Ken Ludwig’s Leading Ladies is a comical play set in Pennsylvania during the 1950’s. The Stratford Playhouse’s reproduction of Leading Ladies on Saturday, October 24th, directed by Mackenzie Dyer, was outstanding and although somewhat disturbing at some points, highly amusing. In Leading Ladies, the acting was exciting and animated, keeping the audience laughing and attentive throughout the entirety of the play. The action of the play begins with two Shakespearean actors, Leo Clark (Dustin Nichols) and Jack Gable (Phillip Bevers), who leave the Moose Lodge circuit in a quest to improve their acting business. One problem stands in the way: money. The two actors discover that a dying, elderly woman, Florence (Jessica Moore), left her two long-lost …show more content…
All the actors were excellent in timing, exaggerated gestures, and realistic dialect, all of which contributed to an overall enjoyable experience for the audience. Dustin, who played Leo, was fluid in such a way that he could quickly switch from character to character without faltering and without difficulty. Phillip was able to personify the personality of the “deaf and dumb” Stephanie with much ease and could quickly transition into the frustrated and aggravated Jack. I could not stop laughing at the subtle, ridiculous, witty jokes that the characters would make throughout the play. The leader among the jokers was Doc Myers (Matt Hopper) who was frank yet hilariously funny. Reilly was perfect for her role as Meg. She is bright, innocent, vivacious and has a passion for the theater. Her portrayal as the serious and smart Meg was perfect through her gestures, tone, and dialogues with Reverend Duncan Wooley, played by Ryan Brown. Ryan encompasses Duncan’s slick, superior personality with a suspicious tone of voice and abruptness, such as his matter-of-fact statement that “business attire” would be well suited for his non-worldly
Some actors in this movie do a good job of portraying their character. However, a few take away from the overall experience, such as Tony Ross and Claudia McNeil. Tony Ross, who is an actor known for Pancho Villa, plays Stacey Logan. Claudia McNeil was an actress known for her role in Raisen in the Sun, and she portrays Big Ma. Both of these
Before men’s magazines become a part of popular culture this realm was dedicated to the female consumer, but in 1933 Esquire set out to change that stereotype. Kenon Breazeale’s purpose in writing ‘In Spire of Women’ is to make people understand that men’s magazines, specifically Esquire promote a sexualized image of women solely for a man’s satisfaction. In doing so Brezeale argues that Esquire contributed to the growth of the male consumer by making women an object of the male fetish that serves as only an annoyance to society. Breazeale is able to argue that Esquire is a rejection to the power of femininity by explaining how Esquire adapts to a consumer-based culture where it emphasizes the difference between masculinity and femininity
Richmond, Macrae Hugh. "Women's Roles" Shakespeare's Theatre: A Dictionary Of His Stage Context (2004): 502-504. Literary Reference Center. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
Dash, Irene G. "Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare Plays". The Critical Perspective Volume 2. Ed. Harold Bloom. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1986. 825-833.
Throughout the plays, the reader can visualize how men dismiss women as trivial and treat them like property, even though the lifestyles they are living in are very much in contrast. The playwrights, each in their own way, are addressing the issues that have negatively impacted the identity of women in society.
This paper will look at the different conceptions highlighted by Bulman in his article through the use of different methods used by the actors in the play. Twelfth Night, by William Shakespeare captures the different conceptions of gender identity and different sexualities within the Elizabethan period.
Dash, Irene. Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare’s Plays. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.
Les Femmes Savantes The Learned Ladies is an astounding play. As each new character enters time transforms characters are bedazzled, enchanted and wigged we know we are sharing the stage with royalty. The women’s gowns are extremely detailed with hoop shirts to make them puffy the men are wearing exceptionally detailed waistcoats. This comical drama is set in the living room or “salon” of the family. This plays plot is focused on one major couples chaotic and forbidden love. The characters are joined by blood and lead by the controlling wife, Philamonte (Maya Jackson) and her weak spouse Chrysale (Edward Brown III). Jackson’s voice is directing with a profound tone that would have the capacity to stop anybody dead in their tracks. It is not
Lady Chudleighs’s “To the Ladies” exhibits a remorseful stance on the concept of joining holy matrimony. Chudleigh’s usage of metaphoric context and condescending tone discloses her negative attitude towards the roles of a wife once she is married. It is evident that Mary Chudleigh represents the speaker of the poem and her writing serves a purpose to warn single women not go get married and a regretful choice to women who are.
Leading Ladies is a comedic play written by Ken Ludwig which was published in 2006. It revolves around two men who attempt to dress up as women in order to gain inheritance from a woman who supposedly passed away. Things become difficult once they realize that the old woman, who they must call Aunt Florence, is still alive. The two men, Jack Gable and Leo Clarke, are two Shakespearean actors who are struggling to make it big. The rest of the cast involves a soon to be wed couple Meg and Duncan, the men’s “Aunt” Florence, a simpleminded diner girl, and father-son duo Butch and Doc. Doc mistakenly thought Florence was dead which led the boys to dress up as her long lost nieces in order to gain millions in inheritance, however they soon find out
personality has an enormous impact of why he is the most amusing character in the play.
This view has almost spun 180 degrees since the feminist movement rocked society. Critics rethought the role of women in society and in marriage (Murphy and Abbotson 6), and concluded that the women in the play are much more complex and powerful than earlier interpretations had given them credit for. Not only are the women a recreation for the men in the play, they can be seen as heavily influential on the lives of the men with whom they come into contact. Willy’s entire pathetic life could have been turned around if only Linda had encouraged him to follow Ben to Alaska rather than insisting the couple cling to the seemingly safe life they had begun to build. The secretaries, who at first glance seem to exist merely to perform such menial tasks as typing, actually are able to block Biff's and Willy's entrance to the offices of the powerful men who could advance their careers. (Stanton 131)
Riverside Shakespeare, 2nd ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Co., 1997. 366-398. Neely, Carol Thomas. “Shakespeare’s Women: Historical Facts and Dramatic Representations.”
Dash, Irene. Wooing, Wedding, and Power: Women in Shakespeare's Plays. New York: Columbia University Press, 1981.
... Critical Interpretations, ed. Harold Bloom (New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987) 43. For further discussion on renaissance gender performance and identity politics among Shakespeare's cross-dressed heroines, see Michael Shapiro's Gender in Play on the Shakespearean Stage: Boy Heroines and Female Pages (Ann Arbor: The University of MIchigan Press, 1994).