Aha! I remembered to post this time! Although it helps that I am on the constant edge of caffeine and last-minute projects...surprisingly enough, I remembered about today's review because I know many of you were looking forward to what this play really is all about.
Well, for those who don't know: To Kill a Mockingbird is a classic novel written by Harper Lee that takes place in the 1930s down south. The book's perspective takes from a young girl, Jean-Louise Finch (also known as "Scout") and her memories regarding her childhood friends, adventures, her brother's growth in maturity, and her father facing a hard case defending a black man from a crime he didn't commit.
Now, that's the basic idea of the book. The adaptation OSF took on was making the court case the main driving plot of the play, which makes sense if you're going to condense a book into a two-hour production. There is an interesting take of having the narrator of the book as an older woman describing certain scenes when need be, so the play really is heavily driven by the memories of the narrator. Such is also reflected off from the set as well, as most of the set pieces are part of a shadow puppet-esque style (imagine, in the background, just a white sheet and several layers of shadows that have the ability to move towards the audience)
There is some confusion, however. While the narrator is talking through her own recollection of memories, the acting style of the play suggests that it's really about Atticus Finch (Scout's father). Everybody in the company either consents or counters the actor's character, and the subtle passion the actor portrays in his monologues and court cases strongly suggest the power behind the character, while the rest of the actors seem to act more as back-up characters.
For those who have never read the book or seen the movie, I recommend this production simply because it is to the point regarding main plot points. But for the more passionate fans, I would still recommend seeing it. Yes, it leaves out some plot points from the book and that should be expected, but the style of the show and the acting of Atticus Finch are the two main reasons one should enjoy the show, let alone see it.
And so that's the end of my reviews for OSF this year! I'm not entirely sure what is going to happen with the Elizabethan productions as it has been raining almost non-stop and it has been difficult to keep up rehearsals if the equipment keeps getting wet. If they do continue, however, I know personally I'd like to see Love's Labor Lost and The Pirates of Penzance. Maybe once I'm rich, perhaps.
But anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed these reviews! Y'all have a wonderful weekend and I shall talk to y'all later~
Friday, June 3, 2011
Friday, May 27, 2011
Totally uncalled for + OSF Review: August: Osage County
NEW RECORD: THREE WEEKS!
Somehow, I should not be proud of this.
This seems almost routine for me to say why I keep skipping out on my friday updates, but so much has happened in the past few weeks: technical rehearsals of training a cat for stage purposes, going back to work closing shifts for Wendy's, and receiving only the best news I've heard in quite a while.
For next year's mainstage production, A Midsummer's Night Dream, I will be the costume designer for the show.
As selfish as this may seem, hearing about this has made me the happiest I've ever been in a long time.
SO. YUP. Needless to say, a lot has been going on these past few weeks.
But now I present to you another show review!
August: Osage County, as many of you will not know, is a fairly new show (written/performed in 2007) about the dysfunctional dynamics of a family coping with a father's suicide, a mother's addiction to pills, divorces, scandals...oh, and this all takes place in Oklahoma. So imagine, if you will, Little House on the Prairie + Desperate Housewives + every sarcastic remark you've ever heard.
That's pretty much the play.
It certainly invokes the atmosphere of a midwestern setting: the set perfectly condenses the house so that it feels as though nothing could be kept secret within its walls, the lights' amber glow was subtle enough to give off the classic sun-time setting one usually associates with midwestern homes, and the costumes were practical enough to show the character's personalities and their levels of how comfortable they were among family members.
But if one did have a reason to go see this show, see it for the acting company. This play was intentionally written for the acting possibilities, and OSF's stock of brilliant actors did excellent in promoting the story. The actors know when something is meant to be laughed at, and also when the timing is more crucial and serious. Honestly, this show promotes the best of OSF's acting talent from the eldest member to the youngest, newest of its members.
So there you have it, and hopefully by next week I will review To Kill a Mockingbird (something I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear about!) So I hope y'all have a good rest of this weekend and I will talk you y'all later~
Somehow, I should not be proud of this.
This seems almost routine for me to say why I keep skipping out on my friday updates, but so much has happened in the past few weeks: technical rehearsals of training a cat for stage purposes, going back to work closing shifts for Wendy's, and receiving only the best news I've heard in quite a while.
For next year's mainstage production, A Midsummer's Night Dream, I will be the costume designer for the show.
As selfish as this may seem, hearing about this has made me the happiest I've ever been in a long time.
SO. YUP. Needless to say, a lot has been going on these past few weeks.
