Word: acte
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...terrified of being drafted after they graduate. That is to say, one of them mentions that inclination once near the beginning of the play. Weller's idea of developing this theme consist of having his protagonist Bob (Jay Chaffin '01) summoned for a medical exam, act like he is dead for a month, and then forget the issue entirely. The draft is not mentioned again, though one would assume it would be the main cause for worry among five healthy male college seniors. In fact, there are no real issues addressed during the play. Each of the characters is barely...
...cloaked space essential to Machinal's murky insinuations. The lighting, especially because it seems to be lit from the back, creates a silhouette of figures. This space becomes the sordid space of sexual conquest, first with the boss, later as a murky bar and finally in the second act as holding pen for Helen before her execution...
...scenes in the first act follow with an almost anticipated sense of fatality. Agresta, now as Helen's mother, manages to exploit the tension of the production; she must emote, yet her dialogue must appear to be a sardonic condemnation of maternal care. A genuine frustration at the play's emotional detachment resonates with the audience as the mother forces her daughter to eat a potato. However, the play becomes too rapidly melodramatic too early, as the sense that the characters are mocking themselves undermines the growing emotional tension in the play...
...second act is more convincingly mechanical, especially the final scenes of the play. Helen eventually kills her husband, as the audience anticipates, and the court scene that ensues is fabulously orchestrated. Gunn demonstrates considerable talent in controlling his body. As robot-husband, he is eerily mechanical and almost reminiscent of an Edward Scissorhands figure. Parris and Agresta, both lawyers, reflect the insensitivity and detachment that the law has for human emotion. The bright lighting illustrates a sense of barrenness, and the media, Montoya and Gomes, again engage in their convincing double dialogue and contribute to the scene's mechanical intention...
...their new album Bring Your Own Stereo, Haha decided to be honest with the uninspired onlookers: "Look, you have two choices. We can either play the song you know--the one you are probably already sick of--and then leave, or you can stay for a whole concert and act like you are already sick of all of our songs...