Recorded earlier today as part of WQXR's "Conducting Business" series. Chaired by Naomi Lewin, a panel consisting of: ENO's John Berry, Parterre Box's James Jorden, and the Washington Post's Anne Midgette discuss Deutsche Oper am Rhein's "controversial" Tannhauser and a certain form of Regietheater in general.For clarification, the term "Eurotrash" is being used extensively in some debates (although oddly, few seem to be debating the impact any of this might have on the living members, and their ancestors, of those many groups that suffered the sort of death and torture that was described in the production. Apart that is, however briefly, one of those groups itself). For europeans, and especially those in the UK confused by the term, it appears commentators are not using it to refer to the TV program presented by Antoine de Caunes and Jean-Paul Gaultier. Instead, it seems to be loosely applied in three different ways. For those supportive, of the Regietheater movement it appears to be used when the production in someway "goes wrong" (this is how WQXR's editorial seems to use it). However, for those highly critical of Regietheater, "Eurotrash" seems to be interchangeable with the term "Regie" and is used in a derogatory manner - as indeed is the abbreviated "Regie". Finally, there seems to be an another group that use the term to describe, oddly enough, productions that have a certain visual and narrative aesthetic as defined in the movies of Andy Warhol and Russ Myer.
Note: unless there is some discussion from any group (especially Jewish groups) directly impacted by Nazi atrocities, we intend to carry no more on this story. Please do not ask.
