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.
