The Meeting Critique

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The Meeting Critique

The Play The Meeting is a play written by Jeff Stetson that portrays the theoretical meeting of Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The play’s opening scene shows both men on opposite sides of the stage with spotlights on them. They take turns speaking to make it seem as if these interactions are happening at separate locations and at different points in time. We can assume they’re being interviewed because we hear a voice offstage asking the men questions. However, in these interviews, neither man is known by the public for accomplishing anything, almost as if the revolution they created had never happened. Directly following, Malcom wakes up from his nightmare, which is what the audience just witnessed. Based on …show more content…

Physically, he resembled the real life Malcom; tall, thin, and wears glasses. This physical resemblance helped the audience remember that the characters in the show were based on real people from the past. Appearance aside, the way the actor played his character was extremely authentic. What I found most enduring was how you could see the characters transformation throughout the play through the actors’ delivery of the lines. At the beginning of the play when he was talking with Dr. King, the actor gave his lines bitterly; we could hear his anger towards Dr. King in his voice when he spoke. However, as the play progressed and Malcom began to find respect for Dr. King, the way the actor spoke changed. Although you could still hear the passion in his voice, it was rooted in understanding rather than resentment. Also throughout the play, the actors’ facial expressions revealed how he thought and felt about what he was speaking …show more content…

King. Much like the actor who played Malcom X, the actor who played Dr. King physically resembled the real life doctor, which makes the show seem more historically accurate. Based on videos of speeches I’ve seen of Dr. King, the actor that played him delivered his lines just as the real man used to speak. The actor spoke with kindness and respect, even when talking about the grave issues discussed within the show. When speaking, the actor was fully absorbed in his conversation with Malcom, which make the performance exceptionally believable. The actor walked around the stage leisurely, which reflected the patience he had when speaking to

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