Re: Lifehouse

[Brian Cady <cadyb@home.com>]

> I was surprised at how
> disappointed I was in the radio play because I often
> listen to and greatly enjoy the BBC radio special on
> Lifehouse a year or two (or three?) earlier. 

My thoughts after having the book and the tapes are:

1) It really doesn't work on any level other than the subsurface level. 
It isn't entertaining, is often confusing and features such pretentious
"symbolic" dialog you'd think you're reading a sub-Strindberg play. It
starts out sad and gets more depressing as it goes along.

2) All that does work is on the level of a hidden Pete autobiography. 
The breakup between Ray and Sally, the only really emotionally affecting
thing in the piece, is so obviously based on recent discussions between
Pete and Karen.

3) You could take any of the songs out and replace them with any other
song.  They are hardly tied at all to the script.

4) Of Pete's three 1990's works, Psychoderelict, the Tommy Musical and
this, I'd say Lifehouse 1999 is his most diasppointing.

		-Brian in Atlanta