A modern play, but the first half would make you believe otherwise. The first act is set in 1959, dealing with the division between black people and white people in American society. It was similar to 1950s American Realism, but with much more comedy. Come the second act, we jump forward to 2009 and we see that while people pretend that things have changed, the same divisions exist.
There was a pinnacle of tension and brilliant humour towards the end of the second act, that I absolutely loved. The rest was also very good, but there was a drop in mood right at the end that did nothing for me. I felt it should have continued with the high levels of intensity and comedy right until the last moment.
This is a play that deserves its recognition as one of the best of the year. Bruce Norris is an excellent writer and I will looking out for his name in the future.
05 June 2011
Frankenstein (play)
What a fantastic play! I went to see this with only a vague idea of the storyline, so every moment was a surprise.
It was a visual spectacle like nothing I have ever seen. There was a rigging of about a thousand light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, a very loud bell amongst the audience, a pillar of real water for rain, a revolve and some quite complex, stylised sets. All these elements came together to create an incredible
Benedict Cumberbatch is a brilliant actor, and he played the Creature perfectly. The two actors for Frankenstein and the Creature (Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller) swapped roles on alternate nights. This was a great idea. Interestingly, I had no particular preference as to which way round I saw them, but I was very happy to see Cumberbatch as the Creature. Miller was also fantastic, just slightly less interesting.
I am likely to write about Frankenstein for my Drama AS exam, as it was such a brilliant play.
I also love the philosophical side to it. It present ideas about what defines a human, is God responsible for man's evils, prejudice, and the dangers of playing God.
"If I'm a murderer, you made me one"
"I was cast out, like Satan, though I do no wrong"
It was a visual spectacle like nothing I have ever seen. There was a rigging of about a thousand light bulbs hanging from the ceiling, a very loud bell amongst the audience, a pillar of real water for rain, a revolve and some quite complex, stylised sets. All these elements came together to create an incredible
Benedict Cumberbatch is a brilliant actor, and he played the Creature perfectly. The two actors for Frankenstein and the Creature (Cumberbatch and Jonny Lee Miller) swapped roles on alternate nights. This was a great idea. Interestingly, I had no particular preference as to which way round I saw them, but I was very happy to see Cumberbatch as the Creature. Miller was also fantastic, just slightly less interesting.
I am likely to write about Frankenstein for my Drama AS exam, as it was such a brilliant play.
I also love the philosophical side to it. It present ideas about what defines a human, is God responsible for man's evils, prejudice, and the dangers of playing God.
"If I'm a murderer, you made me one"
"I was cast out, like Satan, though I do no wrong"
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