RD-AuntDan&Lemon

Unconventionally Great A Critique on Aunt Dan and Lemon Robert Dong

Unconventional-this is the word that one would use to describe the play //Aunt Dan and Lemon//. //Aunt Dan and Lemon//, a production by University theatre, strives to inform while also confuse. In most instances plays are a pleasant affair in which one just sits and watches. The watching of //Aunt Dan and Lemon// was anything but this. Contemplation is what one does after //Aunt Dan and Lemon//. This contemplation requires one to philosophize about who is really in the right. Is it the group that wins the struggle or the group that accomplishes what they set out to do? This stimulation of contemplation creates a mood of uncertainty for all.

A major part of mood is lighting. The lighting for //Aunt Dan and Lemon// was well done throughout the show. A prime example of the expert lighting is the lamp besides Lemon when she tells her story. This light creates a warm glow that signals to the audience the beginning of her story. The cozy feeling created by the lighting stimulates the audience to think about experiences of their own in which they have sat around a den and listened to their own family members tell stories about their past. This lighting also clarifies the action that is occurring on the stage. When a flashback occurs, the lights illuminate and bring the audiences attention to the flashback. The lamp besides lemon fades, but is not completely out. This allows the audience to understand that the action occurring is a flashback. A lot of the confusion created by random scenes is assuaged by the lighting reminding the audience that the scenes are just the memories of Lemon. One moment in lighting that really left an impression was the dark red light that framed the murderer while she slays the man. The lighting not only startled me, but also showed the lady in her darkest most blood chilling form. If the lighting were not well done, then the mood of the play would have changed for the worse.

Other than the lighting, the sound also played a significant role in setting the mood of //Aunt Dan and Lemon//. The setting did not have many props to immerse the audience into the world of Lemon. The stage was sparse with nothing more than a table, an armchair, and a few other pieces of furniture. This lack of complexity created the need for sound to immerse the audience. The sound immersion included the effects of thunderstorms to signal a depressing event. The inclusion of Spanish music displayed the sultriness of the dance establishment. There were no bar stools or tables to alert the audience to the fact that the flashback was in a bar. Without the sound, there would be no scene. Fortunately, the sound manager formed in the audiences mind what the director would like the audience to see.

Even the most ingenious addition of sound could not cover the threadbare nature of the setting. The characters in //Aunt Dan and Lemon// are sophisticated and relatively wealthy. The setting displayed poverty. What I imagined to be a grand dining room with Victorian furnished furniture, turned out to be plain, wooden tables and chairs. The lack of intermission and dimming of lights also made the exchange of scenes awkward. In the middle of a monologue, one would see previous characters moving and creating furniture. This added confusion to the audience because one could not be certain whether the characters are actually moving the furniture in the story, or changing the setting for the next scene. One aspect of the setting that I found thought provoking was the use of a red sheet as the bed spread. This prop became more than just a decorative piece. The bed spread foreshadows a moment of passion. The color red represents anger, violence, and rage. Upon the red bed spread, a scene of murder occurs.

The character casting was well done for the main characters of the production, but was really lacking when it came to supporting characters. The recycling of actors and actresses amplifies the confusion of the play. Even though the original cast includes recycling of characters, this really does not work with the production. The confusion created was not a comfortable experience. In some instances, the only thing distinguishing certain characters was their accent. The play was already confusing before with the constant flashbacks. With the recycling of characters one is forced not only to distinguish different characters from one another, but also string together Lemon’s eclectic memories. One example of this confusion was the scene in which lemon’s father meets Aunt Dan and her group while on vacation. The actress that plays Lemon’s mother is also present in this scene. The only difference is that she was dressed less conservatively and her accent changed from British to American. This drew my attention away from what was occurring on the stage and into how the sultry American character in the scene became the compassionate British lady that is Lemon’s mother. The original production of the play also had actors in multiple roles. The way they circumvented confusion was by giving each role a distinctively different costume. This allows the audience to more easily identify the different roles.

Another gripe I had with the character choice was the casting for the father. His acting seemed very robotic. Instead of acting, he was repeating his lines. Once in awhile, he would have an outburst, but even these outbursts seemed unnatural. I’m not sure if his character was meant to be awkward, but he was definitely awkward in the play. His costume was also ridiculous. The horn-rimmed glasses and corduroy coat did nto match well with the actor that wore them. This flourish may have been used to make him look older, but I believe the actor playing the actor is too young to wear this clothing with any seriousness. He looked more like a hipster than a conservative executive living in modern England.

The casting of Lemon for the play, on the other hand, was well done. Her matter of fact voice made the stories she told remarkably believable. This may sound strange, but one could actually believe that she was a weak and dying girl. Sometimes the dialogue would wander away from topic, but the actress made these moments seem integrated into the script. The way she carried herself made her character more matter of fact. This added strength to her arguments over Nazi Germany. One aspect of her performance that I did not like was the fidgetiness of her hands when she gave the monologues. The monologues are already long and tedious. The motions of her hands drew a great deal of attention from her grand speeches on the legitimacy of Nazism and into what motion her hands would do next. How can one think about the thought provoking ideas without having a grasp of what she is trying to explain?

In direct contrast to Lemon’s quiet voice is her role model Aunt Dan. The actress that plays Aunt Dan played the part perfectly to how a young, rebelling, unconventional, Oxford English professor would act. Unlike the casting done for the rest of the characters, her character matched very well with my mind’s eye of how the character carried herself. Her dialogue was ferocious when needed be. When she spoke out about her passion for world leaders, one became moved. One began to think about modern leaders that have bad reputations for the decisions that they have made. Her strong will solidified the belief that being a leader is a difficult and thankless job. Those who divert disaster gain little reputation, while those who meet disaster are forever mired with ill will.

The actor that performed as Andy in the production did a less than stellar job. His comical relief was there, but his facial expression was not required. At some points when he licked his top lip and looked at the audience in a seductive manner, it looked more like he was making light of the play. He looked like a prankster taunting the audience rather than an actor conveying a character’s ideals. The supporting character Mindy was much more convincingly played. She looked and acted like the high class call girl that she was. Her seductive nature transformed into murdering rage was both surprising and believable.

With characters comes the plot. This is the meat of the performance. The stage direction of Lemon telling her story on the side, while the action occurs at the center of the stage worked well for the production. Her presence on the side was a constant reminder to the audience that the action they were witnessing was a flashback. A part of the plot that left me confused was the scene before Raimondo was murdered. In the script it was stated that he was an undercover cop, so his murder by Mindy seemed logical. She would murder him, so their underground business would not be discovered. In the production the fact that he was an police officer was not emphasized. This leaves the audience confused when she suddenly chokes him to death. Her action seems illogical and unwarranted.

These small flaws were annoying, but they did not take away from the overall excellent production. The notion of self examination is strongly projected upon the audience. The goal of this play was to make the audience think about the unconventional and this production of //Aunt Dan and Lemon// accomplishes this with a great cast of actors, a spectacular use of lighting, and a masterful manipulation of mood. I came away from //Aunt Dan and Lemon// knowing more, but also questioning myself more. What are the ideals of a society and what is morally right? With this critique finished, I highly recommend this play to anyone searching for a topic to philosophize on. The entertainment comes not only during the play, but in the quiet moments of contemplation afterwards.