The McBeth Duo

I also saw the 2-man McBeth play performed that my fellow blog-peers saw as well.  And, this was actually the first time I've seen McBeth. 

To start off with, this play was done with only 2 actors, which certainly made things interesting, since there were some scenes with 3 or more characters on stage at a time.  This choice made it a little bit harder for me to follow what was going on, but it added for some funny moments.  I think that because of this decision, the actors decided to have more fun with it, to make it more comedic than it was originally intended to be.  That being said, they certainly did make it rather entertaining with their decision to also include audience members in the play.  There were several moments where they had the audience read lines for when messengers arrived, and reacted based off of what happened, which, made things a lot more interactive, a lot more interesting, especially the parts where they went up the stairs and into the audience.  

Now, the venue of the play wasn't the best for interacting with the audience, since it was a typical stage with rows of seats in front of it, but they made good use of what they were given.  They also relied very little on props; mainly just a table and chairs, curtains, and creative uses of light to produce different effects.  Overall, it was a simple play that focused more on the abilities of the actors to portray the story, instead of relying on props or costumes, or things of that nature.  They used minimalism in the materials so that the focus would be on the characters, instead of the things around them.  

The Two-Man Macbeth

Last week I attended a two-man performance of Macbeth. This was my first time seeing Macbeth, however, I had always been under the impression that it was supposed to have more of a serious tone to it. That was not the case in this performance. The story did not change, but the actors were able to introduce a lighter tone to the performance. The staging and the set were also instrumental in making this such an interesting interpretation of the play.

As far as Macbeth goes, there is a lot of death and deception. It is not a happy play. In the two-man performance I attended, the actors did a lot to cause the audience to laugh. Occasionally one of the performers would go up to a member of the audience and speak as though they were a servant of other character in the play. The actor would then hold up a piece of paper to the audience member, so they could say their line. I was impressed how entertaining that was.

There was also a point when Macbeth and Lady Macbeth enter a banquet. Instead of entering in a formal manner, they each entered alone and struck an over-the-top pose. This was clearly done to accentuate how great Macbeth thought he was, but it also served to lighten the mood.

The set consisted of a wooden table, two wooden stools, some lights on either side of the stage, and three canvas panels at the back with lights behind them. The performers were able to adjust the set mid-scene if needed. They were also able to eliminate the time it takes to switch between scenes. All they needed to do was tip the table or either of the stools on its side, or they could stack them and move them around the stage. It was very simple and efficient.

My favorite, was the use of the canvas panels that were at the back of the set. The staging for those was great. Each time Macbeth spoke to his hired assassins, he moved to the back of the stage and stood in front of the light that was shining through the canvas. The light made it look like we were just seeing the silhouettes of the assassins and Macbeth. It gave a feel that they were dealing behind closed doors and that they were having secret meetings that nobody was supposed to know about. I found it fairly effective.

I enjoyed my first viewing of Macbeth. I worry that I will be disappointed if I see any other interpretations of it.

       A Front Row Experience

         Upon hearing that Macbeth was being performed by a party of just two, I decided that this play would most likely interest me more than the others. When I arrived I learned that I had accidentally purchased tickets in the front row, which unbeknownst to me meant that I was in for something a little extra special. 

        This rendition of Macbeth was fun, casual, and upbeat. They employed audience participation as a great tactic to keep everyone involved and extremely on their toes. Their props and dress were extremely simple, and in order to portray a large number of characters, they would announce in a large narrative voice every time a new character was supposedly entering on stage, for example, “ENTER MACBETH.” It was like watching Macbeth on a tight budget, the only thing that didn’t seem skimped on was the acting. I thought the two actors were very convincing, and acted with a higher intensity and emotion than I’ve ever seen in a live play before. This really brought the play to life for me, and I could tell that everyone in the audience was of the same impression. We were all at the edge of our seats, waiting for them to bring the next scene to life, despite boldly proclaiming their lines from atop a wooden box.

