Clybourne+Park+Critique


 * On the whole you make some valid points and have carefully looked at the production from the point of view of how the actors, set, etc. have contributed to its success. Keep building on your evaluative processes.**

Michaela Patafio Clybourne Park Critique

I really enjoyed Clybourne Park. The play was interesting, entertaining, and really made me, as an audience member, think about the issues addressed. The director clearly did an amazing job; the actors’ performances meshed very well together. Additionally, the set design played a big role in the overall feel of the play. I think all the elements of theater were at play during the production of Clybourne Park, and they came together harmoniously.

The actors definitely worked hard to embody their characters well; each performance felt real and authentic. The characters in Act One established critical themes and motifs that would continue through the play. Set in 1959, neighborhoods were still segregated, and some white families were against the idea of living in the same area as black families. Bev and Russ, the owners of the home in which Act One takes place, do not care that their house is being sold to a black family. They are ready to leave the house behind, mostly due to the fact that their son, Kenneth, committed suicide in the home after his return from the Korean War. Bev mentions multiple times that the new owners could be lovely people, and she does not judge them based on their skin color. Her husband, Russ, agrees with her, but shows some signs of underlying racism. Their neighbors, Betsy and Karl Linder, are not so quick to accept the new owners. Karl serves as Act One’s major antagonist—he is obnoxious and racist, and he brings out the racism of others. Jim, the minister who stops by, only adds frustration to the argument. Francine and Albert, the African-American maid who works in the house and her husband, try to stay out of the argument. They try to stay aloof to the offensive comments coming from Karl: that the value of the neighborhood will decrease because of black homeowners, etc. Each actor had a difficult job in portraying these characters. They had to really connect with their character’s emotions and thoughts in order to channel the expressions/reactions that were required of them. Additionally, this play obliges the actors to play two characters each: the Act Two character being a “version” of the Act One character.
 * (You are on the right track but don't exactly explain how successful individual actors were. IE. was it their vocal quality, their manner of movement, etc. And how did costumes help to further you opinion about a particular character? Also was the blocking helpful in supporting the actor in the realization of his/her character?)**

The Act Two characters, in my opinion, were more straightforward for the actors. The actor who played Karl also played Steve, the future owner of the home in 2009 looking to remodel it. Like Karl, Steve is an obnoxious racist who shamelessly insults the resident African-American family. Karl’s wife Betsy was deaf and pregnant, making it easy for Karl to call upon her for support. She relied on Karl and never spoke up against him. Steve’s wife, on the other hand, eventually turned against him when he got out-of-control. Lindsey was not going to be mistaken—she wanted to remodel the house for functional purposes, but she did not have any qualms against the African-American family trying to preserve it. That couple was Kevin and Lena, played by the same actors who embodied Albert and Francine. Lena is the niece of the family who purchased the home from Bev and Russ, and the white family’s lawyer, Kathy, is a descendant of the Linder’s, who moved out of the neighborhood when the black family moved in 50 years ago. Their stories tie together even more when another racial argument breaks out, and resentment is revealed from both parties.

The set design in this play highlights one of the major points in Act One. The entire play takes place in the same house, but Act Two (set in 2009) is 50 years after Act One (set in 1959). The house is quaint and modest in Act One, but it is well kept. In the later years, the house has clearly disintegrated into something much less charming, and the neighborhood as a whole is predominantly African-American. This coincides with Karl Linder’s argument from Act One: the value of the neighborhood would significantly decrease as more black families moved in. The white family trying to re-do the house in Act Two also highlights how the Caucasians are seen as the ones who fix the brokenness. In Act One, the white families are racist toward the black families. Even though there is a white character in Act Two who is racist, there is also underlying racism from the black family toward the white people trying to move in.
 * (While the following point may be true, what features of the house help you to draw this conclusion? How did light help shape your opinion? What of the special light on the "dead" son at the end of the play. How does that help us understand the importance or the significance of him to the play?)**

Bev and Russ’s son, Kenneth, committing suicide really served as a catalyst for change in this play. In the flashback moment near the very end of the play, where the audience sees Bev speaking with her son the night he killed himself, it becomes clear why the tragedy happened. Bev says that she honestly believes things are about to change for the better, and even though losing a child is the most unbearable pain, it created change for the better. Often times, people look for an explanation to tragedies. They get angry—they do not see a purpose for bad things happening. Kenneth’s suicide gave Bev and Russ the desire to vacate the home, and the whole dynamic of the neighborhood changed. Races started clashing—intermixing. Discussions sparked; change began.

Something I found to be really special in this play was its tie to A Raisin in the Sun. The characters overlap between the two works, and it was very interesting to see the embodiment of Karl Linder in both. I think knowing A Raisin in the Sun really enhances all of the elements of Clybourne Park. The actors did wonderfully, the set design improved the experience of the play, and the director did an amazing job. I’d recommend this show to anyone! **(I'm glad you had knowledge of Raisin. Do you think that audience members should have that background in order to fully appreciate this play? If so, how might that be possible?)**