Next to Normal: The American Dream You Don’t Want

“Next to Normal: The American Dream You Don’t Want”

Talking Horse Production’s “Next to Normal” by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey is one of the theater’s first major musicals. This story of a suburban household and the family who try to cope with a mother who is losing her mind gives a dark comedy vibe that will make you laugh and cry with the characters. It should have been difficult, seeing as how the black box theater has a limited amount of space and seating for such a massive show, but somehow, the setting worked. While the set’s backdrop was a tad confusing (it looked like there were chromosomes painted on the wall…not a very scenic view for a household but that might have been a choice), the two-level set did an excellent job of filling up the space, but not so much that you felt caged in. The actors’ performances were executed with a finesse and grace befitting the show. I would recommend seeing the performance…if the seats aren’t sold out already.

The Beaux' Stratagem

A comedic, restoration-style play where there’s love, a con and holy men who profit from the poor, MU’s production of “The Beaux’ Stratagem” by George Farquhar lets the audience escape for a couple hours into the hilarious side of the 1700’s.  Performed at the Rhynsburger Theater, this brightly colored and opulent world in jolly, old England gives the audience a sidesplitting view of what it’s like to get caught up in your own con. The talented actors, the beautifully designed costumes and the extravagant costumes made “The Beaux’ Strategem” one of the most interesting and colorful plays this semester.

“The Beaux’ Stratagem” takes place in England during the 1700’s. The two main characters, Jack Archer (Zach Huels) and Tom Aimwell (Dylan Bainter) play two con men whose plan to get rich includes seducing and marrying young, wealthy women, then leaving with their money. The very charming Archer moves with the grace of a dancer and speaks with a devilish glint in his eye. For During one of his earliest monologues, he tells the audience of his plan to seduce a wealthy Dorinda (Courtney F. Wagner). The grace with which he walks and the smirk he has on his face as he speaks gives the audience the idea of a jungle cat spotting its prey. But then he changes from a jungle cat to a tame kitten in the end. When he breaks into Mrs. Kate Sullen’s (Lynett Vallejo) room to profess his love, he gets on his knees to beg her to be his (and also to protect her from the highwaymen).  And when he is speaking with her, his tone becomes gentle and soft.

No actor could pull off such a great show without the help of director Suzanne Burgoyne. All of her characters seemed to have a natural way of moving and speaking throughout the play that really seemed to have her touch upon it. Such as Sullen (Jackson Harned). Upon his last entrance, where he attempts to drunkenly blow his wig off his face with no mind to the other characters, made the audience roar with laughter. His unique comic timing and outlandish movements could only have been done with help from Burgoyne.

Last, but certainly not least, was the design of the play. From the opulent, rich costumes to the massive, detailed set, the design of this play portrayed the country life of 1700’s England very well. The costumes, designed by Kerri S. Packard, were some of the more brightly colored costumes I’ve seen this semester. Take Mrs. Katee Sullen’s beautiful gown. A hunter green gown with diamond patterns and a yellow underskirt to highlight the green, this dress was a masterpiece. White lace trimmings could be seen flowing from the end of her sleeves, which perfectly matched the white pearl choker and earrings. And anytime she walked about the stage, the gown seemed to swish quietly with her.

The design of the set and lights were also wonderful to see. The set designed by Brad M. Carlson and lighting designed by David Schneider, the set consisted of two major scenes, Lady Bountiful’s (Alison Kertz) estate and Boniface’s inn. For Boniface’s inn, a dirty, seemingly poor interior was the theme. With dark wood paneling for floors, off-white walls (that seemed to have gotten that color because of lack of cleaning) and the bare minimum furniture gave a very old-world vibe that fit the time of the play. For Lady Bountiful’s estate, a grand, opulent set took the stage. A golden chandelier was flown in from above, and dark red walls with large furnishings and vanity mirrors placed in key locations definitely gave the impression of old money. Adding with the colored spotlights that would pop up at key times, such as when the actors delivered monologues to the audience, a golden beam took stage. And for moments when we had love at first sight, a pinkish beam became the only light source.

