On the Verge

On the Verge

            On the Verge is a play that appears to transcend time. It is basically a play about three adventurous Victorian ladies and their trek through Africa and the world that starts in the late 1800’s and ends up in the 1950’s. Throughout their journey, the three meet and develop a particular relationship with eight separate characters. For this play, I intend to develop a new and unusual poster that will encompass all the characters and different aspects of this production.           

The poster would have the three ladies standing in a sandy desert on the edge of a jungle. The first lady, Mary, would be dressed in a Victorian skirt and blouse with a bonnet on her head and a scythe in her hand so that she could cut down the jungle. The second lady, Alex, would be dressed in flowing trousers and a silk blouse and a pen in her hand so that she can be prepared to write lyrics. Fannie, the third lady would be dressed in a 1950’s style dress would sturdy shoes and  a bowl a Cool Whip in her hands so that she could partake of the frothy delight at her pleasure. The eight characters that the ladies meet in the course of their journey would be on the edge of the jungle, facing the three women. Each of the eight would be portrayed in their costumes and ready to meet the three. On this poster, there will be a quote from the play that I believe will portray the feeling, determination, and substance of each of the three ladies.

            The quote that I believe portrays the true grit and determination of Mary, Fanny, and Alex is “Ladies, shall we whack the bush?” It appears that Mary uses this quote whenever she is determined to press forward despite any and all obstacles the three women encounter. As they “whack the bush,” the three are whacking all their troubles and misconceptions away from their lives. The quote will be across the bottom of the poster, scrawled diagonally in a large, cursive script, such as a Victorian lady would use.

            One important aspect to remember is that Mr. Coffee could be considered as a fourth main character. It appears to me that he is a catalyst in this production in that he forces Fannie to think about her past, present, and future. He can be compared to Charles Dicken’s “Spirit” in Scrooge. Mr. Coffee represents the spirit world to Fannie and should be depicted as a silver-haired gentleman in a white suit. He may be a spirit but he appears to Fannie as someone from the era of the 1940’s and 1950’s. In the same vein, Nicky Paradise can be shown as a swanky, dark-haired gentleman dressed in a dark gray suit, such as those worn by mobsters in the 1940’s and 1950’s. These two gentlemen would be illustrated in this mode on the poster. 

All the King's Men

All The King’s Men

            The play, All The King’s Men is written by Adrian Hall and based on the book of the same name by Robert Penn Warner. This play script was obtained by LSU’s Swine Palace Theatre and is one that is making the rounds of college and professional theatres. It is currently slated to open on Thursday, April 18, 2013 at the Swine palace on LSU’s Campus. When attempting to reference the play, All The King’s Men, the only data that could be obtained was information on the book. The play was definitely developed sometime after Warner’s book was published. It basically maintains the same format of the book, and I wonder if Warner might have collaborated with Hall on this script.   

            Warner, then Hall developed a story that is loosely based on the life of former Governor Huey P. Long of Louisiana and was often referred to as “The Boss” like the main character, Willie Stark, in this play. Stark is portrayed as a populist Governor, who starts out as an idealistic lawyer and ends up cynical, corrupt, and powerful. Stark, like Long, is assassinated by a physician in the halls of the state capitol. What happens to Stark and his development into the charismatic politician that he became, is the basis of the play, and the book. The play picks up with Stark already having developed into the charismatic politician that he had become. Stark has been having an affair with Anne Stanton, the daughter of the former Governor Stanton. The present Lieutenant Governor Tiny Duffy informs Anne’s brother, Adam Stanton, a physician and a political opponent of Stark that Stark has been sleeping with his sister. Adam is enraged and ambushes Stark in the halls of the state capitol, where he shoots and kills the governor and is then shot and killed by Stark’s bodyguards. The play is seen through the eyes of Jack Burden, an aide to Governor Stark and a former newspaper journalist. Burden is attempting to reveal the true character of Willie Stark and the pull that he has on John Q. Public.

