OK, the theatre isn't quite finished yet, but it looks like the tower is, and I can't wait any longer to give my opinion on it.
It is quite possibly the blandest, most uninspiring ugly monolyth we could have been given. I was one of the first to say it looked like a firetower in the plans, before it was even built. Now more and more people have come to the same conclusion and regularly refer to it as the RSC fire tower.
I do get incredibly sick of listening to myself complain about the poor design decisions in STratford, and it's easy to think it must be me that has the problem. But no, I have to remind myself that pretty much everyone shares my sentiments.
Who came up with this "design" if it can even be called that. It is so uninspiring it makes brutalism look positively flamboyant and original. I honestly can't get my head around the fact that whoever approved this design thought "wow this is worth building, and everyone will love it". Most heartbreakingly for me, my favourite place to go for lunch (in Shakespeare's garden) now has its skyline dominated with this ugly giant box.
Worst of all, we're absolutely stuck with it now. That and the bankcroft gardens have led me to believe that whoever is responsible for these decisions should be fired. The whole thing is a shambles and so embarrassingly bad, I don't have the words to describe just how awful I think it looks.
I do have some ideas on how to save this monstrosity. But I need to get hold of a digital camera first. More on this soon.
Bookmarks