The Drowsy Chaperone

There’s a big difference between the show and the show within the show when it comes to Hornby’s elements. Two big differences occur in duration and rhythm. In the “play”, duration is pretty smooth. The script suggests that Man is nothing more than what he is (a man playing a record for the audience); essentially, he’s the narrator. He appears quite often through the show and his actions do effect the presentation, but he’s not part of the plot. On the other hand, the actors who are part of the musical are on stage a lot. I should probably watch the videos, but I feel like it’s safe to say that the songs get lots of stage time compared to the actual dialogue and Man. I agree with Man; musicals aren’t really about conflicts and solutions, they’re about music. I believe a song is sung in every scene and each one deals with a different situation. Then there’s the huge contrast in rhythm. In the musical, tension is constantly being built between characters (Janet calls off the wedding, Feldzieg is avoiding the thugs, Aldolpho gets bamboozled, etc.) until there’s a huge release at the end (everyone gets married except George and Trix, but we assume they live happily ever after in Rio too). Besides the spit scene and the Mimi scene, there really isn’t a release of tension and even those are filled with comedic tension. In the “play”, tension is built and then released by Man. He occasionally interrupts with comments/info, the record skips, he puts the wrong disc on the player and eventually, the power goes out just as the musical is about to end. If we talk of the piece as a whole, then Man is definitely the release of this play because of his interjections. Choice is big too. There are lots of motifs in this piece, along with a lot of parodies. Two strong choices in this piece are 1) Man breaks the fourth wall but the other actors don’t and 2) there’s tons of dramatic irony.

Three Viewings

In Three Viewings, the Green Mill was a common location in each of the three pieces. I thought about this while reading but talking in class really brought it to my attention. I had no idea that the town the characters reference was a real place. I know this isn’t right, but I sort of made everyone go to all the funerals in my head because I felt like at some point in time, these people interacted with each other in some way (sense they were all from the same place). It says in the stage directions that the pieces are connected, so I think everyone knew everyone; it was one of those towns. Something each piece has is discovery. For example, the audience discovers that Emil is a married man at the end of his monologue. The audience also discovers with the characters in the pieces, like when Mac finds out that she accidently killed her family and when Virginia realizes that her husband wasn’t as crappy as he appeared. I think it’d be easy to say this piece is about death, but I took it as a work on life. It’s true that the characters are dealing with the aftermath of deaths to friends/family/loved ones, but none of the monologues are really about mourning. I saw each one as a brighter day, more like the “yolo” foolishness that everyone is on. Each piece shows the results for the living because of the dead (which do suck for the most part), but the living are still living and things can get better.

On The Verge

The tagline for the poster would be “Progressing through Regression”. We talked about this a bit in class, but I think one of the biggest changes in the script is with the transition of the language the women speak and how it slowly starts to dwindle over time. By the end of the play, the only person still speaking “properly” is Mary, who continues on with the journey. That is significant to the script because it shows the world as it was, is and most likely will be. Overmyer portrays this idea that things do get better over time and that the world is improving, but at the same time it’s falling apart. It’s similar to what that guy in The Cabin in the Woods said; the problem isn’t that we’re so spaced out, the real issue is that we’re all too connected, especially in America. By being so close, people distance themselves from one another if that makes sense. Basically, people are always looking for the next big thing (hint, hint: On The Verge) and because of that they rarely value what they already have. Always looking for more, never satisfied, but I’m being hypocritical so my rant is over now. Image wise, I’d roll with something abstract. I really like the idea of a black and white spiral inside a clock on the poster and the outside of the clock could be scenes from the play like the jungle, the tundra and the yeti, the moon and snow, etc. Locations/time travel is kind of important in this piece and I definitely think that would capture attention. As for Mr. Coffee, we talked about this in class and I’m glad we did because him being “Death” never crossed my mind. I understood the Stock Market Crash reference but I thought he was just some other guy time traveling because when he leaves Fanny, Alex calls him Bebe Rebozo (Nixon’s boy). I could see him as “Death” or some sort of entity though; he’s certainly not from where the ladies are.

