NETworks’ performance of “Memphis,” by Joe DiPietro and David Bryan, took the audience straight into 1950’s Memphis where racism and segregation ran high. Bright, colorful lights, and loud, catchy rhythm and blues music recreated the look and feel of a club on Beale Street where we were introduced to naïve and maybe a little crazy Huey Calhoun (Joey Elrose). Right away Huey, a White guy, met his love interest, Felicia (Jasmin Richardson), a Black girl, and the musical takes off as Huey struggles to overcome society’s rejection of African-Americans and African-American culture.
David Gallo’s set design of Memphis was very detailed and aesthetically pleasing. I found it extremely appropriate for the band to be on stage, rather than in the pit, since a main focus of the musical was on actual music. A recurring location in the musical was Delray’s underground nightclub. Gallo created the underground part by adding in a second level to the stage, above where the band was playing. The door was at the top with a staircase leading down into the club. There was a big open space for a dance floor, a table on stage left where people could sit and enjoy the music, and the bar on stage right. The band was on stage in the back, adding to the nightclub feel since many clubs do have live bands performing. Another location in the musical was at the department store where Huey worked. The store had the 1950s feel with department signs lit up and hanging vertically with black dots lining the border and a loud, bold font. The most 50s sign of all, was the one that labeled the ‘records’ department. In present day this would be the music department and you can’t even find that in a typical department store. This records department was central to the scene so it was the only one that had actual items in it. In true department store style, it featured a wrap-around counter with a glass case to display the items for sale inside. This department was where the music was played for the whole store to hear, and ultimately where Huey wanted to work before he was fired and found a job at the radio station.
The lights during most of the musical were bright, fun and prominent yet fitting, thanks to the work of lighting designer Howell Binkley. During the opening number at Delray’s, Felicia and Delray (RaMond Thomas) were singing “Underground” in the nightclub. The lights were all different colors, lighting up the stage in blue, green, red and yellow. Lights were flashing on the backdrop behind the band and also lighting up the stage floor. The nightclub floor was usually lit up in a blue or purple fun pattern, like circles. The backdrop frequently featured two different colors, at one point lighting up red and yellow alternating vertical stripes during a musical number. The colorful lights and fun patterns helped bring the audience into a fun and exciting nightclub on Beale Street. During other scenes, like at the department store, Huey’s mom’s house and at the radio station, the lights are far less exciting. This makes the Black nightclub really stand out as a fun and exciting place when compared to the White department store or White the radio station. Another example of this was when Huey started playing the records of Black music at the department store. The music started playing, people started dancing, and the lights lit up the stage as if it were a nightclub. The lights abruptly went back to standard, white room lighting when Huey’s boss came back into the store and turned off the music, providing a sharp contrast to the fun and exciting Black world.
The acting in “Memphis” also contributed greatly to the world of the play. Huey Calhoun has an accent that sounds sort of southern and is usually associated with a poor, uneducated person. We later learn this is exactly case, as Huey cannot read, still lives with his poor mother and is struggling for employment. Joey Elrose does a great job giving off Huey’s crazy vibes as well. We first meet Huey as he walks into a Black nightclub and starts talking to everyone. All the people (all black) in the club are taken aback and nervous at Huey’s presence. They stare astonishingly at Huey and step away from him, as if they can’t get too close. A few people inquire about why he is there, but Huey is just totally naïve to why it’s weird he would be in there, noting there are no differences between himself and the owner of the nightclub, Delray. Huey also takes some great risks at work. When he finally gets hired at the radio station, his boss tells him he needs to read an advertisement on air. Huey can’t read, so he asks the janitor to read it to him. Huey then precedes to go on air, read most of the ad, and then change up the ad in a way that made the audience cringe and fear for his job. Huey yells into the mic about how the beer in the ad is his favorite and you can put it in your car for gas, and other things that are obviously not true at all and not what’s on the paper at all. The whole advertisement sounds very natural, as if Elrose was really on the radio making it up as he went along. Another great performance comes from Huey’s mother (Pat Sibley). She plays an old lady in the musical and performances with an old lady crackley voice. She even sings with the same accent. She also moved a lot slower than the other characters and had stiffer movements, like most older people do. She gave the appearance of being a lot quieter without actually lowering her voice, which probably isn’t too much of a challenge next to loud Huey. While Huey always seemed to be yelling, talking a lot and having big and fast movements, Huey’s mom was frequently sitting down, moving slowly and using small movements, and being the voice of reason to Huey.
