Thursday, September 19, 2013

4 Plays in 4 Days

All's Well that Ends Well:
I really enjoyed this play. It was difficult to understand what they were saying given the Shakespearean language and British accents. After a while, I caught on and could understand what they were saying. There was wonderful acting, a little dancing, and some comedy.

Titus Andronicus:
As we walked in to take our seats, dramatic music was playing while smoke was rising from the stage. On stage, there were three people dead and two nuns who were tending to them. It was a great way to set the mood and soon the play began. It was absolutely wonderful, especially the last scene in which almost every character is murdered within 30 seconds. There was so much blood squirting everywhere, luckily in row E, we were not in the "splash zone". The play had some wonderful effects, including people rising out of the ground, and the dead being lifted into the ceiling by their ankles! I thought that they used the stage wonderfully and kept my attention throughout.

Hamlet:
Set in the 1960s in a dance hall, this adaption of Hamlet was interesting.  The stage had four aisles that fed into it, and I was sitting by one of them. I was really fun to see people up close and watch them quietly slip in and out. In addition, they "broke the fourth wall" and gave someone a skull during the play which was unique. The main character, Hamlet, was wonderful and had a great creepy laugh.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime:
This was my favorite play that we have been to so far! When we walked in, every seat that was a prime number has a white cover over it. I was in seat 11 so my seat had a white cover with a little info card about prime numbers. It was a great way to set the tone and it only got better! It was a wonderful adaptation of the book. I did not think that they would successfully capture Christopher;s thoughts; however, they used one of his teachers to read his journal throughout to give his thoughts. I was so impressed how well the actor could stim and fidget like a kid with autism. The stage was wonderful and beyond words! It had trap doors, an underground station that magically appeared, stairs that popped out, a chalkboard he drew on to show emotion, etc.  I found some pictures online of the play to give you an idea of what we saw. I adored the play and would highly recommend it to anyone! 

Saying hi to his dad
Christopher getting overwhelmed and thus reciting prime numbers
Magical Staircase
Playing with trains
Amazing flying through the air sequence!
Riley's Rating of Plays thus far:
1) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime
2) Chimerica
3) Titus Andronicus
4) A Doll's House
5) All's Well that Ends Well
6) The Pride
7) Hamlet