Leftwich,+Jacqueline

extremitiesJL

conceptJL

JLVietnam

Hello, world. Design questions JL My name is Jacqueline.

I adore the theatre.

I will add more later.

Jacqueline Leftwich 2100H TR 11:00-12:15 October 5th, 2010

The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild: A Road Trip A blend of reality and unreality, //The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild// takes audiences on a surreal ride through time and space, following the tales of several intriguing characters whose paths flow together in imaginative ways. At some points shocking and risqué, //Tulsa// is certainly not family entertainment; there are adult themes pervading throughout, and the majority of the jokes would fly right over a younger audience member’s head. Perhaps because it does not hold back for fear of offending it comes closer to the truth and is thus that much more poignant. Beginning with the set, the first impression on the audience, //The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild// screams surrealism. Oversized, misshapen rearview mirrors, deemed “organic” by the sound and media designer, read, “OBJECTS IN MIRROR MAY BE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR”. What before may have seemed unremarkable by the end of the play seems deep and thought-provoking. Because the play deals with the past in such a way that it literally blends in with the present, it seems that the “objects”, or events, in Tulsa’s life “may be closer than they appear”. These mirrors also are projected upon with the titles of the scenes which injects a little more humor into the show. For instance, at one point during the show, the mirrors read, “Lament of the Boy Detective”, which in and of itself is an hilarious and ridiculous phrase. Yet another surrealistic element of the set is the fact that the sky covers the ground, and the roads crawl up the wall in opposite directions. This element serves to evoke in the audience a jumbled feeling, familiar to anyone who has experienced a drastic change. Tulsa’s world is turned upside-down when her mother passes away and leaves outrageous instructions for Tulsa to follow, and the bizarre, upside-down set allows her feelings to be displayed in a physical realm. For instance, the car in which Tulsa and Ed drive is just a piece of the motel bed in which Tulsa was born, which reinforces the theme that the past is never far behind and is, in fact, forever a part of who we are. Costumes can say multitudes about a character, and in this show, each character’s costume perfectly embodies his or her personality or world views. Sylvia is the stereotypical “hippie”, dressed in a bright, floral maxi dress with no shoes; she stands on one level for the whole era’s movement: she truly believes in peace and wants to put an end to corruption and Vietnam. Woody makes a drastic costume change, going from being a long-haired “freak” to being a soldier with a high-and-tight. His startling change makes him into a symbol of the times as well: he represents all of the young men who did not believe in the Vietnam War in which they fought and died. Stockton, Sylvia’s second husband, is a perfect foil for her, evidenced by his camouflage and bright orange hunting gear and heavy-duty boots: he represents authoritarianism and stands for everything Sylvia was against before she had Tulsa. An off-shoot character who is rarely on the stage, Sondra, Ed’s manager, still manages to make quite an impression with her costumes. She, who represents all that is wrong with the industry in Hollywood, at one point wears barely-there leather undergarments with a dildo attached. The effect is downright shocking, yet the costume is oddly appropriate. As a dynamic character, Ed morphs from the superficial, stereotypical Hollywood hunk into a human being, capable of compassion and experiencing heartbreak. His transformation is made clear by his switch from a bright orange Speedo into a more conservative outfit featuring a blue button-up shirt and jeans. Contrastingly, Tulsa remains in the same outfit throughout, symbolizing both her stubbornness and her tendency