A Critique on Purlie
analytical Essay
618 words
The Original Purlie hit Broadway March 15th, 1970. Thirty-six years later its charisma and soulful vibe intoxicates audiences all around including that of the Spelman Drama Theater. On March 23, 2006, I viewed the performance which was a success when the various elements of the performance are intermingled.
As far as acting, the performers were able to convey the feelings they needed to. However, some characters such as Ol' Cap'n played by Dick Lambert and Luttibelle played by April Curry, seemed more committed and engaging in their roles than others. A crucial factor in April Curry portraying her role so well was her vocal talent far exceeded that of any of the other major performers. She had an amazing voice that I was dazzled by from curtain up to down and left me craving for more. This almost compensated for my disappointment when it came to the ensemble singing to the soundtrack. Many performers were dependent on the cd and were not confident as to when to begin or stop singing, which dampered many moments of the performers. Another element of acting that I enjoyed was the exaggerated use of cooning throughout the duration of the performance that brought characters to life, and enabled certain moments to seem real.
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
The stage was in proscenium form so it allowed most audience members to have the same amount of viewing as others throughout the theater. Due to the theatre space being so small and intimate, it created the relevant atmosphere of everything on stage happening to be small.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that the original purlie hit broadway march 15th, 1970. thirty-six years later its charisma and soulful vibe intoxicates audiences all around including that of the spelman drama theater.
- Opines that april curry's vocal talent exceeded that of any of the other major performers. she had an amazing voice that compensated for her disappointment when it came to ensemble singing to the soundtrack.
- Opines that the production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. the performers entered and exited the stage could have been more organized.
- Explains that the stage was in proscenium form so it allowed most audience members to have the same amount of viewing as others throughout the theater. the scenery adapted to the space included a 3 part rotating device that depicted the church, commissary, and purlie's house.
- Opines that the costuming presented a clear understanding of the time period and was relevant to whatever the performers were doing at that time.
- Analyzes how the lighting complimented everything on stage. it was subtle and not too bright. the lighting was particularly nice when it hit the stained glass windows.
- Analyzes how purlie's charisma, prominent speaking voice, and engaging qualities made him seem unrealistic and too good to be true. his accompanying actress luttibelle was a sweet southern "bele." ol' cap'n represented the typical southern confederate character
- Analyzes how purlie was a holistic success despite minor flaws that detracted from the overall experience. it informed many of the way life was during the post-civil war era and the sentiment during that time was represented well within the performance.
Related
- opinion
- analytical
- The Nerd Play Summaryopinion essayThe setup of the stage was very simple. It was the living room of a home in the early 1980’s. It looked like a normal household, and it had small things such as crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the wastebasket. It also had a couch, circular class table and a recliner in the living room. The dining room was to the left side of the stage and only had the dining table and surrounding chairs. There was a door in the back of the set where characters entered and exited through. Beside the door was a table and stool where Willum presumably worked on his blueprints for the hotel. The lighting design was great; it put you into the atmosphere of the
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the berry college theatre company put on a production titled the nerd by larry shue. the cast is small and only has 7 people in it.
- Describes the setup of the stage, which was the living room of a home in the early 1980's.
- Opines that willum, played by alex rodriguez, was a decent actor, but he was not an astounding actor.
- Opines that their favorite aspect of the play was the lighting. it had a lot of blues in it and gave it that 80's vibe.
653 wordsRead More - Watching A Disappearing Number in Theateranalytical essayThe most successful aspect of the performance for me were the scene changes. I found that the rotation of the blackboard, center stage, where the actors were able to stoop beneath it in order to enter and exit the stage, was an effective touch to this non naturalistic performance. When this was first used, at the end of the first scene, when the characters Ruth and Al left the stage, I thought it didn't quite fit as at the beginning the style was leaning towards realism. But as the play progressed and the acting style became more and more non naturalistic, and this rotation of the black board technique was used more frequently it fitted in really well and became really effective.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how they enjoyed a disappearing number, which was performed by complicite and was directed by simon mcburney.
- Explains that the blackboard rotation was an effective touch to the non-naturalistic performance. the first scene, when the characters ruth and al left the stage, was leaning towards realism.
- Analyzes how screens were used to alternate between ramanujan, a remarkable mathematician, living in one of the poorest areas of india, and g.h. hardy in cambridge.
- Analyzes the use of technology in the performance, including sound effects, projections, pod casts and voice overs.
- Analyzes how ruth's maths lecture was simple but difficult to follow, using mathematical terminology they hadn't even heard of. it was the strongest link from the present to the past.
- Analyzes how the death of srinivasa ramanujan portrayed his piece of mind. the calming image juxtaposed the distress of the women caring for him.
