It takes a level of talent to really bring actual moments from the past to life. Especially when one wasn't actually there to see the events take place themselves. Simply using just photos, films stills and diary accounts; the film "My Week with Marilyn" gives you a glimpse of what life was like for the Iconic Marilyn Monroe. The three elements of theatre that really stood out to me from this film were acting, cotume design, and writing.
For the first element; the acting really stood out to me. Michelle Williams was the actress that played and starred as Marilyn Monroe. Williams did a very convincing job portraying Monroe. It was intriguing to witness the acting within the acting. Apparently in the film Monroe was working on a film "The Prince And The Showgirl"; there were times she used method acting for the character she was playing. At first it was a bit confusing only because I wasn't entirely paying attention. Eventually it started making more sense. Eddie Redmayne played Colin; the level of chemistry between him and Williams was impeccable. Williams' accents were spot on. It does come across that Williams may have used "Method Acting" herself for the film in general. She was her (Monroe).
The writing was the second element that stood out to me. This film was written by Adrian Hodges. It was pretty impressive on Hodges' end to translate a diary account(s) into a film. The writer was able to let the viewer get a pretty clear idea who Marilyn Monroe was; without the film having to be an autobiography. Although I haven't read the original diary (ies) of that particular week; It was pretty creative for Hodges' to tell the story of that week how it acually happened. It was as if you were there The details was there to see without having to be narrated. I mentioned narration because I presumed that's how the original story of that week was told.
The costume design was the third element that really stood out to me. Jill Taylor was the costume designer. She was able to tackle the challenge of replicating some of the original outfits that Monroe wore; for Williams. Although due to budget and size differences (between Monroe and Williams), the outfits weren't an exact replica. The appearance was there and Williams' sold the outfits onscreen. Taylor used photos from the actual events as references. From men’s shirts, pencil skirts, chiffon scarves, dark glasses, etc Taylor really pulled it off.
Therefore this film was an A+. Actual awards and nominations proved it to be as well. The actors, designers and writer really pulled it off. I would recommend to anyone who haven't seen it to take a gander.
Monday, May 19, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Response #10 Marisol
1. Lights, sounds and graffiti are examples of what the playwright used to tell his story.
2. I think the crown represents a Halo, thats watching and protecting over everyone, sort of like God or an Angel.
3. I believe Jose Rivera was trying to raise more awareness on the real struggles of living in NYC.
4. Its themes and issues are still relevant today; dangerous NYC neighborhoods still exist, as well as homelessness.
2. I think the crown represents a Halo, thats watching and protecting over everyone, sort of like God or an Angel.
3. I believe Jose Rivera was trying to raise more awareness on the real struggles of living in NYC.
4. Its themes and issues are still relevant today; dangerous NYC neighborhoods still exist, as well as homelessness.
Wednesday, April 9, 2014
Response #9 Gypsy Act 2
1. This question was really tough for me to answer. Had this question had been asked 10 years ago, I would have said "The Lion King" musical. I remember seeing the musical in High School when I was at my prime in dancing. I was memorized by the choreography and inspired. I remember wanting to become the next Simba. It didn't quite work out that way but that's a long story. I do in fact still enjoy dancing though. In the present I would say that any music video or song that has Hayley Williams of the band Paramore featured. Partly because I am sort of obsessed with this songstress but all in actually she's really talented and when I hear her voice, something inside of me lights up and makes me want to get things done and knock out goals in life. So when ever I'm down, I usually listen to Paramore or Hayley Williams.
2. I prefer to be the Entertainer. I've dibbed and dabbed in many things to avoid boredom. I like to be the one putting on a show. I've danced with several jr. companies with styles ranging from Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, African, Modern, etc. Currently now my passion is to sing, I have my own youtube channel where I upload covers of songs that I'm liking at the moment. I also like making people laugh so I do a lot of Vines and Instagram videos; doing random things and even doing little shorts (acting skits). I'm also into a bit of modeling; I've done photo-shoots ranging from showcasing a brand, body paint, promos, etc. I still hope to do everything aforementioned but my main goal is to one day to put out my own music.