to remain true to who she is regardless of what others think of her. On another level, her costume also speaks to her insecurities: she is mostly covered and wearing at least three layers, which in a way represents the walls she puts up around herself. Bob, the glue that holds together the wayward lives of all of the characters, personifies the American spirit, and thus he proudly dons American flag apparel and drinks from an American flag coffee mug. He embodies the American spirit in that he is entrepreneurial, ambitious yet humble, and highly loyal to his friends. Bob is willing to give up his pride and joy, Bob's Exit 238 American Motel, in order to bring happiness and normalcy to the lives of the conjoined twins Valerie and Rose. The conjoined costumes of the twins also perfectly match their ironically polar-opposite personalities. Rose, the rebellious and fiery twin, sports skintight jeans, boots, and a leather jacket to complete her devil-may-care persona. Sewn into Rose’s overtly sexual outfit is Valerie’s schoolmarm-like dress which corresponds with her sweet, naïve character. Awkwardness ensues when the audience discovers that Bob and Rose have been carrying on together while poor Valerie is helplessly stuck witnessing it all. She, true to her pure nature, is forced to turn the other way and blush whenever Bob and Rose choose to be affectionate. It would be easy to assume that the twins would hate or resent one another for being so completely different, but in fact the case is quite the opposite: they are very loving and are understanding of each other’s decisions. One very unloving couple is Kelly Jo and Clyde; their relationship defines dysfunctional, and their costumes could not be farther from matching. Kelly Jo is introduced as a beauty-pageant queen, wearing an outrageous ball gown, a tiara, a sash, and too much makeup. All of this characterizes her as the stereotypical small-town girl with dreams of becoming Miss America. Clyde, on the other hand, presents himself as nothing more than a dirty country bumpkin with his soiled, plaid flannel shirt and his half-undone overalls. It is no wonder the prim Miss Kelly Jo runs from him; he is barbaric both in appearance and in manner. He does not hesitate to throw her over his shoulder and run away with her while she is auditioning to be Miss America, and thus he ruins her chances at fulfilling her dream. Both to move the plot along without unnecessary characters to distract and to move the set pieces efficiently, parts of the sky come to life. These two actors, dressed in cloud suits and faces covered in thick white and blue makeup, serve as the greeters to the audience at the beginning of the show, the stage hands when props or set pieces need to be moved, and more uniquely: they are living art. They play several parts, including waitresses and FBI agents, yet they remain faceless and nameless. Because they are supposed to be a part of the set, a part of the sky, they crouch low to the ground throughout the entire play, save the parts when they are the nameless waitresses and agents. While they may seem an odd bunch of characters, they are brought together by a common motel and are headed in the same direction: to California. The departure for California is where the play leaves the audience. This allows for the audience members’ imaginations to take over and to assume that California is truly the land where dreams come true, as most Americans have believed and continue to believe it is. Journeying to California constitutes as a happy ending to a bizarre series of events. Essentially a story about self-discovery and the journey to get there, //The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild// tells a familiar tale in an unfamiliar way with zany characters, a topsy-turvy set, and highly-representational costumes. While it is not family-appropriate entertainment, it is an excellent show that speaks to the human spirit; it transcends time despite its cultural references, as there have always been alternative thinkers, like Sylvia and Tulsa, corruption, journeys of self-discovery, and war.