Friday, November 15, 2013
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
"Summer in Gossensass" - Directing
Barbara Salvadori-Heritage directed the MU Theatre Department’s production of “Summer in Gossensass” in the Corner Playhouse. As an audience member, I found myself having trouble entering the world of the play and often found my gaze drifting beyond the stage at the audience sitting on the other side, whose expressions were often much more exciting than what was happening on the stage. The play was set mostly in 1890’s London, in one of the character’s apartment. Occasionally we were brought out of the play to where the playwright, Maria Irene Fornes, played by Kelly Jonske, was typing away on her typewriter, presumably writing the play we were watching. The play was highly representational and had a high level of verisimilitude, with a lack of any sort of special effects, colored lights or sound effects.
“Summer in Gossensass” was performed with only seven characters, and most of the play revolved around Elizabeth Robins, played by Hannah Atencio, and Marion Lea, played by Kelsey Clark. During the play, they are discussing another play, “Hedda Gabler.” The agreement between characters seemed to be that Elizabeth should play the main role of Hedda. Elizabeth, Marion and Lady Bell, played by Leslie Howard, discussed this in-play casting at great length. They never went into depth about who Hedda Gabler really was (or maybe they did and I had stopped paying attention), but I couldn’t see anything remarkable about why Elizabeth just had to play Hedda. They said many times that Elizabeth had Hedda’s eyes, but I couldn’t really see her eyes and I felt that part of the play was pretty arbitrary.
At one point in the play, David, played by Thiago Palma, and Lady Bell were dancing and they said something about their height. The two were the same height, like they were supposed to be, so they fit perfectly into the world of the play. David was wearing shoes with a slight heel on them, so I wonder if the reason behind wearing those was so he could be the same height as Lady Bell.
The play was performed on a thrust stage, with the audience sitting on all sides of the stage but one. The actors did a good job constantly moving around the stage and using the space, and there was almost always at least one actor facing each side. But still, there were some points when some expressions and actions were lost because the audience couldn’t see. During one scene, David was obsessing over Lady Bell and constantly staring at her when she wasn’t looking. Both actors were sitting on a bench that was angled towards one side of the stage. David had to lean forward and look over to stare at her face, and his expression was hilarious. However, a large portion of the audience was sitting behind them, unable to see David’s face. That was one of the only parts of the play that had me laughing and I can only imagine that side of the audience thinking, what’s so funny?
The audience could also tell the relationship between characters based on their interactions with each other. Elizabeth and Marion often stood very close together, like good friends usually do. When they got excited they would move around more, talk much faster and usually get closer together, in an almost huddle. When David first met Marion, he was very star struck and often tried to stand very close to her. This seemed to make Marion uncomfortable because she tried to move away from him.
The main play happened in the center of the stage, surrounded by a set that resembled a living room. We were occasionally taken out of this play to the back where Maria Irene Fornes and Henrik Ibsen, played by Randy Hussey, were towards the back. The lights would fade on the main play and open up on Maria and Henrik. Maria was sitting at her typewriter, writing the play we were watching. Henrik was standing off to the side with a violin, doing nothing until the very end, except occasionally he would do strange things, like hold a meditating pose. I probably missed many such poses, since he usually did these when the focus was supposed to be on the main performance. I’m not sure if he did it because he was supposed to or he was just bored out of his mind from standing in the same place and doing nothing.
I often felt like the actors were too excited and enthusiastic for the dull play. Elizabeth and Marion were very excited about “Hedda Gabler” when they got their hands on the script, but I just couldn’t share their excitement. I felt as if they were those two annoying screaming girls at a party and I wanted them to dial it back to match the setting they were in. They just went on and on and on about Hedda Gabler and I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, except nothing else happened.
None of the actors had any particular accent. The play was supposed to take place in London in 1891, but I didn’t hear any British accents or one of those ‘old-timey’ accents that would distinguish the characters from the present day. The only indicator during the play that it was supposed to be in London was when Marion and Vernon, played by Dylan Bainter, offered tea to the guests.
The actors really didn’t do anything other than talk, which they did well. Their dialogue seemed natural and relaxed when they were talking to each other. The only action was when Elizabeth, Marion and Vernon started jump roping and the dances between Lady Bell and David and Henrik and Maria, all of which seemed really random and strange, like the actions didn’t belong in the play.
PART 2:
Barbara Salvadori-Heritage, the director of MU theatre’s performance of Summer in Gossensass, tried to tell us the story of Elizabeth Robins (played by Hannah Atencio) and Marion Lea’s (played by Kelsey Clark) fascination with the play “Hedda Gabler,” as the playwright, Maria Irene Fornes (played by Kelly Jonske), is writing their performance. The play was very heavy on dialogue between characters and very low on action. The audience is occasionally taken out of the play as the lights fade on the main action and into a new world when the lights come on at the back of the stage, where Maria Irene Fornes sits at her typewriter writing the play. The lack of action in the play, the lack of change in the set and lights, and the dull plot line kept me from being entertained or engaged with any aspect of the performance.