My Other Podium

http://yvettebourgeoisthtr2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/fires-in-mirror-by-smith_13.html?showComment=1366210571913#c4651012151563921475 http://yvettebourgeoisthtr2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/overmayers-on-verge.html?showComment=1366929899701#c189890852719603677 http://korn2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/i-noticed-few-similarities-between.html#comment-form http://yvettebourgeoisthtr2130.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-drowsy-chaperone.html?showComment=1367209331093#c20483379961482214

Fires in the Mirror

Well for starters, I’d tell them we can’t cut it because that’s the way Smith wrote it. It’s her piece; who are we to change it just because we can’t find its purpose, not to mention that scratching those sections would delete almost half of the play. That being said, the first section of the play is vital to the rest of the performance because it deals with the incident indirectly. The text of those first few interviewees not only give individual perspectives on life as a black and a Jew, but also sets the tone for where they stand at the present with each other and America. Tensions are high between the two groups because essentially, they are viewed as the same from outsiders of the community-outcasts. If you ask me, the first section shows both blacks and Jews as just people; normal, hardworking, everyday people who want to be respected and accepted. They also mention the significance being together. The most important part of this section is the fact that no one truly picks a side. They simply state who they are, what they believe and continue on. In the next section, everyone’s on a side whether they’re aware of it or not and the community is split. The second section is a lot grittier than the first, diving straight into the beginnings of the incident and its aftermath. If we start the play off like that, the audience would leave thinking that all of the Crown Heights residents were uncivilized creatures full of hate, rage and ignorance. The first part has to be there because it establishes everyone (involved or not) as innocent and rational. Both sides are struggling to not only rise, but to maintain their status in the community and although the second half presents us with the fruit of the piece, we have to cut through the peel first. The exterior may not be what we want, but it’s just as relevant as the interior.

Show and Tell Post #2- The Love Suicides at Amijima

So about a month ago I read The Love Suicides at Amijima for Dr. Sikes’s Theatre History II and completely fell in love with it. I mean, not literally fell in love, but I really liked it and that’s a lot coming from me because I usually don’t care for things. Anyway, the play was written by Chikamatsu Monzaemon and is believed to be a true story, although none of the “true” events have been confirmed. I couldn’t find an actual production history list, but its first performance occurred in January of 1721 and it has since been performed in multiple venues across the world as a popular Kabuki piece. I read a PDF file on Moodle, but the play can also be found at the link below. https://eee.uci.edu/clients/sbklein/articles/gender/LoveSuicidesAmijima.pdf Jihei and Tahei are competing for Koharu, a teenage prostitute. Jihei is a married man with kids while Tahei has no friends or family. What he does have is money, but Koharu avoids Tahei at all costs because she’s in love with Jihei. Later, Koharu meets a samurai who saves her from Tahei. They discuss several issues, including the topic of suicide. The samurai believes this is the source of Koharu’s depression and begs her to tell him all. Meanwhile, Jihei eavesdrops from outside. Koharu tells the samurai of the near miserable future, which will most likely be her death because she knows Jihei cannot afford her. She tells him of the pact the two made and then asks the samurai to basically substitute in for Jihei so that Tahei cannot claim her, to which the samurai agrees. Jihei hears this, becomes furious and attempts to kill Koharu right there. The samurai stops him and ties him to a pole; ironically, Tahei walks by later, sees his competitor helpless and beats on him. This all happens in Act 1, so as you can see, this is a very detailed play or I just such at summarizing. Either way, the story ends with the two lovers running off to Amijima (a temple) and committing suicide. Jihei stabs Koharu and then hangs himself from a tree, committing a frowned upon lover’s suicide. There are several dramaturgical choices that really stand out in this play, but it’s difficult to identify them at times because I don’t know whether or not these things actually happened. I don’t know the “original” story, so what I think is cool may just be how the story played out. Oh well. One choice that seemed noteworthy to me was the whole samurai thing. Not revealing that he was Jihei’s brother until late in the first act changed my perspective on the rest of the play. Magoemon criticizes his brother for pretty much throwing his life away over a pretty face and lets him know that his actions don’t affect just him. I sort of saw him as a guardian-angel figure, always over your shoulder but only interfering when necessary. Something else that stood out to me is the world of the play- apparently, love trumps all. The two lovers know they can’t be together, so they decide that if they can’t have each other, no one can. That’s pretty irrational to me, but then again so is love. Another example is Osan. Osan has been a good, obeying, loving wife and even she states that she’s losing her husband due to uncontrollable circumstances a.k.a. it’s not her fault. Jihei tells her that he can live without the girl, but he can’t live knowing that he lost her. I’m pretty sure this is a lie but she puts up with this fool-that’s unbelievable to me. Having the two main characters start off as poor is also an interesting dramaturgical choice. Again, different culture, different world.

