Showboat - Production Critique Essay

The technical aspects of the production such as scenery, properties and costumes also played a keynote in the productions success. The scenery was fabulous it truly made the play. It was very realistic and extremely vibrant. Almost the entire play was performed in one setting, except for the railcar and dance scenes. The house, the main setting, was magnificent with painstakingly placed detail in every corner. All elements in the house matched wonderfully, for example the furniture, the photos on the wall, the telephone and even the trash can. Little bits of detail were everywhere adding to the beautification of the set, for example the lace decorations on the chairs, the etched glass above the front door and even the Christmas tree.

Each element gave the stage a different feel that matched every scene , complementing each brilliantly. The only element that lacked for me was lights, although very bright ; in my opinion the reoccurring blue wasn't the best option. I feel if the lighting designer would have had more warmer colored lights against the already vibrant set pieces, it would have made the stage pop more. But one thing i did particularly fancy, were the costumes the characters wore and how they fit each character. Each character's’ costume showed the dichotomy between the personalities and tastes of each individual. For example Ilona played by Jane Krakowski was dressed in a scarlet / pinkish dress with a high slit up the left side; showing her seductive character type. Meaning when i saw Ilona on stage, I immediately knew who i was looking at . Lastly the sound effects included , like the door jingle sound or The bike bell , added to the whole idea of being inside and outside of a retail building. These effects gave the stage an outdoorsy feel , drawing you in , giving the audience illusions of really being in 1930’s

In her doctoral dissertation, Katherine Axtell examines Show Boat from its novel origins to its inception and creation as a work of musical theater. It is clear from her analysis that even though Hammerstein and Kern may not have intended Show Boat to be about race, it was still at the forefront of their minds. Axtell states, “sources…strongly suggest that, page for page and line for line, the composer and librettist expended the greatest energy on the development of material for the romantic leads, Magnolia and Ravenal; that they took inspiration…from contemporary African-American musical theater.”6 Axtell also cites Todd Decker, “who in 2007 included Show Boat in a larger study of ‘black-white encounters’ in selected American stage and film musicals... Decker argues that Kern and Hammerstein concentrated, from the beginning of their collaboration, on the development of interracial encounters and the creation of such numbers as ‘Can’t Help Lovin; Dat Man’ and ‘Ol’ Man River.’”7

Abstract: This essay seeks to explore how the 2002 Broadway production of the musical Hairspray depicts and produces inclusivity in American life in both modern and contemporaneous periods. The point of view set up in the show emulates the concept of a “white savior complex” in its efforts to showcase the perils of black people in the entertainment industry in the 1960s, along with minimizing the responsibility of white people in the systematic societal racial structure. Despite these shortcomings in historical accuracy in its overly-optimistic portrayal of segregation, Hairspray gave explicit, designated opportunities to black actors to be highly featured in a Broadway production. And unlike other shows during its time, it ultimately brought up conversations of segregation and racism in the entertainment industry in a time where these issues were seldomly addressed.

In creating the world of the play, the collaborates did justice in bringing out the scenery that the piece is set in. However, the collaborators used the stage design, lighting and costumes also to reveal the internal thoughts of the performers. The use of light was huge, it seemed to rely much on templates that created scenes of rain, green pastures and night sky. Though attributing to the play scenery, the use of lighting also brought out the differing emotions Rosemary and Anthony felt. The presence of death and grief were also addressed properly through the use of light, such as when Anthony father went into a bright light, a symbol of the afterlife. It allowed the audience to focus on each performer pivotal lines, which created for further understanding of the

The scenic design in this play was extraordinary, and I could tell there was a lot of effort put into it. In this play there was a stairway towards the back of the stage. It brought in a new way for the actors to enter/exit the stage. I thought this was very creative idea that was easy to move on, and off stage if needed. There were many scenes that had the moon and the stars in the background. I loved this because it showed the audience when it was night time. I also love looking at the moon and the stars, I feel it creates a very romantic atmosphere. There were times the setting was inside a house or a pub, and then there were times that the setting was outside like the war scene, and the balcony scene. I

Such as, when the show began there were a few moments of music with the lights blacked out. When the song was cut, the lights were switched on and the production began. This faint, yet dynamic lightwork left me impressed and wondering about the hours went into making it so precise. Further into the play, I noticed that the lights were fully lit in the centre where all the actors were. But on the sides, upstage left and center stage right, I noticed that it was more dimmed at those areas because it was not our main focus as an audience. For music, she used only two songs for the entire play. Creatively, they used a “radio” and their voices as their music. For sound effects, she used telephone rings, chimes and gunshots. Overall, even though Jacq did not focus too much on lighting and sounds, I find that she did a great job especially because she didn’t try to overdo it with just

It established the transition from reality to fairytale and set the mood of many of the fairytales. It supported many of the choices that were made on stage but didn't overshadow anything that was happening. The lighting design also did an excellent job of being a support to the show, not a distraction. It also helped establish transitions and mood, but did nothing to distract from the telling of the story.

