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Saturday, May 4, 2013
SHOW AND TELL: THE DEBUTANTE BALL
In honor of my ATKM ladies, I'm doing The Debutante Ball by Beth Henley.
The playwright, as I said, is Beth Henley. I have misplaced my copy, but I have read it more than once. To my knowledge, this play has not been on Broadway or off-Broadway, but I can tell you that is has been produced regionally. However, I do not think it is produced very often because it is not one of Henley's more famous plays like Crimes of the Heart. Obviously, all of this information is from my own memory as I have misplaced my copy and this info is not on the internet.
The plot of the play begins on the day of Teddy Parker's debutante ball. Teddy is an awkward girl who absolutely does not want to be a debutante. She has quite a few mental issues going on, and we find out that she is pregnant. Her mother, Jen was quite a beautiful socialite in Hattiesburg, but she has recently been shunned because of her questionable acquittal in her husband's murder. She has a new squeeze (her defense attorney), and is looking to make Teddy's ball her own "rebirth" in the social community. Along the way, we meet Teddy's completely crazy sister, the defense attorney's deaf niece, and the defense attorney's son who limps around on crutches. To say the least....the night is a hilarious and sad disaster. I'm not spoiling the rest...just read it.
The first interesting dramaturgical choice that I found is the absolute ambiguity of most of the characters. We really don't figure out all of the secrets of these characters until the bitter end. Henley intentionally makes us wonder what's underneath all of the characters at all time, and it certainly puts me on edge when I read it. The second choice that I find fascinating is the type of irony that Henley uses. It's a sort of dramatic irony in which we laugh because the characters don't know how f&*%ed they are. It really makes the entire show. It's a script of laughing at other people's pain.
The playwright, as I said, is Beth Henley. I have misplaced my copy, but I have read it more than once. To my knowledge, this play has not been on Broadway or off-Broadway, but I can tell you that is has been produced regionally. However, I do not think it is produced very often because it is not one of Henley's more famous plays like Crimes of the Heart. Obviously, all of this information is from my own memory as I have misplaced my copy and this info is not on the internet.
The plot of the play begins on the day of Teddy Parker's debutante ball. Teddy is an awkward girl who absolutely does not want to be a debutante. She has quite a few mental issues going on, and we find out that she is pregnant. Her mother, Jen was quite a beautiful socialite in Hattiesburg, but she has recently been shunned because of her questionable acquittal in her husband's murder. She has a new squeeze (her defense attorney), and is looking to make Teddy's ball her own "rebirth" in the social community. Along the way, we meet Teddy's completely crazy sister, the defense attorney's deaf niece, and the defense attorney's son who limps around on crutches. To say the least....the night is a hilarious and sad disaster. I'm not spoiling the rest...just read it.
The first interesting dramaturgical choice that I found is the absolute ambiguity of most of the characters. We really don't figure out all of the secrets of these characters until the bitter end. Henley intentionally makes us wonder what's underneath all of the characters at all time, and it certainly puts me on edge when I read it. The second choice that I find fascinating is the type of irony that Henley uses. It's a sort of dramatic irony in which we laugh because the characters don't know how f&*%ed they are. It really makes the entire show. It's a script of laughing at other people's pain.
DROWSY CHAPERONE
I think that progression and rhythm are the two biggest Hornby elements that would change the way you would analyze this musical. It seems to me that the music would do a a whole lot more than the script in terms of indicating the progression of a motif. The music allows you to hear the resolution of conflicts, the reshaping of themes, etc. that you may not necessarily see with the script. Tempo is also hugely important in a musical. Often, the tempo suggests a mood for the audience. Based on the music, the audience can often tell whether the tone of a scene or moment is comedic, dramatic, or something else entirely. Tempo within the music also indicates the level of tension of conflict present in the script. The lyrics may not indicate a build or rising action that the tempo of the music might.
THREE VIEWINGS
Okay. To start off with the easy question, Nettie James. But that's super duper obvious.