I would highly recommend seeing this play. While most think of the 1700’s as a time of disease (typhus and smallpox especially) and beggars, this sidesplitting comedy shows a lighter side of English life with its quick wit and wonderful characters.

Hearts Like Fists

“Hearts Like Fists” by Adam Szymkowicz ended its four-day run at The Warehouse Theater Company at the Stephen’s College campus on April 12, which is the day that I saw it. A dark comedy play set in a world where superheroes and villains tear each other apart during the night, this play also incorporated a love story where the woman saves the man, instead of the other way around. While I understand that this play was student-directed, and therefore not to be taken by “professional” standings, the lack of convincing acting, plus the incredibly campy dialogue and two-dimensional female characters made the audience groan and roll their eyes more than it made them laugh.

We’ll start with the direction of this play. Directed by Briannica Lynn Ponder, the play’s direction came across as unfinished and sloppy. Take for instance, the very beginning of the play, where the evil Doctor X (a man played by female actress Allison Sword) gives a long monologue about why “he” is killing couples in their sleep. The character kept pacing back and forth, giving the impression that they were antsy and couldn’t stand still. It was very disorientating, and I was just waiting for a moment where the character would stay still and deliver the monologue. Sword also kept switching which hand she would carry her doctor’s bag in, going from one hand to the next every other sentence. This also indicated to me that she was unsure and nervous, which took me out of the moment. While part of this might rest on Sword’s shoulders, as a director, there should have been a discussion about the way the movement of the actor was reading to the audience. Another directing instance that pulled the audience out of the moment is the instance where Lisa (Bernadette Murray) and Peter (Kelsey Cyganik) are about to have sex for the first time. The whole idea is that Peter’s heart is damaged, and that his heart might not be able to take Lisa’s kind of love. During the “before” portion of their lovemaking, Lisa will take off a piece of clothing and check his heart with a stethoscope (as a kind of caring foreplay). However, this scene was extremely rushed and awkward. I understand that any intimate scene between two actors can be nerve-wracking, especially in front of an audience, but these types of nerves should not be visible to the audience. The audience wants to believe that these two love each other and are completely comfortable with one another. Instead, Murray would hurriedly rip her top off then quickly put the stethoscope up against Cyganik’s chest, and barely make eye contact with Cyganik. There should have been a conversation with the two actor’s about the pacing of the scene, as it should have been slower and sweeter. Instead, it looked forced and awkward, and made the audience feel just as uncomfortable as the actors looked.

And for the actors’ part, most of the acting during the play looked either very stiff and uncomfortable, or they were all over the place and over-the-top. One specific example would be Sally (Ashlynne Berkemeyer), the leader of the crime fighters. Her loud tone and drawn-out dialogue read as completely fake. She spoke every word she uttered with a lot of (too much) diction and intensity. In one scene for instance, she is talking with her adorably zany crime fighter Nina (Meaghan Parker) about guarding Doctor X’s room. “Are you sure you can handle this?” she asks Parker, her arms folded across her body (I’ll talk about this same stance later on). But the way in which she asked the question made it sounds more like this: “Arrre yoouuu SUUUREE youuu caaaan haaaaandle this?” It was very overdramatic and, I observed, made a few of the audience members scoff. As to her posture, it became very static and barely changed. In the same scene mentioned above, she stood with her feet hip-width apart and her arms folded in front of her. A simple enough stance, but this same stance was repeated in previous scenes where she is featured. In fact, one of the only instances I can remember that her stance was different was when she was talking to the commissioner about their impending date. Her body suddenly became excited and finally moved in a way that wasn’t a standard arms-folded, feet-hip-width-apart stance. Instead, her legs turned inward and her body crouched down, as if she wanted to jump up and down like an excited pre-teen at a Justin Bieber concert. But, after the scene ended, she went right back to the same stance she had earlier.

