To Touch or no?

Well, although I was unsure about watching this show, and I felt horrible the entire time, I rather enjoyed the show. I think it was well put together for the most part. I was to be paying attention to the design elements, and there is so much to say.

For starters, the stage itself. Well, we knew it was supposed to be a black box, but I don't think that anyone would argue that they turned it into a thrust stage, that easily could have wound up being in the round. From where I was sitting in seat A1, it seemed almost as if it went slightly past 3/4 so it was a little weird. Then there was the scenery, which consisted mostly of the Birch trees that were mentioned so many times throughout the show. Those trees actually made my spot a terrible place for me to sit. I like to touch and feel things and there were trees all of about a foot away from me. The temptation to reach out and touch them to see what they were made of was nearly overwhelming and quite distracting from me. Somehow, I managed to resist temptation but I believe they were made from some sort of paper mache wrapped around some poles to make them sturdy to stay standing and then painted.

The set pieces they used although moved around quite a bit, were pretty minimal. A few dining chairs, 1 fancy chair, a little vanity, and 2 beds, most of which didn't stay on for very long. Although there was one chair that was sitting amongst the trees I believe for most if not all for the show, and the piano that had stayed in the trees for most of the time. I think they executed moving them on and off fairly well, though. I must complain of some of the placement, though. It is thrust, not in the round, so I am not quite sure exactly my view was blocked so much. From the actors angle, a lot of action seemed to happen stage right when a line of actors would be watching what was going on and preventing me from seeing it. I lost whole pieces because I couldn't see over and around them, it was especially frustrating during one scene, I believe it was during the birthday party at the beginning, when there was nothing up center, but almost all the military people were standing in front of me while two characters were confronting each other. Although, yes, that is largely an issue with the directors choice, it also is part of the design because the space you are using and the set pieces needed on stage go hand in hand. You don't put a tree in the center of arena style theatre because it would block. The same logic applies here. I think logic should have said the stage was too dense over here, particularly during the lighter scenes. A different configuration where there was more space between chairs or if they were divided on both sides would have not only increased visibility but balanced it out on the platform, making a more aesthetically appealing set up.

As for the costumer, they were great. I think they fit the characters very well. And the first costume worn by Natasha was perfect in retrospect. At first I was so unsure about it because it was so different and she looked like a 12 year old. However after seeing the whole story, I think it suited well because it established that Natasha was so very different from the rest of the characters, and they had mentioned in the beginning that she dressed and did her hair like a little girl. I liked the military outfits, a lot. For the most part they were simple while giving that military air, but they also easily showed the main ranks of those wearing them. And of course, I have to say, I loved the belt that was worn by Irina, no matter what Natasha thought of it.

Overall, a good production. Of course, like every good show put on, and, of course, every bad show, it could stand for a few improvements.

Ember Dahl