Mr Burns Play Analysis

Mr. Burns

Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play was a very interesting and excited play to see. Watching the play I really had to think because of the twists that came with the play. The author of this play was Anne Washburn, Michael Friedman scored it, and the lyrics were also from Anne Washburn. Casey Sams directed the play and Terry Silver-Alford was the musical director. I viewed this play at the Lab Theatre on Thursday, November 12, 2015 at 7:30 in the evening. The Clarence Brown Theatre and Lab Theatre located on the University of Tennessee main campus produced this production. Melissa David recognized, as Colleen/Bart is a San Francisco native that has been working as a MFA acting candidate for the past three years. Robert Parking Jenkins,

which played Matt/Bart, is honored to be making his Lab Theatre unveiling with the Clearance Brown Theatre (CBT) as a part of this show. Ellen Nikbakht also known as Jenny/Itchy is a sophomore Theatre/Art Education double major at the University of Tennessee and a fulfilled Memphis native has been excited about apart of Mr. Burns. Ethan Roeder, who played Gibson/Mr. Burns, is a senior at the University of Tennessee in the College Scholars Program studying Musical Theatre and American Sign Language Hannah Jones seen as Quincy/Marge is a senior at the UTK who is majoring in Theatre. Benjamin Pratt is thrilled top be a part this projection, he is majoring in Theatre as well as Communication studies. Lauren Winder whose role was Maria/Lisa is a junior at UTK majoring in Theatre Performance and English Rhetoric. In the play it was three major areas of production that really stood out to me and that was lighting, costumes, and sound/music.
The cultural reference point makes this play much more interesting than just any other play, Mr.

Burns is a post-apocalyptic story when survivors need being again and link together to create a new society. The greatest common cultural icon used is the popular episode “Cape Feare” from the Simpsons. This gloomy comedy pushes us nearly a century, following a new society tripping into the future. “In Mr. Burns the episode from The Simpsons becomes the dominant character. Most plays are about people who experience challenges, and who develop towards the end of the play changing by the events that have taken place. Saying that, its not hard to believe a story can experience great challenges too. “Stories unite us, reminds us who we are and who we want to be. Stories keep our past alive” Mr. Burns delivers us with a brilliant opportunity to think about things that keep us human, in the extreme wisdom of the word, as we move forward into a progressively erratic future (Mr. Burns pamphlet Lab

Theatre).
During the play, lighting was a big concentration. There were many instances where lighting made the scene feel even more realistic. Disparities of lighting could make the whole scene have a different viewpoint and that’s why this production was so creative and interesting. In the first act lighting was a big deal it was limited lighting due to the scene. The cast was outside and had a campfire, which was their only source of lighting. It was very dim but each character was still visible. Another example where lighting made the scene was in the second act where there were practicing for a commercial. It was a complete change from act one. The lighting in act two was very bright and exciting whereas the first act was almost like a mystery. Also, during the third act it was very gloomy and at one point the lighting was green to represent toxic in the air.
The costumes in this play were pretty normal until the third act in my viewpoint. The cast dress was very modern and was somewhat similar to what are generation would wear on a regular day. I did notice that pretty much everyone in the acts had on jeans and boots. In the first act they were outside so they dressed pretty comfortable and warm. The second acts dress was pretty similar to the first act, but in one part of act two costumes changed due to the commercial they were acting act. Hannah Jones, which played Quincy/Marge, was once dressed in a bathrobe, which gave clarity to the audience on what was going on. In the third act the cast was dressed in what I would say roman clothing and had a renaissance vibe. Also cast member wore paper mache masks.
Sounds and music were by far my favorite part of this production due to the fact it kept me entertained the whole time. Sometimes during the play I found myself getting lost because of how complex the play was, but the music and sound effects had me engaged during the play. In the first act it was like you were almost outside with the cast. The sounds effects were on point they had crickets going off in the background and also weird noises the cast heard from Gibson as he came into the scene from traveling. In act two you began to hear more songs due to the commercial they were practicing for. You also heard a gun shot from where someone broke into the set and killed Lauren Winder better known as Maria/Lisa. Additionally, in the third act it was almost like an opera it almost felt like the whole act was a musical, which really caught my attention.
Mr.

Burns was a interesting and creative production that was thrilling to go see The three main parts of this production involved lighting, costumes, and sets and props. The way she produced the play was marvelous. The lighting was great because it really gave the audience a better understanding of the scene. I thought the lighting was cue for every act in this production. The costumes in this play were, also key because it showed the different time periods throughout the play. Act one through three was almost a century apart so it was very important that the costumes symbolized that. Sounds and music was my favorite part of this production because it really helped the audience identify things that they wouldn’t have identified if those sounds used weren’t used. I thought that was the most effective tool the cast members used to produce this play. Overall, Mr. Burns was a very effective production because the use of lighting, costumes, and

sound/music.