Word: thoreau
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Dates: during 1970-1979
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...director Don Pullum '79 and his cast produce a play worthy of the script's brilliance. Most of the characters are natural and believable, and a few are portryed superbly. Marley Clause '79, cast as a conquettish Concord girl who nearly wins Thoreau's heart, is quite professional. James Thorn '79 does a good job of playing an aging Ralph Waldo Emerson. Augustine Caimi '79, as Thoreau's cellmate, and John Newport '78, as Thoreau's brother, put on fine performances as well. But the nature of the play demands that the portrayal of Thoreau be executed with perfection...
...Perhaps Thoreau was a kinetic, hyper-active, easily excited individual who bellowed at the top of his lungs at the drop of a hat and treated every other word he uttered as though it was destined to be chiseled in granite. Perhaps Landiss and Pullum have captured the essence of the man on stage, I don't know. But a calmer, more subtle, more contemplative characterization would probably be more effective in portraying the gentle man who could live by himself for nearly two years on the bank of a New England pond...
...THOREAU PREACHED simplification and the advice was well-heeded by the set designers. The props and furniture are sparse and do not distract the viewer from the characters. The blocking is exceptionally good and the costumes are unpretentious...
...most interesting aspects of the play was Thoreau's relationship with his idol and elder, Ralph Waldo Emerson. At one point in the play, Thoreau lambasts Emerson for not taking a stand against the Mexican War. Emerson sighs and says...
...When Thoreau continues to press influential Emerson to crusade against the war, Emerson finally turns to Thoreau and says, "And what are you doing about it young man? You pull the woods up over your head. You resign from the human race...