What’s your tale, Nightingale? Jacksonville State University’s production of Frank Loesser’s renowned musical, Guys and Dolls, seems to tell a tale of life in the big apple during the 1950’s. This production was performed at the Carlton Ward Theatre, February 23-25, and March 2-4 of 2018. I had the great privilege of working on this production, as both Assistant Stage Manager and Dramaturg. Being so heavily involved, I was able to carefully observe different acting techniques as well as the processes and work that actors went through, not only during production but also during each night’s performances. After working and seeing this production from start to finish, I believe that the actors worked well on presenting this musical in a fun …show more content…
The technique of acting out the truth of the moment is talked about in A Practical Handbook for the Actor, a task that is by Sanford Meisner and is extended by these writers into a theory called the “Squeaky Door Theory”. A good example of this that can be seen in Guys and Dolls is the interaction between Nathan and Angie the Ox, played by Benjamin Marazzi. In Act One Scene One, Angie the Ox approaches Nathan about Sky Masterson, played by Brandon Clark, being in town for the crap game. The director gave Marazzi freedom to mold his character to his own will and in doing so we saw a different side to Angie the Ox every night. Because the character’s actions changed every performance, Wilkerson had to adapt to the given circumstances and play off of his scene partner. He relied on his acting ability and preparation to guide him through the scene as authentically as possible every night. This ability to act on what occurs in you as it occurs within you is a sign of a tremendous presence onstage and marks a great …show more content…
I was able to watch Brianna’s acting preparation and growth throughout the production and performances. She broke down her character’s motives and objectives through each act, scene, and line. She attacked all of her obstacles and was able to play those objectives and obstacles on stage! For example, Adelaide wants nothing more than to marry Nathan. Her super objective might be to convince Nathan that marriage is the right choice. She goes about this objective by telling Nathan that she already told her mother they were married, her hesitance in saying this shows that she wants to marry him but isn’t sure why he doesn’t want to get married yet. Then when she sings “Adelaide’s Lament” it could be interpreted that she wants nothing more than to be married to Nathan, so much so that it’s making her sick, which is a physicality that Garrett is able to constantly show the audience throughout the play, even when she sings. In fact, before every entrance, Garrett would cough and sniffle to prepare her body to portray that of a sick person. By breaking down her characters’ objectives and identifying her obstacles, Garrett was able to bring a certain quality to Miss Adelaide that only she could have brought to the
The director and choreographer Matthew Peters did an excellent job in keeping the show fast paced and
In the production, The Real Queen of Hearts Ain’t Even Pretty, I believe the most important character is Liz Nichols. She serves as the antagonist of the play against Sherri Lee Speer. Liz uses her sense of power to shape Cass into her own shadow, as well as form how Cass and Paula feel about Sherri Lee.
Personally I would not recommend this play to a friend, the theater was extremely sketchy and the cheaply made props and sound effects were a major turn off. Another turn off was the story. I found it to be extremely creepy at times. Overall I would call the production a successes due to the fact that there were no major mishaps like missing or messing up a line.
In 1951, Frank Loesser’s Guys & Dolls opened and received what were said to be “the most unanimously ecstatic set of reviews in Broadway history” (Block 200). For a show whose development included disappointing librettos from eleven different writers, this feat was truly unbelievable (Lewis 73). The unprecedented success of Guys & Dolls and its ability to remain culturally significant, as a popularly revived piece, is the product of several attributes unique to this show. The unusual writing progression that led to a truly integrated libretto in terms of the relationship of the score to the text, Loesser’s assimilation of a unified, yet distinctive style of speech into his lyrics for the
The acting in this musical was phenomenal. The puppets and the puppeteers were in sync with one another to the point that their outward appearance and facial expressions mirrored one another. I do not know if this was intentional of the director but it help to minimize the fact that there was someone else on stage holding the puppets. However, I often
I knew the actors could show their sense of comedy and wit from the first play and I was eager to see how they would carry out the dismal aspects this show. This production was a drastic change in the cast’s acting abilities, but they presented the production extraordinarily well. This was the first live production of the written story I have seen and I have faith that they did a superb job at depicting the insanity that Robert Louis
The most successful aspect of the performance for me were the scene changes. I found that the rotation of the blackboard, center stage, where the actors were able to stoop beneath it in order to enter and exit the stage, was an effective touch to this
On October 10, 2017 I saw “Guys and Dolls”, at The Milwaukee Repertory Theater, and it was astonishing.
I could feel myself being happy and laughing. The time was running but I was too focused to care about it. The stage was full because it had a variety of characters. There was minimal use of props. The big circular shaped giant seemed real which was beautifully designed. The catchy thing about the show was a girl saying Chicken licken many times which was noticeable and I think it caught the audience attention. The costumes were also beautifully chosen. As I'm a girl, I liked the dresses that were used by the princess. There was also a sound of the sky falling and there was a bright lighting of the stage. The play was beautifully played. I was not distracted by the show even though it had many characters and ideas going on. The favorite casting of the play was Robert Willian as he was full of life and I could feel his love and dedication towards the show. He was funny and good at it. The play had a lot of stories going on which had suspense as well. This might have created kid hard to
Analysis During the episode of New Girl, I was able to notice a lot of different parts that came together to make the whole episode. There were some lighting effects and I could tell in the first scene because two of the individuals, CeCe and Schmitt, were in the car at night and you could see their faces perfectly. There was a flashback that involved a dissolve to create a natural transition and to allow the audience to see that the scene was taking place at a different time period than when the episode was shot. There was supporting music throughout the show to help further the plot and to allow the viewer to stay engaged with what was going on in the show.
In New Voices 2018: Original Plays By BC Student Playwrights, “The Things We Do”, written by Taylor Badoyen ’19, was performed. This show consisted of three characters, someplace far from their home, trying to solve the mystery of how to get back. Sam, played by Christine Schmitt, Rae, played by Andrea Wisniewski, and Lex, played by Michael Mazzone, alternated between “falls” and worked together towards uncovering the truth of where they were stuck. The set plays a unique role in a production because it is the first thing that you notice when you arrive.
The actors’ performances are nearly flawless based on what I have seen on the videos. Their facial expressions, gestures, actions, and voices are marvelous. Even though Maranda’s singing is not as good as other performers, his acting completely covers this shortage. The choreography of Hamilton is also amazing. From the motion I can tell how the characters feel at the moment.
I believe that a lot of our performance went well. My group worked well as every aspect of the performance came together and worked seamlessly. The transitions were also successful as each performance was able to transition from one story to the next relatively easily. Our use of props, such as balloons and string helped us
I thought the play was fantastic! The genre of the play is children literature and this play in particular the actors were all kids, none older than 17 years old, preformed in the show. The kids were the ones who were doing everything in the play from moving the set, lighting, and wardrobe changes all by themselves.
The actors and actresses did well in their assigned rolls and I wish I could congratulate them on finishing the run. They worked together very well in all of the group musical numbers regardless of how hard they can be to coordinate at times. If I had to rate this performance of the musical it would get a 9/10. The acting, singing, costumes and costume changes, scenery and of course, the plot, are all wonderful and this is a must see. The only thing lacking was the cues and lighting, the use of the gobos was lacking and there was not as much color change as I would have enjoyed