2. I prefer to be the Entertainer. I've dibbed and dabbed in many things to avoid boredom. I like to be the one putting on a show. I've danced with several jr. companies with styles ranging from Ballet, Hip Hop, Jazz, African, Modern, etc. Currently now my passion is to sing, I have my own youtube channel where I upload covers of songs that I'm liking at the moment. I also like making people laugh so I do a lot of Vines and Instagram videos; doing random things and even doing little shorts (acting skits). I'm also into a bit of modeling; I've done photo-shoots ranging from showcasing a brand, body paint, promos, etc. I still hope to do everything aforementioned but my main goal is to one day to put out my own music.
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Resonse #8 GYPSY ACT 1
1. I don't think Gypsy would have been as successful as a straight play. Without the music it would probably be a bit dry. Something about the storyline wasn't too intringuing that mayb e the music portion is what interested people in seeing it.
2. Mama Rose is obssesed with fame. She does it for her children or so it seems. She wants better for her kids than the way she grew up. Even if it kills them, she will be sure that they get it.
3. June leaves the group because Mr. Grantziger has guaranteed her that he can make her a star.
4. Herbie stays with Rose because he really likes her. Rose is reluctant to reciprocate the feelings because she has been abandoned by men more than once before.
2. Mama Rose is obssesed with fame. She does it for her children or so it seems. She wants better for her kids than the way she grew up. Even if it kills them, she will be sure that they get it.
3. June leaves the group because Mr. Grantziger has guaranteed her that he can make her a star.
4. Herbie stays with Rose because he really likes her. Rose is reluctant to reciprocate the feelings because she has been abandoned by men more than once before.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Response #7 Waiting For Godot
Waiting For Godot to me is waiting for something to happen that never will unless you go out and make it happen yourself.
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Response #6 A Doll's House
1. Mrs. Lind encourages Kromer to let Tom read the letter revealing Nora's deception. She strongly believes that in order for Tom and Nora to have a complete understanding of each other that there can't be any dishonesty between them.
2. The significance of the door slamming is Nora solidifying her decision to leave her husband and chlidren. It was a bold move considering that women around that time had limited rights. This shocked everyone and also caused a shift in society. This also produced a wave of emerging feminists which later led to their unity in fighting for equality between men and women.
3.
A male from 1879ish. He's dressed typically like a lawyer of that time.
2. The significance of the door slamming is Nora solidifying her decision to leave her husband and chlidren. It was a bold move considering that women around that time had limited rights. This shocked everyone and also caused a shift in society. This also produced a wave of emerging feminists which later led to their unity in fighting for equality between men and women.
3.
A male from 1879ish. He's dressed typically like a lawyer of that time.
A female from 1879ish. There weren't that many roles for women at that time. She would be your typical stay at home wife.
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Crtique #1
When it comes to interaction between two people or a conversation, you can at times get a feel or an idea what are the two people conversing about just solely based either only on one of two parties reactions and/or responses. This particularly occurs in the play "Alone in Triptych". The three elements of theatre that really stood out to me from this play are the acting, writing and sound.
For the first element; the acting really stood out to me. Leeann played Vera Beren, Lori played by Catherine Porter, and Remi played Michael Tomlinson all were quite believable. What is quite interesting about this play is although there are three characters, they never interact with one another. All three have a story to tell and they all do it alone. What worked about it was that even though each actor worked in a scene in solitude you still caught a glimpse of the story. What didn't worked was there were certain points in the play when more than one character was on the stage all while still focusing on only one of the characters story. The other character would be moving around in silence and getting involved in a certain action. This came off a bit confusing as well as it was distracting. The minor character at the time should have simply stayed put in order for the audience to solely focus on the main character and the storyline that is being told in the moment.
The writing was the second element that stood out to me. Renee Phillippi (writer) put something together that seemed quite realistic. The story deals with people coming to terms with the people in their lives and/ or their own personal demons. Rape, physical abuse, kidnapping and death all plays a part in which a way it allows you to sympathize for the characters whether good or bad. What worked is that it was written in a way where anyone or everyone in the audience could possibly relate to the situation. It shows us that we aren't alone in our struggles. What slightly didn't work was how non-convincing the character Remi's motives were. Remi kidnaps his friends daughter to protect her from the danger of the outside world. There was no evidence given to the story or backstory that the little girls parent (Remi's friend) wasn't doing enough to protect his/her daughter. It came off a bit odd that he felt that he was the one to do the job, only resulting in her accidental death which in reality has made him unsuccessful in his plan to protect her. The writer should have provided backup reasons why Remi felt he was the only one that could have save his friend daughter in order to solidify his motive.