- Analyzes how the final scene of al going back to where ruth died creates a sense of love, sorrow and pain. the recurring image of water is brought forward into the present storyline making the link between the past and present stronger.
946 wordsRead More - Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimedanalytical essaySome other points that I thought about before going into the play was the stage set-up. I was able to hear from the producer of the show and see a model of what the Mabie Theater looked like. I was surprised how small the stage looked. It was of course a model but making judgments of the size by looking at the door frames that were stationed at the edges of the stage in comparison to the rest of the model. The steal structure, giving no walls to hide the actors behind the stage or waiting to enter, I was skeptical about. I was visioning some dancers in black leotards doing some interpretive dance because of the degree of modernized stage.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how 'nickel and dimed' at the university of iowa illustrates barbra ehrenreich's book of minimum wage workers and the difficulties they face finically.
- Describes how attending the nickel and dimed production was a change in their routine as they were looking forward to the many story lines that would be produced on the stage.
- Narrates how they were skeptical about the stage set-up and the steal structure of the mabie theater.
- Describes how they were excited to see the incorporation of the turn table in the middle of a stage in "joseph and the amazing techno colored dream coat."
- Describes how they moved to their seat in the mabie theater on the day of the production. they were surprised by the number of occupants, who were 50 years and older.
- Opines that barbra's yelling gave them an impression that what she was telling the audience member was so important that if it was a decimal more, it would stick more.
- Opines that the turn table in the middle delivered the essential props to the performers when they were required through out the production.
- Analyzes how students brought up the gray suited people representing the big business and how they are in our everyday life. they envisioned a busy new york side walk with busy business men and women racing off to their appointments like drones.
- Explains that the gray-suited people were essential to the production because the movement of props was non-distracting, keeping the same walk speed, and never crossed the entire stage.
- Analyzes the pause of the play during a scene when barbra is working for the maid service. an actor came out and talked in an unscripted way.
- Analyzes how the audience was dismantled and split into individuals during the play. it was a good tactic for the viewers to look in their selves and wonder if they were connected to the minimum wage problems.
- Opines that the play's ability to mold the audience back to a single unit had its faults.
- Analyzes how the play was trying to contain all of barbra's adventures and not enough of her development. the script did not have the words needed to move them in the way that they thought they would get.
- Argues that a solution to this busy plot line could be cut down to maybe 2 steps along barbra’s journey. this would give the audience member more time to connect with the worker and the characters she interacts with.
- Opines that the displacement of the characters telling what finally happened to them was the typical wrap-up and closer for the audience.
- Narrates how watching the play has given them more knowledge of how people that have to survive on minimum wage can not physically save money to send their kids off to camp the entire summer.
- Opines that 'nickel and dimed' did not make them want to go out into the world and do something about it right now nor was that barbra ehrenreich's intent in her book.
2007 wordsRead More - Critical Analysis Of A Chorus Lineanalytical essayThroughout the musical, the prowess of each individual performer was on display. Every performer, with the exception of Kristine, expressed a power and vibrato that was breathtaking; the highest notes lilting and the lowest notes thundering. I was in awe during a majority of the performances because of the commanding singing in each performer.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the scenic designer left the audition room empty to emphasize the importance of self-reflection.
- Analyzes how the opening notes of "one" are symbolic of one theme of the musical; the songs in "what i did for love" were also evident of self-reflection.
- Analyzes how the musical a chorus line explores themes that reveal the human experience, the search for individuality, and the sense of self.
- Analyzes how the costumes used for each individual character varied in color, but mostly remained the same in style. the lighting used throughout the musical was calculated.
- Analyzes how the themes expressed in all the technical elements unite to represent the overall themes of the musical: the human pursuit of passion.
1191 wordsRead More - The Last Night Of Ballyhoo - Production Critiqueanalytical essayWhen it came to the dialogue of the production and the understanding of it the performers again did an excellent job. Their gestures and vocal elements all aided in the production’s success and were all fittingly used by the characters. For example, when Lala was talking on the phone with Peachy she casually twirled the phone cord in her hand, leaned against the banister and childishly flirted with Peachy.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes gilbert l. bloom's production of the last night of ballyhoo, a play written by alfred uhry, which was performed and produced by the ball state university theatre.
- Analyzes how all elements of the production were wonderfully implemented making the last night of ballyhoo quite a success.
- Opines that lala, sunny, and peachy were all suitably cast for their roles in the production, thus making the character selection only one of the key elements in its success.
- Analyzes how lala's gestures and vocal elements aided in the production’s success and were all fittingly used by the characters.