An actress who was one of the very few characters that didn’t have a flat personality was Peter (Cyganik). Cyganik’s portrayal of a lonely doctor whose obsessed goal with creating a mechanical heart became a loveable character that the audience could root for. Cyganik’s slightly slouched and gangly limbs almost made the audience forget that the actress was a woman. One particular moment that stood out was the first scene we are introduced to Peter. While Lisa is going off on a rant about how beautiful she is, Peter seems to quietly observe her with a sort of morbid fascination. Cyganik’s posture is in a hunched position, and her head is tilted to one side, sort of reminding the audience of a curious toddler.  But her feet were always slightly spread further than hip-width apart, a stance that is mostly adopted by men. Cyganik also lowered her voice to accommodate playing a male role, which could have come across as ridiculous. Instead, it sounded genuine. For instance, during the dinner date when Lisa is gone and Peter is giving a monologue about how Lisa will just end up breaking his heart. Cyganik’s baritone voice has a soothing quality, and the pace changed tempo to accommodate his conflicting feelings. It became faster when he was convincing himself that Lisa would break his heart. And then it became soft and slow when he lamented about her beauty and personality. Overall, the effect came across as genuine, and became one of the only actors that the audience could believe.

Hearts Like Fists Gets KO’d

Stephens College production of “Hearts Like Fists”, directed by Briannica Lynn Ponder, came across as a campy, over-the-top superhero comic where most of the jokes fell with a SPLAT! The fight choreography looked extremely fake, where the characters threw punches with barely any force, but somehow, the punch would send their victim flying across the room. And, in the instance of one particular actress, the over-dramatic dialogue became even more over-dramatic with her speaking in a long, drawn-out tempo. In one particular scene, the lead crime fighter Sally (Ashlynne Berkemeyer) is talking with female lead Lisa (Bernadette Murray) about joining the team. Berkemeyer’s over-dramatic monologue telling about the good that will come from joining their team reminds the audience of a bad episode of the 1960’s “Batman” TV show. Her voice became drawn-out and cheesy, and her stance became static, with only her arms moving out in front of her the only thing that changed. Otherwise, Berkemeyer stood in an arms-crossed, feet hips-width apart stance that became her only stance during almost the entire course of the play.

Argonautika

According to the program, University of Missouri's theater production of "Argonautika"by Mary Zimmerman took place "long ago and far away, in the myths of mist and memory." Directed by Cheryl Black, the adaptation of the Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts boasted a 20 person cast, which is impressive considering this all took place in the Corner Playhouse, which only seats about 125 people. With chants and raps and tattoos galore, this is not the same Jason and the Argonauts that you've heard before.

For the lighting design of the play, designer R. Dean Packard began the play in very cool blues. While a lot of us theorized as to what it could symbolize, my personal theory is it stood for the sky, as in what the argonauts would see on a day to day basis on the ship. The set was, for the most part, very well-lit and bright. The only dark points (that I really noticed) were the sea storm and when Medea is contemplating suicide. And an interesting light design choice is the representation of hell. When Medea is thinking about drinking a potion, a square beam of light appears behind her, letting the audience believe that the door to hell is opening for her. Other details like that were a very nice touch in creating a layer on the "Argonautika" set.

As for the set itself, scenic designer R. Dean Packard's set was expansive, especially considering the small space he had to work with. What the audience saw was the back of the ship, with a mast in center stage, complete with stage stairs and a door leading to the "cabins." And when the story took place off the ship (like in a throne room or a beach), it was completely believable, as the actors moved in the space in a way that let the audiences imagination take hold. One set feature I particularly like was the trap door. Towards the beginning of the play, when the trapdoor was open, it became a stream for the ill-fated Hylas to drink from, before he's pulled to the depths below. Later on, it became a fireplace for Pelias to warm himself by.

The costumes were, again, my favorite part. Costume designer Rachel Schmidt's designs were beautiful. My personal favorites were the goddesses' dresses. Hera and Athena's, in particular, were beautiful. Hera's had a nice touch to it, as the dark green dress, to me, stood for her jealousy. Hera is known for being jealous, especially of her husband's lovers, and to have it contrast nicely with the bright gold of her crown and belt was a good touch. Athena's battle gear was most inspiring, especially her owl tattoo that showed on her thigh (since Athena's familiar is an owl). I really loved that each cast member had a specific tattoo that showcased something about their character (i.e. Athena's owl, Pollux and Castor's swan tattoos).