        I believe the simpleness of the show was part of its brilliance. We are relying wholly upon their acting, tone, gestures, and hints to have an idea of what is going on, and these actors had the skill to pull it off. When focused solely on them, we can zero in on the dialogue, and I think I got more out of the lines in this performance than any of the other Shakespearean plays I’ve seen before.

Hamlet, Lost in Thought

Hamlet

Upon viewing Hamlet's soliloquy, found at 58:08 in this recording, I found the staging to be interesting. Just before he began his soliloquy, Hamlet climbed up a small spiral staircase and sat at the top of a raised platform in a thoughtful manner. Hamlet seems to be more contemplative in his soliloquy and less tortured. He does stand and almost debate about throwing himself over the railing, but that only lasts for a moment, and he climbs back down to the safety of the stage floor to continue his contemplation until the memory of Ophelia brings him back to the world.

The distance between us

Starting around 31:30 in this production of A Doll's House, when observing the relationship between the two characters, one can really see the tension between the two characters.  The lady, you can tell that she doesn't want to be around the man, since she keeps fleeing across the stage from him, and looks really tense when addressing him.  Then, at 38:17 the man comes in close to show the lady to show evidence that he has against her, and the tension can really be seen, since we find out why she's so tense, since it is at this moment that the man reveals that the lady forged her father's signature.

Upon learning a bit more about voice in class today, I have chosen to analyze this rendition of Hamlet once again from a new perspective. When I listen to the characters speak at around the same 50 minute mark, I hear the emotions they are trying to portray in a variety of ways. The man giving the speech at this mark enunciates his words in a very majestic way. As if he is speaking in the middle ages, even though his clothes still suggest otherwise. He yells his words at some points like he is lamenting. He really goes for it and it sounds as if someone is really in pain. He doesn't care about how he sounds or how he looks, he is truly acting and saying his lines like he is in pain, which I think deserves respect.

I know very little about this play, Death of a Salesman. Immediately when seeing the first scene of the salesman entering the home, I find myself thinking, "Is he the protagonist? Antagonist? Are there hints from the title or the opening music that could give me clues about his character?"
I was trying to piece together the information from the title and the first line spoken in the play. After hearing her husband's suitcases hit the floor, the wife of the salesman jumps up from sleep, saying, "Willie?" He responds, rather glum, "It's alright- I came back." This immediately has me guessing as to what this salesman has been up to, why his wife is frantically asking questions after he responds, and why she sounds so jittery and the husband so mellow and glum.


I noticed here watching it again that they use little microphone headsets to amplify their voice. As far as I could see, there is no singing or music in the play- it's very quiet and typically one only hears the person talking. I think it is odd for them to have their headsets on- it seems to make their characters really dull and without genuine emotion. They don't have to worry about speaking any louder than they are to really get their point across because their regular voice is already so loud.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=54UvHLfv58U
In the video above, an adaptation of Hamlet, we see how modern dress and setting have been used to give the play a very different attitude, as if the events of Hamlet just happened today. I find that it seems a bit out of place at first, but after you settle into it I honestly believe it helped make the play more relatable and understandable. The scene where you should start to see all the characters together with a good example of modern dress is at exactly 50:00.

Drama Analysis

When watching this presentation of A Doll House, something that I noticed throughout the piece was the way the costumes that the actors/actresses wore made them much more visible and eye-catching.  When looking at all of the props, and the lighting, it's all very bright, very much the same color, but the actors/actresses are all wearing dark colors, except for the white cover the first lady wears until about 1:20 into the clip.  I think that helps to show that the play is very character driven, and not very prop based at all.  It's all about the storyline, and what the characters are saying, and not at all to do with the things that are around them.

My name's Devin. I typically enjoy fantasy/sci-fi novels

My name is Dallin Rahlf. I am a current student in English 251 at BYU. Does it look like I enjoy reading books in my picture? Well, I guess I do. I've read at least three of them.

Well, this is my sister's shelf, but I do read a lot of similar things. My favorite genres are fantasy and sci-fi.

Less impressive than our shelf at home, but I love fiction and historical fiction novels the best!