ksmustgoon


 * "MUST GO ON" PLAY REVIEW **

With its expressive characters and comedic style, John Kundert-Gibbs’ play, “Must Go On”, invites the audience to imagine the drama that perhaps goes on behind the scenes of our favorite talk shows. Packed full of technology, sexual tension, and stereotypes, this play is definitely aimed at a more mature audience. Behind the stage, the employees of //Taste of the Morning//, is faced with the crisis that their station is being shut down. Brooke, a ditsy weather woman, expresses the shocking news to the rest of the staff. Faced with the thoughts of unemployment, the staff must sort through the truthfulness behind Brooke’s claims while still putting on the show. The station truly lives up to the play’s title, “Must Go On,” by still putting on a show while faced with the drama. Through the supposed doom of the station, the true identities of the characters come out and make the staff better connected as a team.

The tone of the play is reflected greatly through the theme. The theme, "The show must go on,” is carried throughout the play. Although many of the characters are left helpless if the station gets shut down, they still perform their jobs and continue on with the show. In one scene, the newscaster, Brick, is so drunk that he cannot even put his own pants on. Despite this the staff puts him on set, with no pants, and keeps going with the show. Examples like this also reflect the overall comedic tone of the play. Despite evidence of tension and conflict between many of the characters, they still performed their jobs and were funny about it too.

The play consisted of using two different mediums of stage: an intimate live stage in one room and live streaming in another which was shown over a television in the live stage. This is an interesting tactic from the director. By using this tactic, it was evident the attempts to make the audience feel right in the midst of a real television set. The set included not only televisions, but make up stands, couches for the guests, and “On Air” signs that lit up when the actors began the television show. The set was set up fantastically; it truly made the audience feel as though they were right back stage with the actors. Although in real life the different elements “backstage” may have been in different rooms, the “backstage” set was spaced out enough that the audience could understand the separation. Also, the actors used not only the separate rooms for taping and backstage, but also the hallway to run back and forth between the two. The audience was able to hear the actors run back and forth between the two rooms in a panic, which I believed was a great directing tactic because it really made the audience feel submerged in the drama.

However, this drama was overwhelming at times and often made the audience feel lost. Throughout the play, I consistently questioned what the point was. It was apparent that the overall idea was to reveal that a show must go on no matter what the circumstances, but there were so many other side plots and conflicts that it was unclear. The use of the two different mediums of stage, which had attempts to enhance the story, actually took away from it. Many of the scenes the actors were talking or yelling at each other at the same time the television station was on. In one scene, four of the characters were having two different fights at the same time as there was chaos on the television. It was so loud and busy, that I think the director really wanted the audience to feel the intensity of the disorder, but I was instead very confused. It was difficult to watch the action on the television at the same time as the action on the stage especially because each voice was so loud. I did not enjoy this directing technique, and I feel it took away from the overall message greatly.

Also there was a strong emphasis of homosexual conflict, which I am unsure if it is related to the overall message or not. This I feel was another lack in the directing choices. Between the characters Ruby, Brooke, Sam, and Brick, there is an evident love connection between the same sexes. In one scene, Sam and Brock kiss suddenly, and Ruby and Brooke return from backstage all messy and disoriented. It is evident that there might have been a particular reason to emphasis these same sex relationships so much, but I am unsure what that reason is. Possibly it could be used to stun or entertain the audience, but with such a confusing plot already, it made the plot even more confusing.

Another unclear aspect of the play was the choice of clothing for a few of the characters. The design elements in each particular costume were great; however, all put together, they took away from the understanding of the plot. The best example of which costume did not fit, was the female talk show host, Gwen. She throughout the play wore a bunch of different patterns and pieces of different color. Her hair was pre-teen looking, and her overall look was very unput together. In the beginning of the play, Sam makes fun of her outfit, which shows that it is not suppose to be taken seriously. However, no other main character was dressed similar. All of the female roles, especially Brooke and Ruby, were dressed business like. There was little connection to exactly why Gwen was dresses this way, and it made her character look sloppy. However, not all the designs of the costumes took away from the character. Sam, in particular, I felt had a fantastic costume, which really enhanced the performance. His style, like his character, is fun but professional for his job. It shows that Sam wants to express his own style, but still looks put together. I think overall the design of Sam’s costume is the best overall.

Makeup artist, Sam, played by Nathan Cowling, not only provides the most comedic relief for the audience, but also has the most stage time. He reveals the background stories of the other characters through his interactions with them. Sam is the only character who does not leave the main floor of the stage. His character is evidently the most important person on the news show to the rest of the characters because he has the most influence on everyone. This particular character was played the best by his actor. It was evident the use of inner acting when portraying this role. This allowed the audience to be convinced of his confidence as an actor, and entertained by his humor.

The play, “Must Go On,” is jammed full of comedy. Despite its lack of order, the use of two different stage mediums was an interesting approach. Overall, I enjoyed watching the play, and would recommend it to someone to go see. However, with a few adjustments like the ones mentioned above, I believe the overall plot and message could be better enhanced.