I am lucky enough to be a part of Urinetown as the understudy for Penelope Pennywise and Josephine Strong. I have had a unique perspective of the show because I participated in pre-production, watched nearly every rehearsal, and even performed as Pennywise in front of an audience. I have witnessed first-hand how hard all of the actors and members of production team have worked. Being an understudy in this production has been one of the most enriching, stressful, rewarding, trying, and incredible theatre experiences I have ever had. I had never been an understudy prior to Urinetown, so I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect. I had the chance to stand in for Josephine Strong on multiple occasions, but only rehearsed as Pennywise once. Learning …show more content…
I had a basic understanding of the show before reading the script and imagined Pennywise and a domineering villain. Upon reading the script I realized this wasn’t the case. Initially, I saw Pennywise as an exhausted middle aged women who hates her job and is just trying to keep everyone in line. With further analysis and our Director’s vision, Pennywise became someone completely different. Pennywise has a unique position in the show because she lives between the poor and rich worlds. She hangs in the balance and is on the front lines responsible for maintaining order. Because of this, she cannot show even the slightest bit of exhaustion. James made this very clear comparing her to Mother Courage and a “brick wall” when people question or oppose her. She too lived through the Stink Years and is just trying to maintain stasis. Pennywise definitely has a softer side which was really fun to explore. It’s evident from the beginning of the script that she has a soft spot for Bobby. I soon realized that this is due to the fact that she had to give up her daughter, Hope, around the same time Bobby was born, so she acts somewhat maternally to him. This maternal side comes out when Hope’s life is threatened by her father’s selfish choices and, just like Josephine after Bobby’s death, Pennywise loses all her inhibitions and has one objective: to save her daughter. …show more content…
McQueen), and Rachel Hindman (Little Becky). Russell’s monologue convincing Bobby to take a bribe was extremely well executed. You could see Cladwell’s wheels turning as he contemplates how to effectively manipulate and control Bobby while putting a lid on his own outrage. This raised the stakes and truly highlighted the conflict at the core of the story. Riley perfectly embodied the absurdity of the show while still being grounded in reality, which is arguably the biggest struggle of Urinetown. As Cladwell’s loyal sidekick, he is arguably the most flamboyant character in the show, but his performance is never overdone and is always believable. One standout ensemble member was Hindman. She fully embodied and committed to the unhinged character that is Little Becky. Her character’s journey is made clear through her strong choices and consistency. From being suppressed by the system to preparing to hang Hope, Hindman accurately portrayed this progression by owning the extreme reality of Urinetown.
One performance that could’ve used improvement was that of Hope Cladwell. The actress portraying her didn’t want to play Hope as the “basic, stupid, ingénue” but this different take made her performance fall flat. Hope’s innocence and naivety is central to the plot and is inescapable in the writing. This affected her story with Bobby. While Tyler Fauntleroy’s performance was impeccable, it was hindered
The book had a few characters that I liked, but a lot of characters that I disliked. For example Yasmine was a character that I disliked. I didn’t like her because she brought pain to Paige’s life. Yasmine and Paige were best friends for months in Sixth grade. They were constantly doing fun activities together, like having sleepovers or planning each other’s birthday parties, but all that was ruined by a mistake Yasmine made. Paige and Yasmine were at a school dance, when
Overall, the actors chosen to play each role were well picked. All of them portrayed the role they were supposed to very well. In particular, I think the best two were Ruby Archuleta and Ladd Devine. Ruby is a strong character in general, with obvious weaknesses, like her stubbornness in what may not have been the best times to be stubborn, making her well rounded. Ladd Devine is a good ‘villain’.
Once I get past all of the rambling I did in the past paragraphs, I honestly really enjoyed the book. Though it wasn't like most of the other books I’ve read (meaning I didn't cry during the process of reading it), the characters were just as provokingly interesting as the characters in other stories, it was a little edgy and made me want to yell at it, shouting at Sam when she wouldn’t let Tyler play video games with Danny, or Danny when he called to have Sam and Tyler taken to a separate facility. Overall, this book opened me up to something that just isn't a romance novel. This story really shows that there are people with a lot of difficulties in their lives, and that’s what I liked the most about it.