Argonautika Sets Sail at the University of Missouri

Lighting designer R. Dean Packard created a layer to the "Argonautika" set that created a bright, colorful world. From the clear, blue of the sky over an ocean, to the deep red of the gates of Hell, the lighting added a dimension to the set that would have suffered without it. The main theme of the lighting color scheme seemed to be blue, which is appropriate considering 2/3rds of this play is on the famed Argo. But in each scene, a hint of blue is almost always added, like when Hylas is fetching water from the stream (read: trapdoor), blue light pours from the opening, creating a reflection on the doomed Hylas' face. All this and more contributes to one of the most brightly, colored plays Mizzou has featured this Spring semester.

Don Juan

Don Juan is not your typical play. For one, it took place in a non-traditional setting….a photography studio called Silverbox Studios. Don Juan, adapted by Emily Adams, takes place after World War I in Berlin. Don Juan (Jeff Conway) has come back from the war to find his beloved Edda (Matt Ingram), only to find that she is gone and cannot be found. Leaving a trail of broken hearts (consisting of Gina Drapela, Rhîan McLean and Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri) on his journey to find her, Don Juan is a dark, seductive play that intrigues the audience as much as it makes them uncomfortable.

The scenic design of the play was very minimalistic. Designed by Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and Emily Adams, the space that the actors had to work with was very…limited. Not a lot of walking around the space was used, and if it was, the actor went behind the audience in a space between the audience and the wall. An old, metal tub sits in the middle of the acting space, with a dresser covered in bottles occupy what little room there is. A mannequin stands patiently to the side as actors use it as a place to grab various costumes or props from (if they are onstage for the current and next scene).  The audience gets a feeling of claustrophobia, as the small space is occupied by such a large story with people who have large personalities. Still, at least the actors worked with what they had. At the beginning of the play, a wooden cover is used on the tub, and it suddenly became a hospital bed for Don Juan to lie on when he seduces the nurse. And, in the very last scene, the tub suddenly becomes a grave, with Drapela and Palmieri acting as the falling snow and Ingram standing at the front of the grave as a headstone.

With the set comes the lighting, which I have even less to talk about. Designed by Elizabeth Braaten Palmieri and Emily Adams, the lights consisted of a string of Christmas lights on the ceiling and two small spotlights no bigger than my forearm. While the Christmas lights created a nice, warm glow, there wasn’t much more to the lighting, in my opinion. Two moments I could really tell the lighting differences was at the beginning, where the two small spotlights seemed to glow red, casting a hazy, seductive light on the actors, which is appropriate considering the actors were engaging in what is to be considered an orgy. And the other real moment I noticed the lighting design is in the very last scene. It was extremely dark, except for the two small spotlights were blue instead of red, which gave the audience the sense of cold and bitterness (again, appropriate considering we were at a grave).

Lastly, the costumes, were by far my favorite aspect. The girls (and sometimes Ingram) were all dressed in lingerie of some form or other. And our anti-hero Don Juan (Conway) wore a military uniform that he never seems to take off (although there were shirt removals at key points in the play). One nice moment that I liked was the stark difference in colors between the prostitutes (Ingram and Palmieri) and the rest of the girls (Drapela and McLean). The prostitutes were dressed in a dark black, which most associate with darkness or having a seductive quality, which I thought was a nice contrast to the other two women with the white or cream colored lingerie, which belies a more innocent intent. Another nice touch that I enjoyed was the torn fishnets that every girl sported. It really gave a nice indication to the audience that this Berlin was not one flush with amenities, like whole pantyhose. It seemed like the people, or women, were so desperate to look nice that they would don these torn hose just to have some semblance of normalcy.

Don Juan’s Last Stand (An Excerpt)

In a collaborative effort with the cast and director, the costumes for Don Juan belied a desperation and animalistic nature of Don Juan. With torn fishnet stockings and loosely-fitting lingerie worn by the women, the effect this has is an over-sexualization of the female characters, which can put the audience in the same mindset as our love lothario; women are just objects, a means to a very satisfying end. While our anti-hero wore a soldier’s uniform the entire time. While this uniform was worn proudly by Don Juan, this reads to the audience that he is stuck in his past, and cannot escape from it (appropriate, since he is literally chasing his past).