            There are at least two dramaturgical choices that the playwright, Adrian Hall makes in order to highlight the material in a more dramatic and theatrical sense so that the audience can understand and be drawn into the plot. One is when Jack Burden visits Judge Irwin to inform him that if he continues to support Stark’s opponent, then the public will learn the truth regarding recent activities of the Judge’s son. Another is when Jack Burden finds out from his mother that Judge Irwin was his father; this occurs after the Judge’s suicide which happened after Jack’s visit to him.

            Judge Irwin is portrayed as a long-time friend of Jack’s mother. When Jack’s father abandoned the family when Jack was six, Judge Irwin stepped in and became a surrogate father and mentor to Jack. One can fast-forward years later to Jack’s visit with the Judge on behalf of Stark. Jack is torn between his duty to his boss, Willie Stark, and his admiration and devotion to his mentor, Judge Irwin. Jack banters back and forth with the judge, but in the end, lays down the rules and informs the Judge of his options. The Judge decides to end his life rather than give in to Stark.

            Jack, upon hearing of Irwin’s death at his own hands, realizes that he must have driven Irwin to this heinous act.  Jack is guilt-ridden, and confronts his mother where he then learns the true nature of the relationship between himself and the Judge, that of father and son. Jack is torn and even feels more guilt. Jack comes to resent his boss, the Governor, and eventually resigns. Jack, like Stark before him, has lost his idealistic nature.

            Hall has drawn the audience into the plots and subplots of the play. Another subplot was that of the relationship between Jack Burden and Anne Stanton; they were childhood sweethearts. The play is filled with intrigue, mystery, and drama, as well as murder. Hall accomplished his goal of maintaining the audience’s interest throughout the play.

Detroit--A City

Why Detroit?

            Detroit, Michigan is a mid-sized city situated in the heartland or mid-America.  It is a synonym for your average American city with all the trials and joys of city life. Lisa D’Amour has created a neighborhood in this typical city to highlight the trials and tribulations of a middle-class couple and their new neighbors, a down-on-luck couple. They are living in a declining neighborhood. Mary is a woman with an alcohol problem and Ben is a banker who has been terminated; they start to develop a relationship and a friendship with Kenny, a contractor, and Sharon, his wife. Kenny and Sharon have just been released from a rehab center that deals in substance abuse. This is the basis for the play, Detroit. D’Amour has chosen the title “Detroit” because she view the city of Detroit as an anonymous city filled with people similar to her characters.

            Detroit is an interesting play that appears to deal with the deterioration of the average American couple and their marriage due to circumstance in their lives. Mary has turned to alcohol in order to avoid the pitfalls of her life and marriage. Ben has lost his job and is attempting to start his own financial business, but Mary believes that he should be further along in the process. The issue of substance abuse in modern American life is an issue that is faced by many in cities throughout this country. The declining economy is also highlighted by D’Amour when she has Sharon and Kenny discussing the loss of Kenny’s job and the fact that Ben has been laid off due to budget cuts at his job. This occurs every day in every city. Detroit is an allusion to cities everywhere in the United States. Couples can and do overcome their marital problems by pulling together in rough times and supporting each other through these times.

            At the end of the play, Mary and Ben appear to be coming together. Their house has been burned to the ground; their car is old and in need of repairs. They do not have much in the manner of material possessions but they do have each other. Ben and Mary view their loss as an opportunity to start a new life, much like couples in every city in America. They will find their “Detroit” wherever they settle.

