Gruesome playground injuries

Both reading and watching the real deal of the play “Gruesome Playground Injuries” written by Rajiv Joseph were two very different experiences for me. I felt that while I was watching the play, there was a closer link between Doug and Kayleen, and they were more alike in a sense which brought them closer. As I had stated in my play response for this particular play, “It was almost like the two found solace in knowing their pain was for each other, as if every time they did some type of harm to themselves there was someone in mind that could make it better” and the exhibition made this seem even more true. The two actors had a decent chemistry, meaning they worked well off of each other but I would have liked to see a better young Kayleen. I got the feeling in the middle of the first scene that if the audience was not told what age they were supposed to be portraying, Doug would have still seemed like an eight year old but I am not quite sure I could say the same for Kayleen because she still gave the vibe of someone somewhat older. Although her eight year old impression did not appeal to me, she made up for it with all the rest. As thirteen year olds in the scene where they throw up in the same trash can, they start working very well together and the comedy of this scene helped engage the audience a bit more. It was about at this point where you see the two begin to really get close. It seemed to me that the couple never had a chance at love because whenever Doug shared his feelings to Kayleen, she would stray away or lie to him. And every time she felt the need for his presence, it was already too late because of the coma he was in or because his body had already taken too much pain. It was as if these two were violently ruining their bodies as symbols for their love for one another. Every time you see them they have a new damaged part of their body to show off to one another and once Doug’s body had taken its toll, he could no longer show love for