Comments for Blog Checkpoint 2

The Glass of Water- commented on EmpressEllie's blog

Noises Off- commented on Gracie's Theatre 2130 blog

Water by the Spoonful- commented on Le Blog d'Analyse de Manuscrit de Shelly

Buried Child- commented on Garrett's Theatre blog

Detroit- commented on Dora Pereli's THTR 2130 blog

 

Detroit

I think that in Detroit by Lisa D’Amour, the overall tone is set by the intimacy the reader has in the lives of the characters. Throughout the play, they are constantly revealing surprising and vulnerable details of their past. What seems like an average couple quickly becomes a quirky couple to say the least.

When the big bomb is dropped, that Ben hasn’t really been building a website, it is a reality check of sorts. The entire play is filled with these reality checks, big and small, and the reactions of those who experience them.

I think that she chose to name the play Detroit because of two reasons. The first is because it is a metropolitan city that people have heard of, which gives it a generic, relatable quality. However, another thing that the name Detroit carries with it is a certain reputation. The city is known for its poverty and crime rates. This can create and uneasy air and the feeling of suspense. It goes to show that everyone is not who you think they are.
       

A Spoonful of Water

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In A Spoonful of Water of by Hudes, I found one particular moment that I felt revealed a lot about the characters. Scene 7 is the very first time that Odessa and Elliot encounter each other. Up until this point, we have been focusing on Haikumom, Odessa’s online personality. We have gotten to know that she likes to mother everyone in the chatroom, but slacks on her duties at home with her own, living son.

The connection between Elliot and Odessa provides a nice contrast between the true Odessa and Haikumom. The reader can pick up on cues that Haikumom is kind if a false reality, one that Odessa wishes were true. She likes feeling needed by the chat room family, but ignores her actual child. This is the first time the reader sees those choices affect her in real life. Haikumom is Odessa's escape where she can be the loving and nurturing mother she never was.

This scene feels like a breaking point, where Odessa is being forces to see her fake world and real world collide. She can no longer escape from reality.

       

Buried Child

Buried Child, by Sam Shepard may appear to be realistic at first glance. However, as the play progresses, the audience is thrown for a loop when some things that occur are very out of the ordinary. The overall tone that I got was that most of the occurrences were possible, but the lining up of certain events is very ambiguous.  The play opens on a house with two characters, Dodge and Halie. They seem “normal” but as the show goes on, we realize that they are not living in a normal world.

 The characters Dodge and Halie have lines of communication that are blurry. Often, they talk but it appears that they aren't actually hearing what the other one is saying. Even at times other characters do not seem to acknowledge them, even if they are their own family.
       It is definitely a theatrical production, though it might not come off that way at first. Everything is just slightly off reality. Several things when I read the play I found “fishy.” Some things that the characters said were directly contrasted by something else in the show later on or previously. The ambiguity for me caused some confusion, but I think I would understand better if I saw the show.

Noises Off

Most of Noises Off ‘s charm can be summed up in one word: "miscommunications". A way that is more theatre-specific that is used in the play is the motif of missing cues. With so many intertwining relationships, both onstage and behind the scenes, the hectic tangle of the web of a show is cleverly complicated.

The play within the play, Nothing On, is truer to their actual actions in the show. This show they are performing also has a lot to do with dealing with relationships and confusion. In Noises Off, the actors make several entrances and exits, and it really has to be seen to understand the confusion that creates. This is a classic farce show. It seems like a circus. I think “theatre people” enjoy this show because of its realistic viewpoint on the play production process. Often it is more interesting what is going on offstage than onstage. And, despite all the chaos, the actors in the play know the show must go on, and do their best to hold it together.

I think a tagline for this show could be “We're having big dramas back here!” said by Belinda. The truth is, there is always drama within drama, and all we can do is do our absolute best to keep our head above the water in the chaos.

Sribe Glass of Water

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In The Glass of Water, I believe that Bolingbroke is the protagonist.  Scribe kind of gives Bolingbroke an omniscient presence throughout the show. In one way or another, Bolingbroke can manipulate others to benefit himself. Not in a malicious way, but in a way that he can come out on top. Some characters’ allegiances change, but Bolingbroke always gets what he wants. Those who are close to him fare well by association. I feel that Bolingbroke is the instigator of the events that occur. In one way or another he always finds away to advance himself no matter what event has happened.

Scribe paints Bolingbroke as the one character who doesn’t have a stake in the fire. He is only concerned with himself, and his emotions are not involved. He moves the plot along and everything circles back to him. Most of the play is centered on events that Bolingbroke incites and it as if he planned it all. Not everything unfolds exactly the way he intends, but he makes sure to capitalize on occurrences.