Water by the Spoonful

In Water By The Spoonful, author Quiara Alegrìa Hudes separates the world of the play into several different areas. Each area then becomes its own little world. On occasion the separate worlds start to intersect with each other.  One particular instance is at the end of Act 1 when the Internet world and Elliot Ortiz’s world intersect.  As Haikumom is giving advice, through the use of Haikus, to his fellow addicts; Hudes decides to include Elliot Ortiz’s world into the scene. The reasoning behind allowing Elliot’s world to bleed into the Internet world is for two reasons. The first is that Elliot and Haikumom are both portrayed as strong individuals, despite their past difficulties, Haikumom’s crack addiction and Elliot’s war injury. In this scene a hardening blow, Elliot’s leg giving in under pressure and Haikumom finding out that her sister has died, strikes both Elliot and Haikumom. The second reason for the intersection is that even though the characters cannot see each other Hudes sets up a curtain line for the end of the act. The curtain line is the revelation that Haikumom is Elliot’s aunt. Through this revelation, Hudes shows that even though both Elliot and Haikumom have separate difficulties; they share the same pain of losing someone they both loved and cared about deeply. By sharing the pain of losing someone, a bond is formed between Elliot and Haikumom. Even though Elliot holds Haikumom responsible for the death of her own daughter, there is still a connection present between the two of them. However, the hatred Elliot has for Haikumom is not reveled to the audience until later on in the play.

Buried Child

          According to The New Webster Encyclopedic Dictionary of the English Language, realism, in relation to literature, means: a style or theory of literature in which familiar aspects of life are represented in a straightforward or plain manner. In the same dictionary, illusion is defined as: something that deceives by producing a false or misleading impression of reality. Based on these two definitions, illusionistic realism could then be defined as a style of literature in which familiar aspects of literature are represented in a straightforward manner yet are deceiving because of a false impression that is exhibited. Sam Shepard, in his play Buried Child, provides his audience with an example illusionistic realism.

            One may consider Shepard’s plays to be similar to Greek tragedies with the themes of incest, murder, deceit, and rebirth. Shepard was attempting to prove a point that all life consists of these sufferings, whether it was in ancient Greek times or in the 1970’s when this play was written and performed. Incest occurred between Halie, the mother, and her son, Tilden. The child produced from this incest is drowned by Dodge, Halie’s husband. Murder enters the plot. The deceit occurs when the rest of the family, along with Father Dewis, continues to hide the truth of their actions from each other and Shelly, Vincent’s girlfriend. Vincent is Tilden’s son and is returning to his home.

Father Dewis, the pastor, is involved with Halie. The adultery is never really addressed and the problem remains in the background. Rebirth, new life, occurs when Tilden brings in the corn from the backyard. Dodge swears that he has not planted any crops but the evidence is present. When the play closes and Tilden is bringing his dead infant son up the stair, one is again reminded of rebirth in that while one child died, another child, Vincent, has discovered his new focus on life.

With this play, Shepard wanted to draw attention to the problems of families in rural America.  The ambiguity, complexity, and irony of this play enabled Shepard to illustrate the truth and deception of life and gave the audience an opportunity to discuss the problems and solutions.

Noises Off

Noises Off

            A general motif that is present throughout the play, Noise Off, is how the onstage characters mimic the personality of their offstage counterpart.  Michael Frayn creates a story where each actor plays two characters. Each actor has an onstage and offstage character. When one reads the play, Noises Off, the reader notices the similarities between both the actors’ onstage character and offstage character. For instance, the offstage character Brooke Ashton is just as air headed as her onstage character, Vicki. Another prime example is the offstage character Belinda Blair. Belinda, who is an always cheerful and reliable actress, is a perfect embodiment of her onstage character, Flavia Brent, who is the ideal housewife. Flavia is constantly trying to be there for her husband, Phillip, all the while trying to care for her house.

            An important ‘tag line” for the play Noises Off would have to be the phrase “Sardines.” The reason the phrase “Sardines” is so important is because not only does the entire play evolve around a character having the actual sardines, but also the phrase “Sardines” helps keep the play going. Examples being the characters are constantly exchanging the sardines from one character to the next; thus, the audience/reader are ultimately forced to follow around a plate of sardines the entire play. Wherever the sardines go, chaos is sure to follow. An example being is when Mrs. Clackett, Dotty Otley, is on the phone, while holding the plate of Sardines in her hand. Ultimately, Mrs. Clackett becomes tangled up in the phone’s cord while she is talking and holding on to the plate of sardines at the same time. The sardines become the focal point of Mrs. Clackett’s attention, thus making her oblivious to her own actions.