“Summer in Gossensass” was performed with only seven characters, and most of the play revolved around Elizabeth Robins, played by Hannah Atencio, and Marion Lea, played by Kelsey Clark. During the play, they are discussing another play, “Hedda Gabler.” The agreement between characters seemed to be that Elizabeth should play the main role of Hedda. Elizabeth, Marion and Lady Bell, played by Leslie Howard, discussed this in-play casting at great length. They never went into depth about who Hedda Gabler really was (or maybe they did and I had stopped paying attention), but I couldn’t see anything remarkable about why Elizabeth just had to play Hedda. They said many times that Elizabeth had Hedda’s eyes, but I couldn’t really see her eyes and I felt that part of the play was pretty arbitrary.
At one point in the play, David, played by Thiago Palma, and Lady Bell were dancing and they said something about their height. The two were the same height, like they were supposed to be, so they fit perfectly into the world of the play. David was wearing shoes with a slight heel on them, so I wonder if the reason behind wearing those was so he could be the same height as Lady Bell.
The play was performed on a thrust stage, with the audience sitting on all sides of the stage but one. The actors did a good job constantly moving around the stage and using the space, and there was almost always at least one actor facing each side. But still, there were some points when some expressions and actions were lost because the audience couldn’t see. During one scene, David was obsessing over Lady Bell and constantly staring at her when she wasn’t looking. Both actors were sitting on a bench that was angled towards one side of the stage. David had to lean forward and look over to stare at her face, and his expression was hilarious. However, a large portion of the audience was sitting behind them, unable to see David’s face. That was one of the only parts of the play that had me laughing and I can only imagine that side of the audience thinking, what’s so funny?
The audience could also tell the relationship between characters based on their interactions with each other. Elizabeth and Marion often stood very close together, like good friends usually do. When they got excited they would move around more, talk much faster and usually get closer together, in an almost huddle. When David first met Marion, he was very star struck and often tried to stand very close to her. This seemed to make Marion uncomfortable because she tried to move away from him.
The main play happened in the center of the stage, surrounded by a set that resembled a living room. We were occasionally taken out of this play to the back where Maria Irene Fornes and Henrik Ibsen, played by Randy Hussey, were towards the back. The lights would fade on the main play and open up on Maria and Henrik. Maria was sitting at her typewriter, writing the play we were watching. Henrik was standing off to the side with a violin, doing nothing until the very end, except occasionally he would do strange things, like hold a meditating pose. I probably missed many such poses, since he usually did these when the focus was supposed to be on the main performance. I’m not sure if he did it because he was supposed to or he was just bored out of his mind from standing in the same place and doing nothing.
I often felt like the actors were too excited and enthusiastic for the dull play. Elizabeth and Marion were very excited about “Hedda Gabler” when they got their hands on the script, but I just couldn’t share their excitement. I felt as if they were those two annoying screaming girls at a party and I wanted them to dial it back to match the setting they were in. They just went on and on and on about Hedda Gabler and I kept waiting for something exciting to happen, except nothing else happened.
None of the actors had any particular accent. The play was supposed to take place in London in 1891, but I didn’t hear any British accents or one of those ‘old-timey’ accents that would distinguish the characters from the present day. The only indicator during the play that it was supposed to be in London was when Marion and Vernon, played by Dylan Bainter, offered tea to the guests.
The actors really didn’t do anything other than talk, which they did well. Their dialogue seemed natural and relaxed when they were talking to each other. The only action was when Elizabeth, Marion and Vernon started jump roping and the dances between Lady Bell and David and Henrik and Maria, all of which seemed really random and strange, like the actions didn’t belong in the play.
PART 2:
Barbara Salvadori-Heritage, the director of MU theatre’s performance of Summer in Gossensass, tried to tell us the story of Elizabeth Robins (played by Hannah Atencio) and Marion Lea’s (played by Kelsey Clark) fascination with the play “Hedda Gabler,” as the playwright, Maria Irene Fornes (played by Kelly Jonske), is writing their performance. The play was very heavy on dialogue between characters and very low on action. The audience is occasionally taken out of the play as the lights fade on the main action and into a new world when the lights come on at the back of the stage, where Maria Irene Fornes sits at her typewriter writing the play. The lack of action in the play, the lack of change in the set and lights, and the dull plot line kept me from being entertained or engaged with any aspect of the performance.
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