But now I present to you another show review!
August: Osage County, as many of you will not know, is a fairly new show (written/performed in 2007) about the dysfunctional dynamics of a family coping with a father's suicide, a mother's addiction to pills, divorces, scandals...oh, and this all takes place in Oklahoma. So imagine, if you will, Little House on the Prairie + Desperate Housewives + every sarcastic remark you've ever heard.
That's pretty much the play.
It certainly invokes the atmosphere of a midwestern setting: the set perfectly condenses the house so that it feels as though nothing could be kept secret within its walls, the lights' amber glow was subtle enough to give off the classic sun-time setting one usually associates with midwestern homes, and the costumes were practical enough to show the character's personalities and their levels of how comfortable they were among family members.
But if one did have a reason to go see this show, see it for the acting company. This play was intentionally written for the acting possibilities, and OSF's stock of brilliant actors did excellent in promoting the story. The actors know when something is meant to be laughed at, and also when the timing is more crucial and serious. Honestly, this show promotes the best of OSF's acting talent from the eldest member to the youngest, newest of its members.
So there you have it, and hopefully by next week I will review To Kill a Mockingbird (something I know a lot of you have been waiting to hear about!) So I hope y'all have a good rest of this weekend and I will talk you y'all later~
Friday, May 6, 2011
Apologies + OSF Review: Julius Caesar
Two weeks. Wow. I think that's a new record for me.
I apologize for such the delay in blogging. The last two weekends have been someone pressing for time with midterms to study, cats to train, and costume sketches needing to be finished (four days without sleep can be a damaging thing to the body...). The next few weeks aren't looking to lighten up either as the show is moving into its tech rehearsals and most of that will consume my time. That and I have given in by applying back to my old job (Wendy's). At this point, it is the easiest option to earn money over the summer.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program:
For those of you who may not know, Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's political/historical plays about rise to power, corruption in an orderly system and honor to one self. It tells the tale of Brutus, a friend of the war hero Caesar among others, and his conflicts of Caesar as an acquaintance and his role as a leader. While other political figures seem to be okay with killing off the tyrant and gaining back their freedom, Brutus feels conflicted if not dishonored by such a horrid, backstabbing deed.
Also, keep in mind the traditional setting for this play is set in Rome.
NOW.
OSF decided to take a different route with this production, making it at modern as possible, minimal as possible, and as last-minute as possible. The stage is essentially stripped to its bare minimums (to the point where you can see what their Black Box looks like without any fancy scenery), lighting makes no sense, and costumes are all over the place with a mixture of steampunk and post-apocalyptic drags.
The only thing that seemed to keep up anybody's attention was the acting. Some actors were intense and successfully showed a progressive change in character (whether for poor intentions or honorable ones), deaths of some figures were hauntingly beautiful, and it was a treat to see the actors so casual at the top of the show and then immediately drag audience members back into the scenario of the world.
But the most important feature, I believe, was the casting of Julius Caesar as a woman. Granted, the role could have been taken to an extreme feminist, but the actress did not choose to take that step. She treated the role as a gender-neutral role, neither condoning or praising one sex or the other. She was simply known as Caesar, and that was good enough for her. I believe OSF wanted to shift the play being about Brutus towards Caesar's favor and they did it brilliantly by having her linger around for the second act as a ghost, spectating the world around her and the people who fight either in her name or against it.
Regardless, her name and reputation still lingered even after her death. She IS Caesar, after all.
Anyway, so if you want to see it because it's a classic, I certainly won't stop you, but it wasn't one of my personal favorites.
So I hope y'all have a good weekend ahead of you and I will hopefully update by next week! Later~
I apologize for such the delay in blogging. The last two weekends have been someone pressing for time with midterms to study, cats to train, and costume sketches needing to be finished (four days without sleep can be a damaging thing to the body...). The next few weeks aren't looking to lighten up either as the show is moving into its tech rehearsals and most of that will consume my time. That and I have given in by applying back to my old job (Wendy's). At this point, it is the easiest option to earn money over the summer.
Now, back to our regularly scheduled program:
For those of you who may not know, Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's political/historical plays about rise to power, corruption in an orderly system and honor to one self. It tells the tale of Brutus, a friend of the war hero Caesar among others, and his conflicts of Caesar as an acquaintance and his role as a leader. While other political figures seem to be okay with killing off the tyrant and gaining back their freedom, Brutus feels conflicted if not dishonored by such a horrid, backstabbing deed.
Also, keep in mind the traditional setting for this play is set in Rome.
NOW.