Staging Race is a book that focuses on black performers between 1890 and World War I. During this time period blacks were dealing with many social events which included: the Jim Crow segregation, the Niagara Movement, and heightened racial tension. The goal of this book is to show the way that black performers were able to use public entertainment to present their political ideas and use them to appeal to the white audience and at the same time entertain and educate the black people in the balcony seats.

social class. Furthermore, many people had suffered as an American and a Negro with the double dislocation of identity and nonidentity living their life through the burden of racial prejudice. Krasner declares that “Parody of racism and the sense of double consciousness in African American life, surface repeatedly in the lyrics of black songs” (320). Thus, we see and hear these lyrics in various musicals in the play, where it deepens the understanding of the music that helps us better understand the message, story, feelings and actions of the characters, which creates meaning to the audience. These songs were sang by the colored people in the musical because it expressed their viewpoint and race. It emphasized the complexity of the positions that black writers and performers had faced to develop their work. We understand the struggles that African American people faced through the words, voice, tone of the black music that expressed the conflict of the colored people. However, Krass states that “White audiences may have found the African American dialect amusing” (320). Altogether, due to these problems about race many black performers used the artful and aesthetic use of parody and double consciousness in song lyrics to express the struggle against the dehumanizing effects of racism that many African American faced. The songs were a way that many people colored people were able to raise awareness and address their issues and concerns that greatly affected them in the

Sounds like the fireworks going off in the basement helped the audience get immersed into the show. The lights were usually had the whole stage illuminated and was kind of boring, but the way that they brought the lights on when a character would flip to turn the lights would add realism to the show. Props were used throughout the show and were well placed. In fact, I saw a radio that looked exactly the one that was in the show Annie performed by the Palm Springs High School Theatre which makes sense since they both take place during the same time period. The set looked very realistic and included nothing that was created in modern times like iphones or printers. Costumes were chosen very well in my opinion with my favorites being the police ones. Also, none of the clothing looked very modern. After taking a deeper look into the things that occurred to improve the show and how the actors looked, I think that the Palm Canyon Theatre improved the show and made the audience feel more

Aristotle once said that “It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light.” A quote like this can be correlated to people like Allen Lee Hughes, because without people like him, darkness would surely reign. In simplistic terms, Hughes is one of the worlds most renowned light designers that has ever lived. Hughes has been given numerous Tony nominations for his impressive lighting designs and now teaches the art of light at New York University, Tisch School of Arts. An eminent lighting design is essential in production because the light sets the mood of the play, and helps the audience’s attention focus on the important plot scenes. Using the I AM THEATRE video, this essay will offer a brief overview of light designer, Allen

In natural human states, people are afraid of what they can't see. This became apparent in the show every time there was a lighting change. With the theatre first appearing as bright bringing the audience into it as a part of the show it made it easier for them to draw the audience members further into the story. Dim lighting is the key to making someone believe that there is something there that isn't actually there. The moments where the woman in black appeared usually had a dimmer light that never truly revealed all aspects of her. Sometimes it was a spot on one of the actors or just general lower lights. This influenced what was actually being seen. Was she actually there or not? That is what this lighting allowed the audience’s mind to go to.Every time the lights blacked out, making it so that there was nothing at all to see, the tension of the room increased. This brought each audience member closer to the action and the feelings of Mr. Kipps and the Actor. They didn't know what was going on and neither did the

The lighting of any production is the most important part in my thought. the lighting puts you in the mood that you have to be in, in order to fully understand that part of the show and to actually live it like they do. For example, when they were in the park and it was raining, they had their umbrellas, and the background effects of rain made it really seem as if it was raining in the theatre. The lighting was always focused on every part of the stage, especially on those who were the main parts in that scene.

Without light, the theatre cannot exist, that much is certain. As actors, as audience members, as technical visionaries, we are only as powerful as the light we are given. The extent to which we depend upon light in performance has changed dramatically throughout history, however, as light technology developed and expanded. In the history of performance, the artistic community is constantly victim to the limits of lighting technology, and exponentially altered by breakthroughs. From the utilization of candles and natural light to isolated light and electricity, the histories of illumination and theatre are virtually inseparable, and continue to push the boundaries of live performance.