My overall impression
I checked “loved it” because I love the script – it is lyrical, poetic, visceral and smart. Kudos to Ms. Mulcahy for picking such a brave script and for putting her work out there while she is still in undergraduate school! Awesome! I am interested to see her work 5 years down the road. Onto a review of this production as if it was a professional piece, not a student show: The set design does not utilize the space; the lighting design does not support the story; sound design does not support the story, in fact, it hinders it. Playing the same song during every transition stifled the forward motion and unraveling of the play. It made us feel like we were stuck in the same place for the whole show when we should feel like we’ve journeyed through the sticky, soul-sucking mud just to realize we’ve ended up right where we began, tragic, right?! The transitions were confused and messy. The script calls for an 8 second freeze at the end of each scene and it seems that Mulcahy was trying to somehow make a bold choice with this but it is simple – just freeze. Costumes were fine but uninspired. Make-up choice distanced us from the characters. The actress playing Mae, Annie Hamilton, has a stunning, beautiful stage presence but played the character one-note. AJ Helfet is far, far too young to play Henry but might just work out in 30 years. Riley Smith is the right type but was also one-note. Ultimately, Mulcahy was more concerned with making unique “directory” choices than she was with telling the basic story. What do the characters WANT in each scene? I had no idea. How are they succeeding and failing in every moment? What are they risking? The blocking of each scene should come out of this exploration not out of wanting an actor to jump up on a table because it looks kinda cool. Anyway, if it’s not clear already, I’ll go ahead and admit that I have directed this play and have strong opinions on it. HA!! :) Congrats to everyone involved, I think it’s wonderful they are putting themselves out there.
