jdc+auntdanandlemon

Likes

1. I enjoyed the costumes in the play. Each costume was very well designed to match the situation the character was in. Lemon wore the same thing throughout the play, which allowed the audience to always be reminded of the sickness which has plagued Lemon’s life. Aunt Dan’s costume also reflected her personality. She wore an outfit that we perceive today as an outfit fit for a person who has a more liberal and free mind set, which is exactly Aunt Dan’s personality. The costumes also helped to set the situation the characters were in, such as when Aunt Dan and the other girls were only wearing robes and undergarments, showing the audience that they were in a more free and private environment.

2. Keeping Lemon on stage the whole time was also a great idea. When I first read the play, it seemed as if it would be difficult to direct because of all of the sudden scene changes, apparently coming out of nowhere. By keeping Lemon on stage, the changes were made while still reminding the audience that this story is all in Lemon’s imagination. It allowed these sort of “mystical” scene changes in the script to be made with no real changes to the stage. Her appearance also reminded the audience of the circumstances Lemon is telling the story under, being apparently close to death.

3. The lighting of the play was also well done. The characters were always clearly visible, and when the time came to change the set, the light was dark enough that it wasn’t distracting to the audience. It was also used to emphasize characters, such as when Lemon is talking about her memories and the characters walk on stage at the beginning of the play, the light would dim on Lemon and shine on them, allowing us to focus our attention momentarily on them because they were temporarily the action of the play.

4. The actors were also impressive in the play. They were able to capture the attention of the audience and able to deliver the very long monologues. The actors stumbled on their words only a couple of times, but I expected confusion because of the length of the monologues present in the play. Other than these small slip ups, the actors were very efficient at capturing the attention of the audience and holding it. Each actor was also very well chosen for their role. Mindy was an attractive girl, which fit perfectly for her role. Lemon’s father combined with his costume gave him an appearance very similar to the one that I imagined when I read the script.

5. I also found the make up of Lemon very well done. Using make up, she was easily given the appearance of a very sick person. She appeared to have large bags under her eyes, and her face was very pale. It gave her a sickly look that was called for by the script. Aunt Dan was also given this appearance near the end when she was sick as well. It seems to have been under appreciated, but without this effective make up, the play may have been perceived differently for other audience members.

Dislikes

1. One thing that I didn’t like about the show was the long monologues. I know that they were called for by the script, so there was no avoiding them, but at some times, the monologues became boring and I found myself drifting off. The actors did a very good job at holding my attention, but the unbearable length of the monologues made them boring at times.

2. Another thing that I didn’t like about the play was the lack of an intermission. It may have been difficult to find a place to introduce a break, but sitting in the same place for two hours made me slowly lose interest towards the end of the play. I feel like, in my opinion, the scenes towards the end of the play would have been more powerful and been able to send more of a message if there had been an intermission.

3. I also wasn’t happy with my seat and it caused me frustration during the play. When I bought my tickets, there was a mix up and the seats that I purchased weren’t available. The seats that I had purchased were front and center, so I was looking forward to being so close to the action of the play, but instead I was placed far to the right in one of the upper rows. My visibility was not as good from that seat as it may have been from the front.

4. Although the costumes were very effective, they were distracting at times. They were appropriate for the situations presented, but they also distracted me from the action at times. For example, when Mindy was killing the man, her costume was very provocative and was somewhat distracting. Dressing her like this was necessary to some extent, but her costume seemed overly provocative during this scene to the point that it may have been slightly distracting to some of the audience members.

5. The themes of the play may have also been uncomfortable for some audience members. I was perfectly comfortable myself, but for some other people, the ideas of a husband cheating on his wife with one of his students, or a girl killing a man may have been uncomfortable. Again, this is an issue with the text that is nearly unavoidable in a play, but it still creates a slightly awkward atmosphere in the play environment.