Preview

Middletown: Play Review

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
905 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Middletown: Play Review
1. Briefly describe how you reacted to this event. Provide at least 2 specific details from the event and describe how they affected you. (300 words) When I first walked into the theater, I was very surprised with the close proximity of the chairs to the stage and props. I was not expecting to be seated on the actual stage where I could practically touch the actors. Once the show began, it started with one of the actors coming out and welcoming everyone to the show. However, he did not just say “welcome everyone!” He actually named off every single type of human possibly there for over two minutes. While doing this, he would sit in the audience, point at people and interact with them. I really enjoyed the intimacy of the play with it’s close …show more content…
The play was very unique and different from any other play I have ever seen. It was very melodramatic and the characters discussed issues most characters in other plays would never touch. They spoke very truthfully to each other about issues such as anxiety, loneliness and other things that most people keep to themselves. They often mentioned all the mundane tasks they would do throughout the years to keep themselves occupied. They explained the daily miracles that everyone in the world takes for granted. At one point in the storyline, an astronaut who lived in Middletown, told a story about the town drunk and how he found what he thought was a meteor but, it was just a common sedimentary rock. He then explained how the man was very disappointed that it was not a meteor, yet that he should have been grateful for the wonders of such a perfect world able to create something. Not only was the plot of the play very unique and creative, the way the play was set up was interesting and new to me. Every play or musical I have ever been to, you sit in an auditorium and just watch the events unfold. This play had you apart of the plot and stage, the actors would interact with the audience and and speak directly to us. They kept the actors in the set very close to the audience, almost as if they were trying to make us even more uncomfortable with the closeness of the actors in the story. The

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    The style in which the play was performed was presentational although there are some parts of realism because situations like these actually do happen. The actors played multiple characters and morphed into each one. The morphing shows visible changes of character. They had great versatility of characters and played each one with passion for the role. The facial expressions they used seemed to add to the way they acted and made us, as an audience believe their roles much more. Other presentational aspects include the use of direct address and poetic narration throughout the performance.…

    • 637 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    As soon as I entered the theatre, it was completely packed. I also saw many people from different age groups; this gave me a feeling that the show would be entertaining enough to get people from all ages to come and see the show. The environment of the theatre was very formal, as there was a red and gold layout and it was also very clean.…

    • 800 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A short play is usually filled with a theatrical energy of diverse anthologies. The time allotted may be only ten or fifteen minutes, so it must be able to capture and engage the audience with some dramatic tension, exciting action, or witty humor. Just as in a short story, a great deal of the explanation and background is left for the reader or viewer to discover on their own. Because all the details are not explicitly stated, each viewer interprets the action in their own way and each experience is unique from someone else viewing the same play. Conflict is the main aspect that drives any work of literature, and plays usually consist of some form of conflict. In “Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson,” Rich Orloff explores these common elements of plays and creates an original by “gathering all clichés into one story and satirizing them” (Orloff as cited by Meyer, 2009, p. 1352).…

    • 798 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All the elements in the show went perfectly with the actors, the sets, and the lighting. The whole stage was used and the performers moved around throughout the entire stage. The pace of the production seemed to be right. I thought it might have dragged out a little but picked up in the secound act.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Black Watch Review

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Before watching the play, I surely did not know what to expect from it, as I was not familiar with it. After a short introduction to the play and eventually watching it, I must say I was fond of it. At least that is the short and my general version of it. I didn’t really know what to expect from a play of this kind. In general, I think that it’s an important thing to keep in mind that I didn’t have any further expectations. Because if your expectations aren’t sky high from the beginning, you have a good chance of not getting disappointed.…

    • 483 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Spamalot Response

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The one and only thing that I did not like about this play was the lighting. Throughout the play I wanted different lighting effects to surprise me but most of the time I felt like it was…

    • 643 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In my opinion, the most successful aspect in this play was the actresses, not just because they were good, but rather because they were incredibly believable. I did not feel that I was watching actors on the stage, rather that I was watching the lives of the six individuals unfold. They became their characters. A perfect example of this can be seen when Sabrina Hyman, who was playing the part of Truvy, was decorating the salon for Christmas and had to improv. While placing tinsel on the couch she was unable to keep it on the desired spot, because it kept falling off of the arm. Initially when she realized that the tinsel was not staying in its place she did not panic, as one would have thought. Instead she simply tried again, and then even a third time without showing any signs of a problem, she had to finally walk away without properly placing the tinsel where it should have been. This quick change in events did not throw her off in the least; she played it off like nothing was wrong. She played it off, as Truvy Jones would have in real life. Although I did feel that the acting in the play was truly amazing I did have two problems, and a couple of instances where I was given a…

