Louis's at 1st and Main is the story of Dimitri, a homeless person living in a cardboard box in an alleyway in Chicago. It is staged in a black box theatre, bare except for two brownstones with an alley between them. The brownstones were very realistic looking though smaller in stature than a real brownstone. They seemed more symbolic than realistic, as did the box that Dimitri lived in. I thought the the box seemed a little small to actually live in, but it could work, since the play was more symbolic that reality in itself. The second set of boxes did have a little more livable space, but still didn't look like it could work in the real world.
The backdrop did serve an important purpose, giving us a location for Dimitri, whose clothes though torn and tattered, did look a little too clean for a real street person. I also wondered about Louis's clean feet, though in the end we find out he is really a pigeon, which explained his cleanliness. The band and feathers on him in the end also gave clues to his real identity. Tessie's costume was also very effective, with mismatched colors and things thrown together, She actually looked like one of those crazy ladies you see on the street.
The actors were more important than the scenery, our eyes focused on them throughout. Dimitri weaves an important story of an invisible person who lives a real life that normally is not noticed. We are forced to notice his world, so the play serves an important purpose of bringing this uncomfortable situation to light. Everything works together perfectly, the scenery is unobtrusive but very effective.
Nancy Prohaska
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Yes, Nancy, I agree--the focus was on the actors, not the scenery, as it should have been for this story. I thought it was significant, though, that Dimitri's "home" was placed center stage. As you said, he was made visible for the audience. We literally could not ignore him.
Post a Comment