Detroit

This could be way off, but I believe D’Amour titled the play Detroit because of what the city represents. We all know that Detroit is a big city and the motor capital of the U.S. and stuff, but just like every other American city, it has a fake facade. People go to cities like Detroit, New York, Chicago, Miami, Los Angeles, etc. usually to chase the American Dream. What that is exactly varies from person to person, but overall the main objective is to be successful and satisfied. That’s what both of these people were in their own rights. Ben and Mary had their problems, but they were in the American Dream. Likewise, Kenny and Sharon also chased that chance despite their issues. Unfortunately, it seems that good is always balanced by bad because Detroit is also known for its drug trafficking. Kenny and Sharon are fresh out of rehab but they’re still recovering. When the two collide, things get pretty dreamy. I also think it’s titled Detroit because Detroit has over 5 million people in it and several of those individuals probably keep to themselves. I know I’m going on a rant here, but I’m one of those guys that believes that social media has just messed the world up and the easy access to constantly improving technology is only making us lazier and dumber. People interact with each other on a daily basis (sometimes accidently), but actual face-to-face engagement is a rarity now. The world is more connected than it’s ever been, yet we have more and more people with little to no social life or effort to bond with others. People just don’t seem to care like they use to. It’s even mentioned in the script; the fact that people have become so distant from one another bothers Sharon. Detroit is also noted as the home/birthplace of the automobile, so it’s a symbol of something new, something better. When the two couples meet each other, they’re skeptical at first, but they seem to grow on each other and find a common ground trying new things, hanging out and just having fun. Just like the automobile, Ben and Mary gave their new neighbors a shot and even though it costs them a lot of money, it appears that they enjoyed the company. That being said, I think ambiguity and reality are central to the plot because in my mind, I couldn’t tell what was real and what wasn’t several times throughout. I didn’t know what I didn’t know either, but I knew something bad was going to happen and that someone was lying about something.

Water By The Spoonful

In Scene 12, two completely different things are happening on stage simultaneously. On one side, Orangutan is sleeping at the train station while on the other Yaz and Elliot break into Odessa’s house and find her lying motionless on the floor. Yaz and Elliot attempt to bring Odessa to the couch and she sort of astroprojects herself; she watches the two struggling to bring her back to life. Meanwhile, a Policeman enters the train station and shines a flashlight on Orangutan. What’s cool is that that bright light is also seen in Odessa’s home by Odessa and Yaz, but it represents something else (it’s sort of that light at the end of the tunnel). Yaz tells Odessa to go into it, but Elliot does not see the light. The scene then flips back to Orangutan and the policeman. The policeman is concerned about Orangutan and also tells her she can’t sleep on the floor, to which she apologizes and gets on her way. The policeman leaves as well, taking the flashlight with him. Because of this, the light in Odessa’s home fades and she returns to her body. Yaz tells Elliot he has to forgive her, indicating that she can’t “move on” due to “unfinished business” (like Casper). This scene seems both consonant and dissonant. On one hand, we see Odessa being saved and Orangutan sleeping-perfect harmony. The dissonance occurs when Orangutan awakes and Odessa isn’t “ready”. This scene was really strong in comparison to a lot of the other scenes because it gives hope and also takes it away. I think Hudes has these moments occurring when they do because of the tension. Before this, the last scene of Yaz and Elliot occurred at the funeral of Mami Ginny. Likewise, the last time Orangutan is seen is in an argument with Chutes&Ladders about several things, including her returning home and asking him to join her. In this scene, those conflicts continue on in different shadows but are shared by the same light.