Ride+Critique

Hanna Alfredsson Theatre Appreciation 2/5/17

The Long Christmas Ride Home Critique Before ever sitting down to see this performance, I had only ever read the main plot points and major themes that would be the backbone of the show. My first impression of The Long Christmas Ride Home was that it was particularly strange. I am in no way an expert in the styles and practices of Japanese theatre and have not had the opportunity to experience it until this very UGA performance. The first thing I noticed upon entering the performance space was the set’s simplistic style. The dark stage was highlighted by three simple white screens with one up center and two mirroring each other next to the wings. I also noticed the director’s intentions of having the show inside a chapel, leading me to believe that religion would play a prominent role in the theme of the show. As the lights began to dim, I noticed a musician sitting house left begin to play percussive music which would take place throughout the show, along with other forms of simplistic music styles. A common theme of Japanese art greatly influenced the show. Paintings and stencils were projected onto those same thin, white sheets and japanese robes and other artifacts were also used throughout. A particular set of items stood out above all else, however: Puppets. This was my first experience with puppet theatre. I found it interesting the way they were mixed with live action, as the mother and father never had puppets represent them. Something I did not like was the mixture of the types of puppets. The three children had similarly and distinctly styled puppets that seemed to be comprised of paper mache or some other hard material. However, the grandparents, the only other shown characters to use puppets, were more liken to muppet characters. I found the inconsistency distracting and taking away from the genuine atmosphere of the show. Perhaps they did it to add to the comical nature of the grandparents, but even then it seemed to make the story less believable to me. But on a much lighter and positive note, the ensemble moments of the show were very good. The actors worked very well with each other to create those distinct but cohesive movements that flowed extremely well. The very beginning of the play saw choreographed walking accompanied by singing of well known christmas tunes and I mean it when I say they started the show off with a “bang”. The actors flowed seamlessly without any bumps or tripping. The movement also did not seem forced or turbulent, but was in fact smooth and extremely graceful, especially seen during the car ride where the vehicle positions change frequently. However, it is not a play critique without mentioning the acting of the performance, a major element. Acting was distinctly a hit or miss with this performance. While calmer and more comical bits of the show were not overdone and extremely enjoyable, the more dramatic the scene, the more the acting declined. The live actor of Steven’s character comes forward to tell the fate of Steven’s future. At times, his acting seemed unbelievable and false during his tirade about his cheating lover. It became overacted and during some of Steven’s more tumultuous moments the speech became jumbled and hard to understand, but this was true for all of the characters, not just Steven. Rebecca’s drunken speech was slurred quite a lot, and while I do realize her character was drunk, I still feel that the audience needs to be able to understand what she is saying. The actress also shifted her eyes quite a lot in her attempts to portray the inebriated character, failing to connect with the audience multiple times throughout the scene. Claire’s future story was by far the most believable and genuine though during her debate with the gun, I lost some of the dramatic anticipation of whether or not she does pull the trigger. Overall, however, I would say the show was extremely enjoyable and a wonderful new experience to have. Despite some major pitfalls, the performance was generally well performed and enticing. I thought the story itself was told well through many great acting moments and incredible technical aspects used in the show.