Glass of Water

           The Glass of Water, uses his character Bolingbroke as the protagonist to illustrate his point of confusion in the English court of Queen Anne. Lord Bolingbroke manipulates the characters to achieve his own agenda.

            Lord Bolingbroke uses his friendship with Abigail Churchill and Arthur Masham to manipulate his desire for the return of the Tory government and his return to power as the Prime Minister. Scribe attempts to trick the audience into believing that Bolingbroke is not a major character and always appears to be in the background. Scribe utilizes this technique so that the audience is always rooting for Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke’s character never ceases to amaze the audience and the comic aspects of the play work to antagonize the character of Sarah Churchill, thus playing into Bolingbroke’s plans for his agenda.

            Whereas Bolingbroke is the protagonist, the character of Sarah Churchill, the Duchess, is the antagonist. Hers is the character that appears to be always plotting and playing against Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke attempts to blackmail the Duchess into allowing Abigail Churchill into Queen Anne’s court as a lady-in-waiting; the Duchess counterattacks by informing Bolingbroke that she holds all his markers and that she will have him thrown into debtors’ prison the next day at the close of the Parliament Session.  

            This farce continues throughout the play. Each time that Bolingbroke is foiled by the Duchess, he returns with another counterattack. The audience’s attention is held throughout the play by the exchange between Bolingbroke and the Duchess, with interludes by Abigail, Masham, and Queen Anne. Scribe uses the subplots of the attraction on the part of the Queen and the Duchess for Masham as a backdrop to highlight the protagonist character of Bolingbroke thus allowing him to further his Tory agenda and his return to power as Prime Minister.

Anything Goes with this Show and Tell Post

Anything Goes

Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse wrote the play Anything Goes in 1934 at the request of the producer, Vinton Freedley. Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse based it on a book. Cole Porter composed the music and lyrics. The original story was about a shipwrecked boat with comical characters and was exclusively the work of Bolton and Wodehouse. After the wreck of the ship, Morro Castle, off the coast of New Jersey in which 134 people lost their lives; Lindsay and Russel were brought in to revise the script.

            The play starts off in New York, follows the cast members aboard an ocean liner, The S.S. America, enroute to Southampton, England and finishes on the estate of Sir Evelyn Oakleigh. The main characters consist of Reno Sweeney, a nightclub entertainer; Billy Crocker, a Wall Street broker; Hope Harcourt, Billy’s ex-fiancé; and Sir Evelyn Oakleigh, Hope’s current fiancé. It also includes the characters of the Rev. Dr. Moon, who is really Public Enemy #13, Moonface Martin.  Billy has remained on board the ship so that he can try to convince his former flame, Hope, to call off her engagement and marry him. In the meantime, Reno, who says that she is in love with Billy, starts to fall for Sir Evelyn. Mrs. Harcourt and Billy’s boss, Elisha J. Whitney, begin to realize that they have a lot in common. The cast makes the appropriate pairings and every one ends up happy, except for the Moonface Martin, aka Rev. D. Moon, who has been exonerated by the administration in Washington, D.C. Mrs. Harcourt and Elisha are together; Billy and Hope and Reno and Sir Evelyn have found true love.

 Anything Goes first opened at the Alvin Theatre, now the Neil Simon Theatre, in New York City on November 21, 1934. A screen version, starring Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby, was produced in 1936. A theatrical version of the play was produced at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre in 1987. Another revival opened at the Vivian Beaumont Theatre on April 1, 2002.  On April 7, 2010, Anything Goes also opened at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway. All three of the recent revivals garnered numerous Tony Awards.