    • 1247 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My experience for this production wasn’t what I expected. There were less talking and more action involved to express the character’s feeling. There were many ideas that were a good experience in this play, for instance the uses of the colors, the identical movements, and facial…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This was the first play or theatre performance that I have attended. I was unsure of what to expect, but I heard great things about this play. Furthermore, the first aspect of this production that caught my attention was the design of the set. The design gave the feeling of a run down urban neighborhood by making the outer parts of the stage look like an old brick building. The building looked like one you would find in a low-income area or projects. The scenery of the play set the stage for what type of production this would be. I especially liked the way they carefully chose not to place just any kind of props on the stage. The dusty floor, old couch, and the mattress for a bed made the apartment look worn and rundown. This play showed some very realistic designs for the time period and life of some low-income individuals struggling to make a living or hustle. This is especially true when Lincoln pointed out that Booth had no running water and he felt that he was in a third world country. I was impressed by how they were able to make the apartment appear so old and the items in it seem battered. I really thought I was peeking into a real bedroom not just a set. Also, the way the set was designed it makes sure that the individual watching the play is focused on the stage and the characters. There is not a point in the play where my eyes left the stage or the actors.…

    • 773 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    In the heights review

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages

    I sit down in my comfy red seat at Academy of Theatre Arts in Williamsville, NY. I look around and see that the house is full. Not one seat was empty. In those seats I see people of all ages with happy, excited expressions on their faces. This got me very excited for the show that was about to be presented for me. I am very anxious for the show to start and suddenly the lights dim, the overture music begins and the curtain opens……

    • 1065 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    Our Town Play Review

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In my american literature class we read Our Town mostly out loud and as a group. The play takes place in fictional town of Grover’s Corners, New Hampshire, early on a May morning in 1901 The play is about a community of people who live there lives together, and they look out for each other. The main families are the Gibb’s, and the Webb’s, and in act one the setting is mostly taken place in those to families house’s. During the play they express exactly what they're doing, such as chores and other activities. George and Emily go to school with each other and we see that they like each other, Shortly into act 1 emily asks her mother if she looks pretty. In my eyes that is when she started feeling like this is when emily starts to like george more and wants to ask him out. The end of act 1 Emily and George are talking as they watch the moon come up. In act 2 George and Emily are getting married. They go into a flashback about how George becomes class president and becomes a stuck up person and is letting the popularity get to him. Once the ceremony comes they both get…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A White Christmas

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The story starts out with Bob Wallace and Phil Davis leaving the army and teaming up to become a top song and dance act. Phil Davis acts as a matchmaker for Wallace and introduces to a pair of sisters whose names are Betty and Judy who also do a song and dance act. Betty and Judy go to Vermont to preform a Christmas show , while Phil and Bob follow. When they arrive to the lodge they find their former commander General Waverly. They see that General Waverly has sunk his savings and he is on the verge of bankruptcy. They come up with a plan to help the General out, but a misunderstanding between Bob and Betty leaves it to Phil and Judy to try and get them back together. A theatrical element that I noticed in the play was that the audience was very intrigued with the play because the play was constantly adding new dances and adding various music. Another thing that i noticed about the audience was that they were very interested about the story of the play. Another theatrical…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Actors are opening themselves up to be completely and utterly vulnerable for a crowd of people to watch. They are letting strangers by the hundreds view them at their weakest moments, and then forcing themselves to wipe away the tears and take a bow. They are connecting to a story with emotions that are so overwhelming, they have to sing about it, and when those emotions intensify even further, they have to dance about it, too. Everything about the theatre is just so stunningly relatable for those onstage and off, I have a hard time imagining how different my life would have been if I had never been a part of…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Play Doubt

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages

    My first reaction to this play was restricted because of the lack of my open mindedness. This would happen to be my first and only play I have ever seen or even thought of seeing. I didn’t expect much but as it started it began to catch my attention and make me actually want to listen and take in the purpose and meaning of this particular act. Having not knowing what other plays are like, I thought this one was pretty cool because the stage was the center of attention with audiences on both sides. Overall I was very impressed on the actors’ performances. Father Flynn the supposed molester, Ms. Muller the mother of the young boy, the only African American boy in the school, Sister James the young teacher whom likes Father Flynn, and Sister Aloysius who thinks he’s a molester.…

    • 651 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    All My Sons - Short Esaay

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages

    This play incorporated elements of family, death, love, lies, pain, and much, much more. Each character was dealing with their own issues and in the end, the truth was reveled and relationships were ruined. I feel as though each character had their own flaws which made them unique and added a different element to the play. Two characters that stood out the most to me were Kate Keller and her son, Chris. Kate believes strongly that her other son, Chris’s brother, Larry, is still alive after being missing from the war for a number of years. She has one of her neighbors work on a horoscope to see if it is even possible for Larry to be dead or not depending on what his favorable days were and she also treasured a tree in her back yard that symbolized him. It almost seemed as though deep down, as much as she wanted him to be alive, she knew the truth and just did not want to come to terms with it and admit to his death. In regards to Chris, he just seems very awkward and almost in some way guilty. He does end up making moves on his missing brother’s ex lover which is definitely not a normal coping method at all. Chris seems kind of as…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays