I stumbled across this interesting bit of praise for “The Wrestler” amid Variety’s typically dense Award Central section. The high marks come from Broadway director Diane Paulus, who is set to open a revival of “Hair” on March 5. I love her equation of professional wrestling to “one of the most powerful expressions of theater of our time.”
Too often I think those who would rather bash wrestling for not being a “sport” per se miss the point that it is a brand of entertainment, a level of performance and worth plenty more than the uneducated, back-handed swipe it so often receives. Thankfully, Darren Aronofsky and Robert D. Siegel understood that. It’s refreshing to see someone like Paulus does as well:
I have been fascinated by the world of professional wrestling for years. I believe that when theater in the 20th century is studied from the vantage point of 500 years from now, professional wrestling — and in particular, the heyday of 1980s wrestling — will emerge as one of the most powerful expressions of theater of our time. So, to watch Darren Aronofsky’s “The Wrestler” is to experience a long overdue homage to the power of professional wrestling. The film gets at the guts of what drives the allure of the ring for Randy “the Ram” Robinson — and through the charisma of Randy “the Ram” what draws in the bloodlust-driven spectators.