For the deeper question, I think a recurring theme is that "you don't know what you have until it's gone" kind of thing. In all three monologues, a character is longing for someone that they had or failed to get. These characters took their respective people for granted. For example, Virginia begins to miss her husband only after she has lost him. She finally has the time to look back on all of the time she shared with him and what it meant for her. Mac begins to miss her own family at the funeral of her grandmother. She realizes that she took her family for granted when she is faced with the death of her grandmother. It seems that only after coming out of her semi-suicidal phase, Mac can see the value of family and love. For Emil, Tessie doesn't mean nearly as much until after she is dead. He does not realize that even someone who knew him like Tessie was still a dear presence in his life.
For the deeper question, I think a recurring theme is that "you don't know what you have until it's gone" kind of thing. In all three monologues, a character is longing for someone that they had or failed to get. These characters took their respective people for granted. For example, Virginia begins to miss her husband only after she has lost him. She finally has the time to look back on all of the time she shared with him and what it meant for her. Mac begins to miss her own family at the funeral of her grandmother. She realizes that she took her family for granted when she is faced with the death of her grandmother. It seems that only after coming out of her semi-suicidal phase, Mac can see the value of family and love. For Emil, Tessie doesn't mean nearly as much until after she is dead. He does not realize that even someone who knew him like Tessie was still a dear presence in his life.
ON THE VERGE
I'm going to have to do the "optional" portion of this prompt, because I have absolutely no clue where to start for a promotional image.
I think that Mr. Coffee is one of two things--Death or God. Really, he could be one and the same. I think that his very ambiguous nature is important in realizing that he is less of a character and more of an idea. The fact that he says that they'll meet again is a huge indicator that he's one of the two.
Sorry this isn't a very meaty post...I don't have a whole lot else to say. :)
I think that Mr. Coffee is one of two things--Death or God. Really, he could be one and the same. I think that his very ambiguous nature is important in realizing that he is less of a character and more of an idea. The fact that he says that they'll meet again is a huge indicator that he's one of the two.
Sorry this isn't a very meaty post...I don't have a whole lot else to say. :)
FIRES IN THE MIRROR
This piece was not written to discuss what happened in Crown Heights. If that was the point, the playwright could have simply written the events into play form or simply re-capped the news. This piece is about identity, how we express it, and how identities can clash with others. Most importantly, it is about the disastrous results when people who share in an "identity" conflict with another group of similar people.
Without the first chunk of monologues in the piece, Smith accomplishes nothing more than a news report. These monologues not only frame the events surrounding the riot, they make the events RELEVANT. The playwright here is more interested in what these events say about us as individuals, not the effect these riots had on a nation. One of the reasons that there are so many of these "introductory" monologues is to establish a point. People of different ages and backgrounds can share in an aspect of life that binds them together in a single identity. This could be a race, a religion, or even hair texture. Smith is interested in what connects these people before she explores what happens when conflicts arise between them.
So, by cutting them out, what would we lose? We would lose the part of Smith's work that is art. We would lose what distinguishes her from a newscaster or a novelist. Smith's craft is to take events and make us examine them in a way that we may not have before.
Without the first chunk of monologues in the piece, Smith accomplishes nothing more than a news report. These monologues not only frame the events surrounding the riot, they make the events RELEVANT. The playwright here is more interested in what these events say about us as individuals, not the effect these riots had on a nation. One of the reasons that there are so many of these "introductory" monologues is to establish a point. People of different ages and backgrounds can share in an aspect of life that binds them together in a single identity. This could be a race, a religion, or even hair texture. Smith is interested in what connects these people before she explores what happens when conflicts arise between them.
So, by cutting them out, what would we lose? We would lose the part of Smith's work that is art. We would lose what distinguishes her from a newscaster or a novelist. Smith's craft is to take events and make us examine them in a way that we may not have before.
Saturday, April 13, 2013
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