OSF decided to take a different route with this production, making it at modern as possible, minimal as possible, and as last-minute as possible. The stage is essentially stripped to its bare minimums (to the point where you can see what their Black Box looks like without any fancy scenery), lighting makes no sense, and costumes are all over the place with a mixture of steampunk and post-apocalyptic drags.
The only thing that seemed to keep up anybody's attention was the acting. Some actors were intense and successfully showed a progressive change in character (whether for poor intentions or honorable ones), deaths of some figures were hauntingly beautiful, and it was a treat to see the actors so casual at the top of the show and then immediately drag audience members back into the scenario of the world.
But the most important feature, I believe, was the casting of Julius Caesar as a woman. Granted, the role could have been taken to an extreme feminist, but the actress did not choose to take that step. She treated the role as a gender-neutral role, neither condoning or praising one sex or the other. She was simply known as Caesar, and that was good enough for her. I believe OSF wanted to shift the play being about Brutus towards Caesar's favor and they did it brilliantly by having her linger around for the second act as a ghost, spectating the world around her and the people who fight either in her name or against it.
Regardless, her name and reputation still lingered even after her death. She IS Caesar, after all.
Anyway, so if you want to see it because it's a classic, I certainly won't stop you, but it wasn't one of my personal favorites.
So I hope y'all have a good weekend ahead of you and I will hopefully update by next week! Later~
Monday, April 18, 2011
OSF Review: The Language Archive
I apologize this is a weekend late, it hasn't been a very successful couple of days as of late.
So I will just proceed with the review.
The Language Archive is essentially the tale of learning how to communicate with others, from expressing oneself to another human being or clarifying truths for a self image. The story begins with George and Mary, a married couple soon to separate from each other because Mary feels a lack of love and expression from George, who cannot for the life of him express his love for her. This making it ironic as he is a linguist. In fact his job soon consumes his life as he attempts to retrieve recordings of a dying language from a couple that refuses to speak with one another. Add in the love interest that Emma (George's lab partner) has for her boss and you have yourself a merry dramatic love story.
Honestly, the acting became overshadowed by the technical aspects supported in the play. All the light cues were struck beautifully according to the scenes and monologues, the sound system completely encased the audience with a sense of realism, even the props took a step beyond as bread is literally cooked backstage to allow the theatre to smell exactly like a bread store. An overreaching feature, but such devotion brought tears to my eyes.
The ending was obscure and left me with little satisfaction for any of the characters, so I would only recommend this play to those who appreciate the other elements of the show. Admittedly, it is a nice change to see the technical aspects overrule the actors. It deserves that recognition every once in a while.
That's all from me, so tune in on Friday for my review of Julius Caesar; truly, a unique turn of the play with OSF's production.
Later~
So I will just proceed with the review.
The Language Archive is essentially the tale of learning how to communicate with others, from expressing oneself to another human being or clarifying truths for a self image. The story begins with George and Mary, a married couple soon to separate from each other because Mary feels a lack of love and expression from George, who cannot for the life of him express his love for her. This making it ironic as he is a linguist. In fact his job soon consumes his life as he attempts to retrieve recordings of a dying language from a couple that refuses to speak with one another. Add in the love interest that Emma (George's lab partner) has for her boss and you have yourself a merry dramatic love story.
Honestly, the acting became overshadowed by the technical aspects supported in the play. All the light cues were struck beautifully according to the scenes and monologues, the sound system completely encased the audience with a sense of realism, even the props took a step beyond as bread is literally cooked backstage to allow the theatre to smell exactly like a bread store. An overreaching feature, but such devotion brought tears to my eyes.
The ending was obscure and left me with little satisfaction for any of the characters, so I would only recommend this play to those who appreciate the other elements of the show. Admittedly, it is a nice change to see the technical aspects overrule the actors. It deserves that recognition every once in a while.
That's all from me, so tune in on Friday for my review of Julius Caesar; truly, a unique turn of the play with OSF's production.
Later~
Friday, April 8, 2011
OSF Review: The Imaginary Invalid
Hello all, and we're back with another review for the week! I can't believe how much of a talk show host I just sounded like, but there you go.
I guess to start off, school has been pretty hectic if not slow (oxymoron, right?). I found out recently that SOU's production of "You Can't Take It With You" is indeed using a live cat as part of their crew and I have been entitled to be their "cat wrangler", as it were.
So that's about all the exciting news I have, really. Now, to the review!
