Imaginary design

When we went to see the Imaginary Invalid I was excited to write about scene design. We've had many different stages to work with, and crazy designs in all our previous plays, so I was excited to finally comment on them.
And then we walked in.
Not that I was disappointed, but it was a very generic stage space. But oddly, as the show started, I grew to like it. I cant imagine how it would worked any other way.
From the opening number I was intrigued. I loved the desgin of the clothes, how they undressed the invalid after the music number, and how the whole thing represented the whole theme of the play. It started off silly and crazy, and never let us down after that.
The clothing design was very well portrayed. I never got confused as to what each character represented. The sluttty gold digging wife dressed that way, the invalid wore a robe, the naive slightly whiney daughter dressed accordingly. It all worked very well for the cast. Everyone looked really natural and good.
I love love loved how the bathroom was right there, and how when you opened the door to the bathroom, the audience could see the toilet. That little piece really added to the show for me, who knows what he could have been doing in that room if the audience had not seen the bathroom when he went in. It really was something extra that payed off.
I also enjoyed the design of the stage space in general. The desk, with the chairs, and the window, it all worked. And as the characters walked off stage, it was as if they were just walking into another part of the house. They never changed what room they were in, becuase they really didnt have to . It worked very well.
As our last play it was a success for me. A little too slapstick humor, but I enjoyed it all the same.
Its been a great class! :) :)
Alex Ashton