fresh hell this might drag up for them. Yes, tragedy is opera’s mainstay, but I can’t think of another example that would have such a personal connection to persons living. Picasso’s painting Guernica is not quite the same thing.
If the Beaumonts were consulted and gave the project their blessing, the critics would be silenced and the controversy quashed. That the producers didn’t do so is in my opinion an unfortunate omission.
You might like
K. FREDERICK: Personally I think the Beaumont case is still ongoing and unresolved and shouldn’t be made into an art form especially as the parents are still alive and suffering daily with their memories.
ROB SILVA: Liam Mannix’s ‘glassings’ article (‘Glassings’ mostly happen at home: study, InDaily 14 October 2013) starts off with: “A new study finds most glassing incidents happen at home rather than at licenced premises, raising questions about the State Government’s new glassware restrictions”.
Let me try and put this in a more pragmatic perspective: the glassware restrictions are yet another measure designed to improve the safety of venues without addressing the source of unsafety, namely the inadequately supervised consumption of alcohol. Imagine, for a moment, if the managers of the late night venues had to treat the patrons under the same OH&S laws as if they were employees. Suddenly ‘responsible service of alcohol’ would take on a whole new meaning. Vibrancy lost methinks.
Send us letters via email to [email protected], including your full name. The editor reserves the right to edit letters.
Or join the discussion on our Facebook page.
Want to see more stories from InDaily SA in your Google search results?
- Click here to set InDaily SA as a preferred source.
- Tick the box next to "InDaily SA". That's it.