- Analyzes how the southern accents used by the characters played an important role in the over all success of the production.
- Analyzes how the production's technical aspects such as scenery, properties and costumes played a keynote in its success. the house, the main setting, was magnificent with painstakingly placed detail in every corner.
- Explains that lala's photograph of scarlet o'hara was proudly displayed upon her arrival home from the movies. other properties were used throughout the play, such as the luggage in the boxcar, the candles on the dinner table and the umbrella given back to reba.
- Opines that the costumes were beautiful and beautifully tailored to each character. lala's green ball gown resembled scarlet o'hara in gone with the wind.
- Compares sunny and lala's dresses, stating that the difference in costume selection for both characters is appropriate for their personalities.
- Analyzes how peachy and joe (brad coolidge) wear glamorous and attention-getting clothing, while joe is casual and plain.
- Analyzes how each performer in the play wore clothing that was appropriate to his or her character. lala's scarlet o'hara dress was difficult to wear due to its large hoop shirt.
- Analyzes how the sound, music, and lighting fit together beautifully. the music was right on the mark and appropriately used for the scenes, such as the christmas chorals and gone with the wind theme.
- Analyzes how the lighting was well used through out the play and added to the humorous aspects of it, such as when lala was walking down the stairs wearing her green scarlet o’hara dress and the theme from gone with the wind was playing.
- Analyzes how the lighting was effectively used to show the coming and going of cars on the set. even the final scene had just enough absence of light that the shadows of the characters could see sitting around the dinner table and praying by candlelight.
- Opines that they wish they hadn't seen the play on the last night of the performance, because they would have loved to see it again.
1246 wordsRead More - It is curious to see the great star of the musical Wicked on Broadway, Indina Menzel, giving her voice to a character in Disney’s Movie, Frozen. This movie, that is an example of success, has won many awards, among them the Oscar for the best animation movie and music. However, does a musical produced in a theater such as Les Miserables or Chicago have the same success and prestige as the movie version? The advance of technology in the field of cinema that has been possible to adapt and improve the stories of books, real facts, and of course, musical theater presentations, makes everyone think the answer is no. Hence, even though the musicals produced in theater and for movies are very similar in the presentations, they have certain differences, such as audience and production that make one more successful than the other.
In this essay, the author
- Compares the success of wicked on broadway and disney's frozen with les miserables or chicago.
- Explains that the audience is an important factor to determine the success of a spectacle. musical theater presentations are known for their number of people, which according to the broadway league reached attendance of 11.57 million.
- Explains that the production of a musical is hard work for both, but it is different for each other.
- Explains that musical films originated from the theater, so the similarities are unquestionable, mainly the singing, acting, and dancing.
- Opines that the magic of watching the performance in dancing, singing, and acting is the same. it would be appreciated by the people through onstage or a cinematic production.
686 wordsRead More - Barbie: Her Intentions and Her Impactanalytical essayBarbie, an American icon that was a product of the Mattel Company, revolutionized the lives of young girls and women for many decades. The creation of Barbie, meant for many young girls the opportunity to have choices during a time when women were limited. Although, Barbie has long been criticized for being associated with domesticity and her appearance among many other things, she is nonetheless an iconic figure in American History. As a female who grew up playing with Barbie dolls, for many people like myself, she was more than a toy, she was an influence that many woman have tried to emulate because she was an innovate figure in the 1960s and has continued to be well into today. The intention of this paper is to examine what were the intentions of Barbie doll creator Ruth Handler when the doll debuted in 1959 as well as the magnitude of Barbie’s impact on women and women’s history.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how barbie, an american icon, revolutionized the lives of young girls and women for many decades.
- Explains that the barbie doll revolutionized the way women thought of themselves and caused controversy because it did not directly encourage domesticity.
- Analyzes how barbie was a symbol of self-sufficiency and independence in the 1950s and 1960s.
- Analyzes how the barbie doll has impacted the lives of many different generations of women. it contradicted the idea of true womanhood because it encouraged women to take care of themselves and seek various kinds of careers.
- Explains that barbie is the woman excluded from the world of work with its attendant sense of achievement, to live a life based on leisure activities, personal appearance, accumulation of possessions, and the search for popularity.
- Analyzes johansen, michele, "the evolution of working women: what barbie has taught us." atom.
- Explains motz, marilyn f., "seen through the rose tinted glass." popular culture.
- Analyzes briana piche's "the intentions behind the creation of barbie". illinois wesleyan university, 2009.
- Analyzes shannon, jacqueline, "primary sources: ruth handler: staying home wasn't in my makeup."
