SL+Machinal+Critique 

Jameson Lindsey Theatre 2000 Dr. Farley Richmond “Machinal” Critique “Machinal” is an Expressionist drama written by Sophie Treadwell in 1928. It details the demise of a young women during the 1920’s who gets caught into a loveless marriage and unwanted motherhood. Her only desire is to seek independence and freedom from the patriarchal oppression around her. Sophie Treadwell became well known for her work in investigative journalism about serial murders. Her inspiration for “Machinal” came about from the 1927 Rose Snyder case in which Snyder and her lover plotted together to murder her husband. Snyder was found guilty and ultimately was put in the electric chair. A journalist covering the case snuck a camera into the viewing room and snapped a picture of Snyder’s lifeless body strapped into the chair; the photo was front page news the next morning. Even after death, Snyder’s life was seen as property and insignificant to the patriarchal world around her. This obscene disregard for a woman’s life is what drove Treadwell to immortalize the voices of the oppressed women of the 1920’s within her plays. As with all plays I see, my first impression of the show came from the minimalist set. There are three identical shaped black boxes spread evenly apart in the center of up-stage. Another two boxes of the same size are pushed together and lie on stage right. These five stackable boxes make up the entirety of the set with a few simple props used throughout the play such as a vase of flowers, a 1920’s style telephone, and a water lily. The backdrop for the show is a white screen that has various images and colors projected onto the screen to show scene changes. The backdrop used for the workplace where Helen, the young protagonist, is first introduced was an abstract collection of construction cranes and smog. This creates a cold, eerie mood within the workplace that represents the first encounter of oppression that Helen faces. Here, Helen is gossiped about by her coworkers as she is only kept around because the boss likes her and she is terrible at her job. This is within a time where women are just being introduced into the work force as technology advances and they’re seemingly thrown into the world without any guidance or compassion. Once Helen is “nagged” into marrying George H. Jones, her boss whom she has no affections for, they go to George’s new house with a green background. At first, Helen seems at ease beginning life anew with George which matches the calming green background. However, as George soon pushes Helen to go “wash up” and get undressed for their wedding night, the colors of the background quickly fade to red with hints of blue. She becomes distressed and doesn’t want him to touch her. She escapes to the bathroom for a while, seeking safety from the man whom she was forced to marry. The red and blue background reminds me of the pain and terror she must feel along with her sadness as she is just a “little girl” to him, nothing but a toy for his pleasures. Perhaps the most memorable backdrop I saw was during the courtroom scene where Helen is on trial for George’s murder. The backdrop boasts a large, framed picture of Lady Justice who stands proud as Helen details the events of that fateful night. However, as soon as the prosecutor reveals that Helen’s lover’s testimony is what ultimately lands Helen in the electric chair, the Lady Justice picture shows the statue bending over in defeat and mourning. This image is the most memorable to me because it shows the sad injustice committed every day during this time period. While it’s true that Helen committed a terrible crime, George was never held accountable for his crime. No man during the time period was ever held accountable for the way they regarded and treated women during the time period. To make matters worse, the only man Helen thought she could love and depend on sold her out to the court without hesitation. Helen never stood a chance against the oppressive society around her; that’s the true injustice committed in this play. The backdrops were a simple and excellent way to create moods and ideas. However, I did not enjoy the use of the black, stackable boxes. They looked cumbersome and awkward. They blended in with the stage and all black attire so it was often difficult to tell what scene they were portraying. They were extremely loud and sometimes it was difficult to hear what the actors were saying over the obstreperous banging. Further research about this play told me that it was actually intended to have furniture and more intricate props. Although I do believe the minimalist set highlighted the actors and their words by forcing all attention on to them, the same effect could have been produced with a quieter set. The lighting for this rendition of the play was also very minimal. While I typically enjoy intricate, interesting lighting, I though the lighting used for this play fit very well with the choice of set and costumes (which were all black and the actors were barefoot). The lighting for the office was dull and looked almost beige to fit in with the bland, machine-like atmosphere and behaviors; its boring appearance makes it feel as if these people are in a rut, running automatically with no pleasures or joy. Many of the scenes involve using almost no lighting in the house or stage with tiny flashlights held by the ensemble to highlight the young women’s face. One of the most memorable scenes includes a monologue performed by Helen after being forced to sleep with George and bear his child. During this scene, Helen shrieks about how she “won’t submit” any longer. She crawls and runs around the stage attempting to escape the beams of light from the flashlights that the ensemble holds. Every time she dips away behind a box or crawls on the floor, a new beam of light finds her face and she turns away looking for another escape. These beams represent the oppressive society that won’t let her rest or breathe; they continuously force her to conform, to stop trying to break free of the societal chains they shackle to her weary legs. Eventually, Helen becomes exhausted from feeble attempts and