However, I was impressed overall with the directing of Smiths. He got the cast to really understand the underpinnings of Miller's great tirade against those who stifle free thought, and drew the key scenes to a good emotional climax. The lighting was adequate; the set design was simple but effective; the staging didn't add much to the play, but it didn't detract either. My main gripe about the production design centers on their programs (absolutely, terribly unprofessional) and the pixilated images used in place of backdrops (projected against a screen) In my opinion that was a great idea, but it was very poorly executed. Ultimately, a play succeeds because of the strength of its story not its stage dressing.
Infidelity happens explicitly but the characters keep it a secret as well. In the second act, all the characters are much more liberal. Homosexuality is seen as normal and they are pretty open about the infidelity that is taking place. Overall, I had a good experience when attending the play, it surely met my expectations. I have to say that it was something very different from what I had ever seen before, and I could tell it was the same for the people I went with because they were also very surprised of what we were watching and experiencing.
The stage set up was Unique but it complimented the play well due to the walking around and the crowd Interaction. I definitely think all the parts of the plot were essential to tell the full story. But, just like any play, there were bits and pieces that could have been left out and it Wouldn’t have changed the performance. Such as the role of the engineer who sat up top On the banister the whole play. I did not think she had a significant role.
The acting is spot-on in this film. Some other interpretations of Macbeth through film, or even in a theater production, can tend to be overdramatized and can really turn you off from the film/play from the get go. This is not the case in the Goold film. Patrick Stewart as Macbeth and Kate Fleetwood as Lady Macbeth speaking these lovely verses bring just the right amount of excitement and coyness to their roles. Its elements such as this that hook you from the beginning and keep you engrossed until the very end.
The stage scenery was very plain, consisting of chairs and tables. Throughout the performance, the screen showed a relevant picture for the audience to see that was related to what was taking place at the time. This was done to give the audience a feel or idea of where things were taking place. I did not like the way it done, because it was boring to me. I like to see props so that the characters can stay engaged in what is going on.
The sound design of this play was good they didn’t use much sound besides the actors and actresses voices. At some points when the scene was coming to an end they used very settle
"There is some scenery for those who think we need scenery" (Wilder 5). The scenery in the play mainly consists of several chairs and a vast array of pantomiming. The unostentatiousness of the set is used as an understated tool to further impress upon the audience that we as human beings tend to focus on material objects. By relieving the physical objects from the production it leaves the patrons with nothing but the human interactions and the lives the create with eachother, blatently with the the candidness of life. Another contributing aspect is the presence of the stage manager.
Lucy says to Lewis “working with these people has changed you”. Has Lewis really changed at the end of the play? Lewis at the start of cosi is very content with himself and has very low self-esteem and confidence in himself. Working throughout the play with the patients there are some subtle changes that he undertakes but not to the extent that Lucy makes it out to be. When the play is at its end and you look back to the start you can clearly see changes that have occurred in Lewis’ personality over the time of him working in the theatre.
What influences did he have? Remember his own ambition. Quote (Witches, Lady Macbeth) Who were the people affected by his choice? Discuss how Macbeth is seen by others at the start of play (‘Noble Macbeth’) Do you think it was right for him to do what he did? Discuss time period.
Richard Wright’s criticism is right in the ballpark and I completely agree with it. In this book there was no central theme or idea, not one considerable humanistic thought or implication. This book did contain some good situations to learn from but nothing that persuades or changes the reader’s view, let alone life. A good fictional book has all of these qualities and more, something to make the reader doubt what they knew before, to make them question human thought and behavior and to make them learn or believe in a cause pointed out in that book. This is a fun dramatic story that lets the audience laugh and cry with Janie and her friends, but fails to deliver in the way of explaining the characters actions through the analysis of human nature.