In an attempt to reach out to the issue of the public health option, OSF decided to put on The Imaginary Invalid, a french play by Moliere and adapted by the genius' who brought OSF The Servant of Two Masters about two years ago (for those who have no idea what it is, just know it was brilliant and hilarious). The story is about a hypochondriac man who tries to wed his youngest daughter off to a doctor's nephew, when really she is in love with another man. His servant constantly tries to convince the hypochondriac that he is not really sick at all, and that he must see his family is more important than his health. It's full of antic loop holes and improvisational fun that it just keeps you keen on your ears throughout the entire story. At first I was excited to see this production because:
a) David Kelly is the lead actor (a man of genius, just keep this in mind)
b) It was by the adapters who brought us said-previous play. Which I loved.
. . . To say the least and in all fairness to OSF's hard work, I would recommend this play to anyone looking for a comedy. There are not a whole lot this season so if you'd like to give yourself a laugh, then this is the play for you. It's interactive, flashy, gaudy (in the good sense), and will pinpoint memories that you didn't think you could have picked out beforehand. Oh, and the ending leaves you for thinking, as well.
Now, here's MY personal view of the show.
I didn't really like it. I didn't really enjoy it minus a few actors I had known through SOU. It also doesn't help that the play is set in 1960s France. When I read the script for this show before I had a completely different vision for this show, and the way OSF portrayed it did not work for me at all to feel for the cast, minus one character.
The costumes were fantastic and enveloped the characters perfectly based on the material used for said costuming. But really...it was hard for me to focus on the show since the play was solely prodding fun at the era of 1960s sitcoms. Not to mention they blended the pop cultural references of pushing for the most recent debate of public health care (intentionally set for a Democratic stance), and I've recently discovered that I just don't enjoy excessive pop cultural references in a given medium (books, movies, games, etc.)
So, go if you'd like a good laugh. Don't go if you're anal about design like I am.
And that's my two cents! So next week will be a review of one of my personal favorite pieces by OSF so far this season, so that should be exciting! Anyway I hope y'all have a good weekend and a good week following after that! Later~
I guess to start off, school has been pretty hectic if not slow (oxymoron, right?). I found out recently that SOU's production of "You Can't Take It With You" is indeed using a live cat as part of their crew and I have been entitled to be their "cat wrangler", as it were.
So that's about all the exciting news I have, really. Now, to the review!
In an attempt to reach out to the issue of the public health option, OSF decided to put on The Imaginary Invalid, a french play by Moliere and adapted by the genius' who brought OSF The Servant of Two Masters about two years ago (for those who have no idea what it is, just know it was brilliant and hilarious). The story is about a hypochondriac man who tries to wed his youngest daughter off to a doctor's nephew, when really she is in love with another man. His servant constantly tries to convince the hypochondriac that he is not really sick at all, and that he must see his family is more important than his health. It's full of antic loop holes and improvisational fun that it just keeps you keen on your ears throughout the entire story. At first I was excited to see this production because:
a) David Kelly is the lead actor (a man of genius, just keep this in mind)
b) It was by the adapters who brought us said-previous play. Which I loved.
. . . To say the least and in all fairness to OSF's hard work, I would recommend this play to anyone looking for a comedy. There are not a whole lot this season so if you'd like to give yourself a laugh, then this is the play for you. It's interactive, flashy, gaudy (in the good sense), and will pinpoint memories that you didn't think you could have picked out beforehand. Oh, and the ending leaves you for thinking, as well.
Now, here's MY personal view of the show.
I didn't really like it. I didn't really enjoy it minus a few actors I had known through SOU. It also doesn't help that the play is set in 1960s France. When I read the script for this show before I had a completely different vision for this show, and the way OSF portrayed it did not work for me at all to feel for the cast, minus one character.
The costumes were fantastic and enveloped the characters perfectly based on the material used for said costuming. But really...it was hard for me to focus on the show since the play was solely prodding fun at the era of 1960s sitcoms. Not to mention they blended the pop cultural references of pushing for the most recent debate of public health care (intentionally set for a Democratic stance), and I've recently discovered that I just don't enjoy excessive pop cultural references in a given medium (books, movies, games, etc.)
So, go if you'd like a good laugh. Don't go if you're anal about design like I am.
And that's my two cents! So next week will be a review of one of my personal favorite pieces by OSF so far this season, so that should be exciting! Anyway I hope y'all have a good weekend and a good week following after that! Later~
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Play of the week: Measure for Measure
Okay, so perhaps it'll be easier to remember that between Friday and Sunday this blog will be updated. I apologize to everyone, but times are getting busier by the minute.