stops to gasp for air. The last scene is of Helen in a jail cell, waiting to be carried to the electric chair as a priest ignores all of her questions and problems to simply preach the Bible at her. As she is stripped away from her mother and put into what is presumed the electric chair behind three stacked boxes, the priest is illuminated in harsh red lighting as he yells scriptures over Helen’s cries for help. This lighting creates the last final image of a monstrous being who ignores Helen’s pleas for freedom, just as society ignores them and dooms her for straying from the path it demanded she stay on. The same flashlights that oppressed her early are the staccato lights used to indicate the electric currents that kill her. The oppressors that sought to break her and make her conform are the ultimate things that taker her life away once she refused them. All in all, I thought the lighting was brilliant in that in turned an almost bare set into something more intricate and meaningful. Treadwell’s content and script were phenomenal. As a woman, I found myself relating to the young woman and yearning for her to be set free. Times may be different now than they were in the 1920’s, but the pressures for a woman to be successful in the work place, to keep her sexuality under wraps, to marry, to bare children, and to keep her worries to herself are still present in society. Helen tells her mother that she feels crazy for thinking of a life outside of her tepid job that would be full of love and adventure. Her mother agrees she’s crazy, but says she would be crazy for not marrying George whom she doesn’t love but can afford to buy her “clothes and food”. The only woman who should have Helen’s best interest at heart is completely under society’s control and urges Helen to enter a loveless marriage. Helen sadly agrees “I gotta get married to someone, all girls do”. The monologues are brilliantly written as they show the confused and pained mindset woman had to keep a secret from society as they plastered a fake smile on every day. Her character development of the husband and lover show the contrasting personalities of one man who clearly sees woman as an object designed to appease him (the husband) and the other man who woes women with promises of freedom and carefree lifestyles (the lover). Both men approach life differently yet both view women as property that can be manipulated and forced to do they’re biding. Treadwell’s portrayal of the ensemble beautifully depicts the organized chaos of that day. The 1920’s are known as an era of progress and unprecedented freedom. Yet, for woman, it’s all a façade. The ensemble in the play is constantly spouting off lines, often mashed together to produce a chaotic sound. Often these lines are repetitive of each other. This chaotic sound is heard various times throughout the play to create background noise. However, when it comes time to convict Helen of George’s murder, the ensemble is miraculously synchronized. They constantly hum “tsk tsk tsk” as Helen is defending herself, chastising her even before she can explain her actions. They laugh and stop laughing at the same time when Helen accidently says something ridiculous in her frantic state. The ensemble represents the masses who do not care about a woman and her needs until she strays from the normal constraints set by them. At that time, they are able to come together and condemn her. Treadwell’s content is deep and powerful. Her writing brings light to an issue that society is still trying to dampen. The superb acting is also an important part of this play. Although every single character was dressed in all black attire, the main characters were able to stand out from the ensemble. Eva Ramirez, a freshman, executed Helen’s distraught role very well and made me relate to her character. Her times of distress and pain were emotional and breathy, always seeming like she’s struggling for air. She seems soft and timid, but she has a voice inside of her that begging to break free and be heard. John Buisman, who played George, portrayed his lines in such a way that it made me feel uncomfortable listening to him. I felt like he had a forced composed appearance, as someone would who is trying to hide something. His speech toward Helen was chastising and pretentious; it made me feel as if he were addressing a child. Buisman did a fantastic job portraying an antagonist. The lover, Jordan Richards, reminded me of men from today’s society. He was suave and knew what he was doing when he called Helen “an angel” as he calls all girls he wishes to impress angels. His tone made me feel relaxed and comfortable, just as Helen felt around him. As an audience member, I wanted him to be Helen’s outlet for escaping oppression; I wanted him to be different and understand her desires to just relax and breathe. But sadly, Richards did an excellent of portraying a good guy façade. He was a secret antagonist. The audience fell along with the rise and fall of the emotions within this play. The majority felt comfortable in the beginning to laugh at the ensemble’s gossiping, especially when one particular ensemble actor would exclaim “Hot dog!” about anything and everything. But as the play progressed, you could practically feel the sobering affect Helen’s troubles had on the audience. Something incredibly emotional and deep as Treadwell’s message had an immediate toll on its audience and left a majority of them mumbling about the sad demise of poor Helen. The script was full of symbolism and direct critiques of the elusive injustices committed in Treadwell’s time. However, it’s an extremely melancholy play that hit home for me and I’m sure many others. I would suggest this play to friends and acquaintances with a prior warning of its deep, gloomy ending. I believe everyone should experience Treadwell’s message in the hopes of bettering society’s understanding of hidden injustices against minorities. Based on my research and my experience with this play, I would endeavor to see Treadwell’s other plays to expand my understanding of her craftmanship and passion for correcting societal injustices against diverse groups of peoples.