Jacqueline Leftwich 2100H TR 11:05-12:15 Dr. Richmond Tuesday, November 16th, 2010

//The 25////th// //Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee// CONS:
 * 1) First of all, the set was rather bare. It was easy to tell where the “Bee” took place, but it was not spectacular. The basketball goal was shoddily done; it was crooked. Most of the set looked like it was made by the characters, i.e., small children. The décor in the “gymnasium” appeared to be giant bumblebee stickers, glitter, and a weakly thought-up banner. The stand upon which the trophy sat also looked very structurally unsound. Olive Ostrovsky leaned against it at one point during the show, and it slid a little bit which was especially nerve-racking because it was so close to the edge of the stage already.
 * 2) This may just have been due to the night I went to see the show, but there were definite technical difficulties. Some of the microphones gave out while the characters were singing. Parts of Leaf's song, “I'm Not That Smart,” were cut out, as were parts of Chip's songs. Also, there was an extremely bright light that kept flashing; it roamed the audience. It was blindingly bright, and I would have preferred it not to exist.
 * 3) I will say that the audience participation was a wonderful idea. In practice, there were some unexpected kinks. The first kink was one of the audience members who got called up tried really hard to make jokes. All of his jokes fell flat, and he came off as aggressive rather than witty, as I suppose he intended. His wife, however, was absolutely adorable, even though she contributed to the problems with audience participation. The second or third time an audience “contestant” was called up to spell, they would receive an impossible word to spell, such as krislemum, which is a Cockney colloquialism. The woman who was asked to spell this particular word was not expected to spell it correctly, yet she did. It was obvious that this took the characters by surprise, as they laughed and nearly broke character. They had to call her back to spell another word just to eliminate her, exposing that that was actually their plan all along. It was entertaining, but it was still a bit awkward.
 * 4) Mitch Mahoney was a wonderful character, but I wish I could have heard his voice more clearly. It seemed that he was the quietest of the cast, and I am not sure if that is because his microphone was not clearly adjusted, or if it was because he was just not as strong a singer as the rest of the cast. During the “I love you” song, Olive Ostrovsky and Rona Lisa Perretti both sang clearly and loudly, loud enough as to drown out Mitch's singing. It was unfortunate because the intense, sweeping harmonies are part of what makes the song so powerful.
 * 5) The night I saw the show, Chip was being played by an understudy. For the most part, he did a wonderful job, but the last two notes of his song, “My Unfortunate Erection,” were a little more off than they were originally meant to be, and it was obvious that the actor was straining to hit such high notes. He played it off well, but it was as uncomfortable for the audience as it probably was for the poor actor.

PROS:


 * 1) I particularly enjoyed the band's being onstage; it added to the atmosphere of the show. It was also amusing to see their faces during the show, as they sometimes forgot they were onstage and chuckled at certain parts. They were good indicators of when the characters were improvising. The band members also had a hard time keeping straight faces during the audience participation scenes. The pianist was particularly interesting to watch, as she often giggled at the character's little additions.
 * 2) Chip's song, save the last two notes, was brilliant. All of the innuendos were hilarious, particularly the microphone held between his legs while he faced to the side and the scene during which he held his sign in front of his crotch area. It was all very well done and not quite as awkward as one might have expected from a song titled, “My Unfortunate Erection.” Also, Chip's entrance into the audience was a fun, little aspect, and of course, it was a plus to be thrown candy.
 * 3) Improvisation is a difficult thing to pull off, but the cast of //The 25////th// //Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee// did a remarkable job. The improvisations about the audience members were particularly hilarious. The older woman was described as aspiring to be just like her idol, Katy Perry, when she “grew up”. They incorporated several pertinent current events throughout the show. Logainne Schwarzandgrubenniere talked on and on about Sarah and Bristol Palin, an addition that added to an already hilarious scene involving three other characters talking at once. The majority of the show seemed to be improvisation, from the audience member participation to little character tidbits like Leaf Coneybear's “I am Optimus Prime” breakout. At one point, one of the audience members mimicked Olive's word-grabbing technique, and Olive could not help but be proud; she laughed and pointed in approval.
 * 4) Overall, the singing was phenomenal. Rona Lisa Perretti hit some of the highest notes I have ever heard, during the scene with black Jesus. Olive also had an astounding voice. It was very sweet and innocent sounding which fit her character extremely well. During the “I love you song”, her voice was the voice that stood out without being sharp or grating, as some voices have been in versions of the song I have heard. It was a pleasant surprise not to hear screeching “mama”s while the other two singers were belting harmonious notes. Logainne also had quite a voice, but it was somewhat disguised by her lisp and her character's little-kiddish voice. Leaf may also have had a spectacular voice, but it was hard to tell through the thick character voice.
 * 5) Marcy Park was just impressive all around: her acting, her singing, her dancing, her numerous other talents she displayed. It was incredible when she pulled her leg up behind her head while still holding a high note and smiling. She also pulled off a perfect cartwheel, spun a basketball on her finger, and twirled a baton perfectly as though it were nothing. Her characterization was spot-on; she perfectly embodied the young, stuck-up perfectionist.