Lovechild+KS

Kai Shen THEA 2100H Richmond 10/05/10  //The Life and Times of Tulsa Lovechild: A Roadtrip//, is the story about a woman named Tulsa who travels to Oklahoma to spread her recently deceased mother’s ashes at the hotel where Tulsa was born. Throughout her journey, Tulsa meets several interesting characters. Ed is a former child TV star who becomes one of the more central characters. He slowly begins to develop a close romantic relationship with Tulsa. Kelly Jo is the beauty pageant winner from Nebraska who is trying to win the Miss America title. She is also running away from her loving but crazy redneck boyfriend Clyde, who is completely obsessed with her. The plot also introduces Rose and Valerie, who are conjoined twins who are saving up money to get separated. A key character is Bob, the Russian immigrant who runs the hotel in Tulsa. His character is present in all of the different times of the play. He is there when Tulsa is born and is there to unite the strange combination of characters in the play. Although never seen, Tulsa’s mother Sylvia constantly gives Tulsa advice. This gives the play a sense of surrealism, which is further rooted by the constant flashbacks.  Greg Owens, the writer of the play, uses a difficult technique to tell his story. Instead of having one storyline with a singular plot, Owens describes the stories of all of the characters as different storylines, each with a different narrator. There are constant changes in these storylines, some of which are very abrupt and sudden. This sometimes leaves the audience confused as to what is happening on the stage. Also, the many flashbacks also add to the confusion, as there are often conversations that the audience can hear that does not correspond to the actors on the stage. In the beginning of the play, Tulsa’s parents are arguing about her father being drafted, and Tulsa is in the middle of a job interview. As the argument heats up, so does Tulsa’s composure during the interview. Although they are two separate situations, Owens relates the emotions felt during them by having the actors react in similar ways. As the argument becomes heated, Tulsa begins to shout at the interviewer. Owens tells his story very well, and even gives some of his own political views. It is evident that he is against the war as the play progresses. Some improvement that could be made would be to make the transitions smoother so that the audience does not become confused.  One of the main subject matters in this play was love and relationships. The relationships that formed in the play certainly were not perfect ones, however. Tulsa and Ed become closer throughout the play, as their experiences together strengthen their bond. In the end, Tulsa rejects Ed for no apparent reason. Also, Clyde is chasing Kelly Jo with all of his heart. Even though he is just a common farm boy, he is madly in love with her. Although Kelly clearly is not interested, Clyde does not give up. Another key relationship, although somewhat imagined, is the relationship between Tulsa and the visions of her mother. In life, they never had a close relationship, but Tulsa’s visions of her mom and the advice that she receives is critical in helping her solve her problems. These relationships, although not perfect, are a good representation of what actual relationships are like. Clearly, the importance of relationships is a subject matter that is definitely worthwhile.  The actors were incredible in portraying their roles. They were able to present emotions and facial expressions clearly and meaningfully. In the small theater setting, it was easier to see the actor’s faces, which helped the audience realize what emotions they were trying to convey. It was easy as an audience member to see the actors actually having the personalities of the characters they were supposed to portray. The supporting actors, who were dressed in the same design as the set, although somewhat creepy in the beginning, did an excellent job. They often served as extras and helped perform actions on the set to make things look more realistic.  The physical production, although not very realistic, was superb. The floor had a cloud pattern, which made it seem like the actors were walking on the sky. There were also many platforms that were also painted with clouds to continue the sky illusion. Many aspects were surreal and abnormally large, such as the huge phone in the booth. These large props are to further the many surreal aspects of the play. The lighting was also used very literally. The colors changed to reflect the mood, such as when the red lights were turned on to convey conflict.  The audience responded very positively to the play. The intimate space of the theater gave the audience a much more relaxed atmosphere, and the audience was able to respond to the actors. The audience’s mood and response directly related to what was happening on the stage. The crowd was able to laugh in the humorous scenes and be still in the more dramatic ones. However, many audience members expressed dislike towards Tulsa. Many found her personality to be bitter and annoying at times. Also, her inability to solve problems on her own and her rejection of Ed turned many audience members against her. Hearing the opinions of other people opened my mind to their objections, but I liked the character of Tulsa. In my opinion, the actress playing Tulsa conveyed her personality perfectly. Tulsa is the daughter of troubled parents, and it would seem logical that her personality is somewhat imperfect.  I would definitely recommend this play to anyone I know, as well as any play that I enjoyed watching. It is a unique, fun, and entertaining play to watch. Although unconventional, it still carries messages that are universal and are able to be understood by anyone. I will definitely remember Greg Owens and look out for his work in