KY+Life+is+a+Dream+Critique


 * Life is a Dream Critique**

//Life is a Dream// is a convoluted, existential drama that conveys a play within a play. The work was based off of the original //La Vida es Sueño// by Pedro Calderón de la Barca, which is a philosophical allegory of the human situation and the mystery of life. The overall drama was incredibly hard to follow, and the theater space and other theatrical tools were not utilized to maximum potential. The lack of costumes and set design, as well as the absence of a single, well-defined plotline, contributed to the poor conveyance of the work to the audience members and diminished the complete worth and potential of the drama.

The play began with the introduction of two characters, scheming to sell false technologies to a large corporation. The two characters – Mr. Boots and Mrs. Straps – hold a meeting with officials of the corporation and tell of the supposed invention’s great capabilities. Mr. Boots and Mrs. Straps offer to hold a demonstration of the technology’s incredible capabilities, casually introducing the stipulation that those who were not self-made would be unable to fully experience the greatness of Mrs. Strap’s invention. Thus, the premises for the remainder of the play are set. However, it is here that the audience members become increasingly more confused about the plotline of the drama. Members of the company are arranged, and Mrs. Straps begins the demonstration of the technology. While incredibly difficult to decipher the action on stage, it was soon explained that there was a projection of the tearing down of the Great Wall by Reagan. As the entire situation was a scam, there were in reality no projections, but because the members of the company did not want the others in the group to think that they were not self-made, each company member played along with the game. The play then transitioned into an adaptation of Pedro Calderón de la Barca’s //La Vida es Sueño//, as the members of the company began participating in the interactive demonstration of the invention. However, it became increasingly more difficult to deduce what it was that the so-called invention was doing on the stage for the actors. The invention was described as setting the scene for the interactive experience about to happen, but the action that followed was elusive to the audience members. The reason for acting out the play was never explained, other than that it was a part of the invention’s demonstration. //Life is a Dream// then progressed into a re-enactment of the tale of Segismundo. At the end of the work, the company members spoke out against the two people running the scam, and all of the members came to the realization that no one was able to see the projections described. The two crooks Mr. Boots and Mrs. Straps walk away with the fee they collected from the company, while the company officials look foolish and acknowledge that they had been deceived.

The idea of the work was closely followed the plotline and concept of the children’s fable “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” However, a wrench was thrown into the plot by the introduction and re-enactment of //La Vida es Sueño.// It soon became incredibly unclear to the audience member what the dramatic action of the play actually entailed, and what characters the actors on stage were portraying. The focus of the production transitioned from that of the scam to the storyline of Segismundo taking place in the interactive activity. The question of whether the company members actually became the characters in the story or were simply playing along with the demonstration is introduced. An “audience member” was chosen to participate in the interactive experience on the stage and later played the role of Segismundo in the re-enactment. The later half of the play was not concerned with the technology scam any longer, but rather directed attention in its entirety to the play within the actual play.

The set of the whole theatrical production was incredibly sparse. The walls were painted completely black, and there were not other props available other than a line of black, plastic chairs on either side of the stage. A long, black train case filled with the different colored vests and skirts of the characters of //La Vida es Sueño// stood in the back of the stage. There were no backdrops and there were barely any props utilized. The play is based on the power of the mind, and as the scam is running on the fact that the company members cannot see any of the projections of the “invention,” it makes sense to have a minimalist approach to set design. However, without the use of a backdrop or other props to indicate the scenery, the responsibility of conveying the setting to the audience falls on the shoulders of the actors. In the case of this production, the actors fell short. The convoluted nature of the play was partially due to the fact that the audience members were always a step behind the actors and the action on stage because they had to take an obscene amount of time to decipher the action due to the lack of assistance from the set. The idea that the playwright, director, and set designer had makes sense logically, but it failed in delivery during the production.

The effects of sound and lighting were essentially nonexistent in the work. It was explicitly stated that there was going to be no use of sound throughout the production. Music can drastically alter the audience’s perception of certain scenes. The lack of music in the production was a bit detrimental. Because the set design was already so minimalistic, other factors measures should have been taken to ensure that the audience could follow the action on stage. In the case of //The 39 Steps,// dramatic lighting and sound were utilized to enhance the comedic performance. However, in the case of this production, lighting and sound were barely utilized at all. Considering the concept of the play, it is understandable why the two were not exploited, but the introduction of light and sound could have exponentially benefitted the play and increased the dramatic impact.

Costume design again took a minimalistic approach. The characters began as members of the corporation being scammed, and therefore the actors wore typical business attire in shades of black and khaki. However, in their transition to their characters in the interactive activity of Mrs. Straps, the actors donned either a colored vest or skirt that designated their part in the play. The vests helped the audience members to distinguish the assigned roles of the actors. While not intricate, the costume design was effective.

The casting of Segismundo was incredibly awkward. The cast member picked to portray the role of Segismundo was a woman, and she was strategically placed in the audience at the beginning of the drama. It is not until the interactive experience of the invention is beginning that Mrs. Straps picks an “audience member” to take part, and Segismundo is introduced. The entire concept is a bit contrived, and it was obvious to the audience that the woman was indeed a part of the cast. Then, the already convoluted storyline is rendered even more confusing by the switched gender of Segismundo. Because the audience member is still trying to adjust to the switch in the plot of the drama, the introduction of Segismundo as a woman made the adjustment even more difficult. The actress who portrayed Segismundo was phenomenal in her acting, but there are scenes where the switched gender evokes discomfort – such as the scene in which Segismundo attempts to rape Rosaura. The scene itself is uncomfortable enough, but the casting emphasizes the awkwardness of the situation.

If not made clear thus far, the directing of the play was incredibly disappointing. There simply was no unity in this play. The clarity of the story was extremely poor. To the majority of the audience, the plotline was incredibly confusing. Casting choices were also poorly made, as with the case of Segismundo. The play as a whole was incredibly disjointed, which was a disheartening conclusion to draw.

//Life is a Dream// had the potential to tackle the same issues of free will and fate that //La Vida es Sueño// did. However, its minimalistic approach was rather detrimental to the presentation of the production to the audience and detracted from its dramatic effects. The lack of unity in the production rendered it extremely confusing. Overall, the play would not be recommended.