The sound design was the third element that stood out to me. Vera Beren (Sound Designer) who also plays the character Leann really gave the viewers what was happening just based solely on the sound. Whether it was a knock, gun shot, scream, you name it, there wasn't a lost moment in the plot. The sounds were well synchronized with the actors movements. What worked about it is that it gave a glimpse of the expression f how people can be suffering in their own isolation; hence the one person scenes. There wasn't a moment where it came across that something didn't worked when it came to the sound. Aside from Vera from actually being the most convincing actress, she didn't lack any skills in the sound department.
In conclusion, the production served the community in a way to tell us that at the beginning signs of drama it is best to clear of the situation. In most cases signs of what's to come were already presented when it comes maybe with the character Leann and her husband who had happened to rape an underage girl and Lori who marries an abusive cop but they just ignored it. Now they later have found themselves in the turmoil they are in. As far as Remi, maybe the friend whom he kidnap his daughter from could have had no idea that this would have happened. For instance guys like Remi are better at hiding that particular flaw about themselves but then again like the aforementioned there was something lacking to support his motives anyway. Moral of the story is get out while you can.
For the first element; the acting really stood out to me. Leeann played Vera Beren, Lori played by Catherine Porter, and Remi played Michael Tomlinson all were quite believable. What is quite interesting about this play is although there are three characters, they never interact with one another. All three have a story to tell and they all do it alone. What worked about it was that even though each actor worked in a scene in solitude you still caught a glimpse of the story. What didn't worked was there were certain points in the play when more than one character was on the stage all while still focusing on only one of the characters story. The other character would be moving around in silence and getting involved in a certain action. This came off a bit confusing as well as it was distracting. The minor character at the time should have simply stayed put in order for the audience to solely focus on the main character and the storyline that is being told in the moment.
The writing was the second element that stood out to me. Renee Phillippi (writer) put something together that seemed quite realistic. The story deals with people coming to terms with the people in their lives and/ or their own personal demons. Rape, physical abuse, kidnapping and death all plays a part in which a way it allows you to sympathize for the characters whether good or bad. What worked is that it was written in a way where anyone or everyone in the audience could possibly relate to the situation. It shows us that we aren't alone in our struggles. What slightly didn't work was how non-convincing the character Remi's motives were. Remi kidnaps his friends daughter to protect her from the danger of the outside world. There was no evidence given to the story or backstory that the little girls parent (Remi's friend) wasn't doing enough to protect his/her daughter. It came off a bit odd that he felt that he was the one to do the job, only resulting in her accidental death which in reality has made him unsuccessful in his plan to protect her. The writer should have provided backup reasons why Remi felt he was the only one that could have save his friend daughter in order to solidify his motive.
The sound design was the third element that stood out to me. Vera Beren (Sound Designer) who also plays the character Leann really gave the viewers what was happening just based solely on the sound. Whether it was a knock, gun shot, scream, you name it, there wasn't a lost moment in the plot. The sounds were well synchronized with the actors movements. What worked about it is that it gave a glimpse of the expression f how people can be suffering in their own isolation; hence the one person scenes. There wasn't a moment where it came across that something didn't worked when it came to the sound. Aside from Vera from actually being the most convincing actress, she didn't lack any skills in the sound department.
In conclusion, the production served the community in a way to tell us that at the beginning signs of drama it is best to clear of the situation. In most cases signs of what's to come were already presented when it comes maybe with the character Leann and her husband who had happened to rape an underage girl and Lori who marries an abusive cop but they just ignored it. Now they later have found themselves in the turmoil they are in. As far as Remi, maybe the friend whom he kidnap his daughter from could have had no idea that this would have happened. For instance guys like Remi are better at hiding that particular flaw about themselves but then again like the aforementioned there was something lacking to support his motives anyway. Moral of the story is get out while you can.
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