Two dramaturgical choices that Guy Bolton and P.G. Wodehouse choose in Anything Goes are: they choose to break the 4^th wall of play by allowing the orchestra to respond to what is going on stage, and instead of having the orchestra create the Purser’s chimes they choose to have the instrument played by the Purser. By breaking down the 4^th wall of the play, Bolton and Wodehouse incorporate the audience into the show; whereas before, the audience was just looking in from the outside. Bolton and Wodehouse break the 4^th wall in one of the very final scenes of the play. Mrs. Evangeline Harcourt asks the Ship’s Purser what her dog was doing in the Ship’s pool. Instead of having the Purser responding to the question, Bolton and Wodehouse choose to have the orchestra respond to Mrs. Harcourt by saying “The Dog Paddle” It is this response that breaks down the 4^th wall and drags the audience into the story that is taking place before them.

A 2^nd dramaturgical choice that Bolton and Wodehouse make is by allowing the Ship’s Purser to play his own instrument. Allowing the Purser to play the chimes onstage, instead of having the instrument played by the orchestra, adds a realistic image to the play. This decision allows the audience to believe that they are actually watching real events take place on a real ship. The Purser’s chimes are used to signal dinnertime aboard the ship. This choice creates a more realistic view of the play for the audience.

Cites:

www.theatrehistory.com/american/musical020.html -

broadwayworld.com/article/ANYTHING-GOES-to-Open-at-the...

www.broadwaymusicalhome.com/shows/anythinggoes.htm - 

Hornby and the Relation to Groundhog Day (The Movie)

Throughout the script, How I learned to Drive, there is a constant repeated use of the title “You and the Reverse Gear.” This repeated motif does not only reflect the overall motif of driving, but also foreshadows the upcoming scene that is about to take place. By titling the scene “You and the Reverse Gear,” Vogel prepares the audience for what is about to happen in the upcoming scene. Vogel hints to the audience that the scene that is about to be played is taking place in the past. This is accomplished through the audience’s association with driving. The audience understands that to reverse means to go backwards, thus the audience is able to understand that the following scene is going backwards in time, to the past.  Although not every scene is the exact time period, each scene varies on time; but still deals with a point in Li’l Bit’s past.

In the movie Groundhog Day, the main character, Phil Collins, finds himself stuck in a time loop, repeating the same day over and over again. It is this time loop that is a motif played throughout the movie. Although Phil changes his day-to-day routines, he is constantly brought back to the same point in time at the start of the next day. This action of repeating the same day is why the time loop can be considered a motif in the movie Groundhog Day. Even though the detailed action changes everyday, the overall action is constantly being repeated throughout the entire movie. At certain points in time during the movie, Phil can be seen having the same exact conversation, with another character, he had the day prior. This is just a smaller instance of a motif being repeated throughout the movie. Not only does this smaller motif repeat, but it reflects the overall motif of a time loop.

How I Learned to Drive

In Paula Vogel’s How I Learned to Drive, a Greek Chorus is used throughout the entity of the play. Vogel uses the Greek chorus for two reasons. The first reason is that by having a chorus the reader/audience is forced to focus primarily on the two main characters, Li’l Bit and Uncle Peck. The use of only two primary characters directs the reader/audience to pay more attention to the character when they speak. Although the words of the Greek chorus are important, they are present only to fill in back story for the two main characters. One example is when the Female Greek chorus speaks as Li’l Bit’s mother about the time she told Li’l Bit how to drink like a lady. The second use of the Greek chorus is to create a more intimate relationship between Li’ Bit and Uncle Peck. If there were an actor for each character the reader/audience would want to focus a little on every character. Thus, the intimate relationship between the two main characters would have trouble being created because of the lack of focus from the reader/audience.

Paula Vogel makes another interesting choice by relating the title of each scene to having something to do with driving. The choice to title each scene about driving allows the reader/audience to perhaps relate it to there own experience. This is just another way Vogel is able to create an intimate relationship between Li’l Bit and Uncle Peck.  The use of a title also prepares the reader/audience for what is to come in the following scene. The title about driving puts an idea into the reader/audience’s head and directs them to relate/look at the following scene in a certain way. One example is the use of the title “You and the Reverse Gear.” When this title is used it tells the audience that the following scene will be taking place sometime in the past. The reader/audience know this because just like a car can drive backwards, the story is backtracking into the past to a certain point in time. 