Anyway, instead of just keeping updates about my life, I think for this term's set of blogs will revolve around the plays going on at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It might be good for you guys to hear how the productions are doing down here in Ashland, and this way it makes for a good exercise since I need to write analysis papers on the plays.
So here we go!
William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a rather lesser known play, is essentially about a Duke entrusting a deputy position to one of his trusted men, who in turns is corrupt with power by shutting down all brothels, sentencing a man to death for "stealing his wife" and then bribing this man's sister to give up her virginity for the life of her brother (which wouldn't be a problem if she wasn't just starting her nunnery business). I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this play, seeing as I read very little of the script before seeing the show (...I'm a horrible theatre major, heh). But I thought it was a very enticing choice to set the play in the 1970s, which addressed a lot of issues (state vs sexuality, state vs religion, state vs immigration, etc.). The set is essentially one generic color, and it opens up late at night in a business office, which would consist of grey walls, white floors and geometric shapes. Thanks to the lighting, I genuinely believed I was transported to the ten other locations this play took place in. There is also the pleasure of latin-american music played during certain scenes, which added a little nice spice to the static nature of some of the performances.
Not...that the performances were bad. Just intense sometimes.
Overall, if you did want to see an OSF show, Measure for Measure is the one you should be seeing. At least that way you can acclaim your smart rights to your friends by telling them about a play they've probably never heard of. Hurrah!
Anyway, I hope y'all are doing well! I'm so sorry for the delayed post, but at least next week you'll get a treat for one of the comedies shown this year at OSF! Please let me know if you think these reviews are a good idea or not!
Have a good rest of your week, guys!
Later~
Anyway, instead of just keeping updates about my life, I think for this term's set of blogs will revolve around the plays going on at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. It might be good for you guys to hear how the productions are doing down here in Ashland, and this way it makes for a good exercise since I need to write analysis papers on the plays.
So here we go!
William Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, a rather lesser known play, is essentially about a Duke entrusting a deputy position to one of his trusted men, who in turns is corrupt with power by shutting down all brothels, sentencing a man to death for "stealing his wife" and then bribing this man's sister to give up her virginity for the life of her brother (which wouldn't be a problem if she wasn't just starting her nunnery business). I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this play, seeing as I read very little of the script before seeing the show (...I'm a horrible theatre major, heh). But I thought it was a very enticing choice to set the play in the 1970s, which addressed a lot of issues (state vs sexuality, state vs religion, state vs immigration, etc.). The set is essentially one generic color, and it opens up late at night in a business office, which would consist of grey walls, white floors and geometric shapes. Thanks to the lighting, I genuinely believed I was transported to the ten other locations this play took place in. There is also the pleasure of latin-american music played during certain scenes, which added a little nice spice to the static nature of some of the performances.
Not...that the performances were bad. Just intense sometimes.
Overall, if you did want to see an OSF show, Measure for Measure is the one you should be seeing. At least that way you can acclaim your smart rights to your friends by telling them about a play they've probably never heard of. Hurrah!
Anyway, I hope y'all are doing well! I'm so sorry for the delayed post, but at least next week you'll get a treat for one of the comedies shown this year at OSF! Please let me know if you think these reviews are a good idea or not!
Have a good rest of your week, guys!
Later~
Friday, March 25, 2011
Spring Break
Well I didn't get a chance to post a blog last week because I was home in The Dalles for a few days. I'm sorry guys!
But to pretty much sum up my Spring Break, I stayed home and doodled, went home for a few days, came back home and doodled, and now the break is almost over. I'm so productive!
In all seriousness though, this break did me some good. Not to mention that I am still celebrating my good grades from last term and that many life errands have been taken care of. That and I am relaxing to the best of my ability before jumping into my 18 credit term coming up. I'm not entirely excited about it, but it has to be done.
Anyway, I really don't have a whole lot to write about, so I'll let you know how my first week of Spring Term goes! I hope y'all are having a good time yourself and a good week ahead! Later~
But to pretty much sum up my Spring Break, I stayed home and doodled, went home for a few days, came back home and doodled, and now the break is almost over. I'm so productive!
In all seriousness though, this break did me some good. Not to mention that I am still celebrating my good grades from last term and that many life errands have been taken care of. That and I am relaxing to the best of my ability before jumping into my 18 credit term coming up. I'm not entirely excited about it, but it has to be done.
Anyway, I really don't have a whole lot to write about, so I'll let you know how my first week of Spring Term goes! I hope y'all are having a good time yourself and a good week ahead! Later~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)