Braff himself has a warm, easy-to-watch screen presence. He can say nothing during the lull in a conversation, while the camera remains focused on his face, and it feels right. Portman and Sarsgaard are also genuine, each wonderfully relaxed in their roles. Production design is superb: details in every scene are arranged well, and the photography, by Lawrence Sher, is - like the story and the acting – unpretentious, never distracting, tricky or cute. This film never seems to manipulate us; instead it engages us, arouses our curiosity and amusement, bids us gently to care about Andrew and Sam and even Mark, leaving us entertained in the best sense. This movie is as confident, as secure in itself, as comforting, as a well worn pair of house slippers or your favorite reading chair. A splendid film. Grade: A- (09/04)
Amber Von Tussle was a bit weak vocally, yet too strong in her dancing for her character. Seaweed and Little Inez were marvellous singers, however their acting could have used work. Tracy Turnblad, I will admit, is a hard role to play. She is one of those characters everyone knows and everyone expects; Tracy is almost always played the same way, and it is difficult to break out of the stereotype. Her vocals were great, and her acting matched the character. She could have been a better dancer, but overall, Natalie Rotolo pulled off the role.
Overall, I enjoyed this play. Even with the dull ending, I found it to be entertaining and a good use of my time. The cast was great and they made good use of a decent
Their acting chops were very impressive whether it was comedic, emotional, or just stunning overall. Yet, on the other hand, some minor characters weren’t as well heard as others. I feel as the play could be better if some of the minor characters had projected their voice more, allowing their character to be known. However, although some voices were much stronger than others, all actors were full of talent, capable of dealing with script’s requirements, and did a good job
Welty did a great job narrating the story in a very direct way showing the endurance that Phoenix Jackson encounters as she is faced with many obstacles. The style and tone in the story
Played by Christy Czajkowski, I thoroughly enjoy her acting. I personally felt like her character was realistic and comical. She had the ability to project her voice and be open to the audience while still portraying a “closed” emotion such as discouragement. In addition Christ y used her props very well. She glasses gave a good support to her character and the portrayal of her character. She showed true feelings of envy, discouragement, pride, and happiness. I am always supporting the underdog and in this play Helena I the one with the lesser advantage. I appreciate the fact that she got the man she wanted in the end.
Everyone deserves a few sentences, but for the sake of space I will limit my praise. Joseph Gordon-Levitt is great as Joe, bringing a humanity and likability that is essential to the character. Bruce Willis gives a good performance as Old Joe, being both merciless and passionate in his actions (not to mention being a beast). Emily Blunt gives perhaps the most layered performance as Sara, conveying sexual longing, anger, frustration, fear, motherly love, and resolve. Paul Dano as Seth and Jeff Daniels as Abe both make their relatively small roles memorable with their dedicated performances.
All characters in the movie were played well by the actors in my opinion. They
Although the majority of the acting in this movie was decent, there were still some parts where the acting could have been better. Some parts of the actors’ delivery were not very solid; almost as if they themselves were confused about their lines. There were intense and suspenseful scenes that would have been better if I could have felt the actors fear. It seemed as though the actors were just robots fulfilling a
Besides the fact that I didn't like this play, the actors did do a pretty good job with their acting and memorization of their lines. Couple times Marisol hesitated with her lines but it wasn't too bad. I like the accents they were using. It wasn't to hard to understand what they were saying, but once again there were those times when their accents did effect a little on their pronunciations and my understanding on what they were saying. Overall, I don't think they were too believable with their characters. They didn't reach me.
I had only conceived the actors as being the characters not actors playing characters. The proposed concept was intriguing. There was so many things that could work within the guidelines the writers set up! But the strongest quality, the most outstanding factor, was the wit. It shone not unlike the morning sun through the fog, glistening with a promise for the future.
I liked the way Mary Elizabeth Winstead who played Wendy took her part so seriously and you could actually feel the fear she had after her premonition. Also Kris Lemche who played Ian McKinley acted the scene where they was at ‘build it’ really well because he was throwing everything Wendy says right back at her. When she tells him about ‘deaths design’ he then replies with “Ok. Ok, what if, for example, the last in line were to make the utilitarian choice. Kill themselves. Well, wow, that's pretty much gonna ruin any plan deaths put in motion. And even better, I think that's gonna save, five skipped lives. Any takers?” He says it so seriously that it made me think he was a bit tapped in the head.