The Conduct of Life

The Conduct of Life, written by Maria Irene Fornes, is play that takes the reader through an emotional fun house. Between the talk of torture and acts of violence and rape, the reader is constantly hanging on for dear life because no one knows what will happen next. One of the reasons why Fornes is able to keep her readers on their toes, besides all the violence, is do in part to how short some of her scenes are. The shortness of each scene leaves the audience asking for more and wondering how the scene may be resolved. Her scenes are short and simple, but not sweet. Another interesting dramaturgical choice that Fornes choose was deciding to go into great detail in all of her stage directions, including an entire scene dedicated to just a stage direction. In Scene 5 of the play, Fornes writes, “…He looks around the room for Nena. Believing she has escaped, he becomes very still and downcast. He turns to the door…” This example is just one of many details she goes into great detail. Allowing Fornes to go into great detail for just a stage direction does not leave much room for either the actor or director to play with the script. Instead, Fornes has turned this play into one that can only be enjoyed while being read.

            Maria Irene Fornes cleverly named her story The Conduct of Life because the characters in her play conduct themselves in different ways in the presence of people they fear or do not know. An example being when Leticia walks in on Nena and Olimpia talking and allows Nena to stay seated at the table. As soon as Leticia walked into the room Nena began conducting herself in a different manner. Nena did not speak; and constantly looked to Leticia for permission no matter what Olimpia said to Nena that it was okay to do.  What Fornes is trying to say with the title is that people in today’s society act differently in front of those they do not know or fear.

Trifles

The story of Trifles is a very properties and scenic detailed show. When reading the play, there are numerous properties called for within the story. Not only does the script call for a number of properties, but it also goes into great detail of the scenery. For the purpose of performing a show with an ultra minimalist design concept, this would be a difficult play to perform. However, each character when speaking about a property or piece of scenery describes it in detail. With that in mind, while it would be difficult to perform, if directed properly I believe it is doable. One of the many befits of having an ultra minimalist set is that it allows room for the audience to interpret the description of a property or scenic piece to something they are familiar with. The downside to having a set made up of just black chairs and black blocks for properties is that not every single person is as imaginative as the next person. That being the case, some people will have a difficult time replacing the black block or chair with what is actually supposed to be represented, thus loosing major pieces of the story. Although this does allow for the audience to focus on the acting overall, it does however detach the audience from the show. Even though some people will be able to substitute the emptiness for detail they will not be able to fully ignore every bit of missing detail. If the show is given to an experienced director, I believe that this show could in fact be staged without the script loosing any meaning whatsoever. 

Overtones

The play Overtones was written in 1913, which was during the era of Sigmund Freud. This is important to note because during this time period a lot of attention was dedicated towards the study of the mind and how it worked. After reading Overtones, I believe this is also evident throughout the story. While Harriet cannot see Hetty, Hetty can see and, in fact hear, Harriet. The same is true for Margaret and Maggie. Even though neither Harriet nor Margaret ever talks to Hetty or Maggie directly, they still hold conversations with their counterpart. The reason they are still able to hold a conversation is because their counterpart is in fact an embodiment of their true self. In short both Harriet and Margaret are at times having conversations with themselves. It is this reason why Margaret cannot hear Hetty and Harriet, Maggie. Through the use of unique staging and perhaps the playing of previously recorded lines, the audience would be able to understand the relationship between each character and also grasp that Hetty and Maggie are just images of the inner selves of Harriet and Margaret. Although the script never says Hetty and Maggie, the reader is lead to believe that they can interact with each other. This becomes clearly evident at the end of the play, when Hetty and Maggie attack each other because their hate for each is so strong. The reason they are able to physically touch each other is because of the fact their outer selves shake hands. It is by the action that they are giving their inner selves permission to break the barrier of separation and attack out of pure hatred for each other. Overall, the story of Overtones is an example of how much one hides their true self from others on a daily basis and no matter how one may appear on the outside, their inner self could be completely different.