1007 wordsRead More - Ruth Handler's Doll: The Transformation Of The Barbie Dollanalytical essayAfter a trip to Germany, Ruth Handler, the co-founder of the Mattel toy company, was inspired to create the Barbie doll. During Handler’s time in Germany, she discovered the Lili doll. This specific doll was intended for adult males, due to the doll’s wardrobe. Typically, the Lili doll was dressed in lingerie or swimsuits, portraying the image of a sexy young woman. After Handler learned about the Lili doll, she began to realize that her daughters did not have a doll that was not a baby figure. She believed the toy industry was training young women for what was customary, being a mom. Through Handler’s realization, the Barbie brand was created, in an attempt to change the toy business.
In this essay, the author
- Describes how ruth handler, the co-founder of the mattel toy company, was inspired to create the barbie doll.
- Explains that barbie was a breakthrough within the toy industry, designed to inspire and motivate young girls.
- Analyzes how the barbie brand created the "we girls can do anything" ad campaign, which portrayed barbie as being involved in different careers, often ones that were not typical for women to participate in.
- Explains that the "second wave feminism" was occurring during the release of the ad campaign. feminists, such as gloria steinem, joined together to form the national organization for women.
- Analyzes how the timing of the release of "we girls can do anything" campaign was no coincidence, especially with what was historically occurring during the nineteen-seventies.
- Analyzes how viewers criticized barbie's figure, stating the doll was an unrealistic image of what a woman should look like physically.
- Opines that barbie represented an independent woman who held positions within different work fields that were equivalent to those of men. playtime encouraged young girls to realize their potential to excel in any career choice.
1015 wordsRead More - The Glass Menagerieanalytical essayOverall this production was very interesting and well performed. It was somewhat enjoyable to the audience, there were times of boringness but the comedy kept the play interesting. The director did a great job of putting everything together and as a result everything was on point. The only thing to say that would better the play is to make the play more interesting to the audience so that the audience does not get tired of watching.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that syracuse stage presented the play the glass menagerie by tennessee williams. the play was directed by timothy bond and was an interesting production.
- Analyzes how the director (bond) chose the perfect people for the characters in the play. the director used blocking that was very effective and related to their personality.
- Analyzes how the actors in this production did a good job. tom wingfield, played by joseph midyett and laura, stood out because they are the main characters of the play.
- Analyzes how adriana did a great job of showing how much laura's disabilities controlled her life. her low self-esteem shows the audience that laura feels like an outcast due to her disability and shyness.
- Analyzes how the set design created by william bloodgood was realistic and detailed. the projections used on the windows were brilliant because they were detailed and realistic.
- Analyzes how the costumes created by jessica ford fit perfectly with the time period of the play, showing that they were not rich but in the working class.
- Analyzes how dawn chiang, the lighting designer, used effective lighting colors to set the mood.
- Opines that the production was interesting and well performed. the director did a great job of putting everything together and as such everything was on point.
789 wordsRead More - Jazz Concert Reportopinion essayEvery performance was presented with charm. The flashing, changing colors seem to go along with the performances. The director was humorous. The performers outfits were on point too. I liked the color coding of the vocalists, Jeremy, Jordan, and Rowan. Also, Julie wore a pretty suede dress and had a great voice. It was nice to see her come out for the 2nd time to sing. When Spencer kept playing his saxophone in some of the performances, it was just amazing. Some of my favorite performances were Sittin on the Dock of the Bay, Ain’t too Proud to Beg, In a Sentimental Mood, and more. It really made me feel like I was in New Orleans all over again. I absolutely love Otis Redding and The Temptations music, so I wasn’t new to these songs they played. I was sitting in the back (R-125) where I felt comfortable to bob my head to the music. If I ever come back to see another concert, I will make sure to get a seat in the back again. I adore Jordan that did sung the Temptations song. I thought it was exciting to see his enthusiasm while on stage keeping us engaged, but everyone did great in their own way. The song by Duke Ellington made me feel melancholy, the piece was soft. I just couldn’t believe how well everyone contributed and gave an outstanding
In this essay, the author
- Explains that they attended the "an evening of jazz" concert held at the fine arts hall on november 17 at 7:30 p.m.
- Explains that jazz is one of north america's most celebrated genres and has been part of a proud african american tradition for over 100 years.
- Explains the instruments used in jazz for a blending of sounds. the piano is the most commonly known and most used.
- Opines that the concert was relaxing. every performance was presented with charm, flashing, changing colors, and the director was humorous.
- Describes how they mixed in well with everyone else at the santa fe concert. their expectations were minimally neutral before they showed up, then got engaged into the concert and surely loved it.
- Concludes that their experience at the concert was amazing and the best concert they’ve been to so far.
777 wordsRead More