The Berry College Theatre Company put on a production titled The Nerd by Larry Shue. The cast is small and only has 7 people in it. The main character Willum, played by Alex Rodriguez, is an architect who is trying to sell a hotel design to Waldgrave, played by Stephen Stamps. Waldgrave is also married to Clelia (Hayley Westphal) and is the father of Thor (Nate Kozelle). Willum lives with his friend Axel and Tansy, played by Jack Padgett and Heather Pharis. Axel and Tansy are divorced, and there are signs throughout the play showing that Willum and Tansy are attracted to each other. The final character introduced to us is Rick, played by Tyler Hooper. Willum tells us that Rick saved his life during the war, so he is trying to make it up to him because he believes that he owes him. The setup of the stage was very simple. It was the living room of a home in the early 1980’s. It looked like a normal household, and it had small things such as crumpled up pieces of paper lying around the wastebasket. It also had a couch, circular class table and a recliner in the living room. The dining room was to the left side of the stage and only had the dining table and surrounding chairs. There was a door in the back of the set where characters entered and exited through. Beside the door was a table and stool where Willum presumably worked on his blueprints for the hotel. The lighting design was great; it put you into the atmosphere of the …show more content…
1980’s. Before the show started, they had 80’s music playing to put you into the atmosphere of the play. Willum, played Alex Rodriguez, was a decent actor. I found that his acting was not bad, but I also do not think he was an astounding actor. His wife Tansy, played by Heather Pharis, was a hilarious actor. She had a lot of energy, delivered her lines well, and was very interesting to watch. However, Waldgrave, played by Steven Stamps, was not as good of an actor as Pharis. His voice seemed like he was trying to make it deeper and he was very stiff. One thing I liked about him was his volume. He was very loud and clear when delivering his lines. Axel, played by Jack Padgett, was my favorite actor and character. He was great at delivering his lines and he was very easy to understand most of the time. Sometimes I couldn’t hear him very well, but he made up for that in jokes. Waldgrave’s wife Clelia, played by Hayley Westphal, was an amazing actor. She did not have very many lines, but when she did speak, she delivered her lines well. Her character was my favorite and everything she did (like smashing plates to release anger) was hilarious. Clelia and Waldgrave’s son Thor, played by Nate Kozelle was a decent actor. He was entertaining to watch and delivered a decent performance. Lastly, Rick Steadman, played by Tyler Hooper, was a tremendous actor. His accents were hilarious, he timed his jokes well, and was easy to understand. He kept the audience laughing with every line he spoke and his accents only helped make it funnier. My favorite aspect of this play was the lighting.
It had a lot of blues in it and really gave it that 80’s vibe. I also loved how simple the set was, and the 80’s music that was played before the play and during intermission. My least favorite aspect of this play was the ending. The ending confused me and was anticlimactic. It was not funny and not entertaining at all. Overall, I enjoyed this play. Even with the dull ending, I found it to be entertaining and a good use of my time. The cast was great and they made good use of a decent
script.
Their acting chops were very impressive whether it was comedic, emotional, or just stunning overall. Yet, on the other hand, some minor characters weren’t as well heard as others. I feel as the play could be better if some of the minor characters had projected their voice more, allowing their character to be known. However, although some voices were much stronger than others, all actors were full of talent, capable of dealing with script’s requirements, and did a good job
Not knowing what this play was about, I went to go see it Wednesday after noon at Holyoke Community College in the Leslie Phillips Theater. I had many mixed emotions about this play. I thought some parts were very funny, but others were a little uncomfortable because of some racia...
In conclusion, the overall experience of the play was great. The actor’s did a really good job at delivering their lines, and blended in well with their characters. The lighting and the music were used well, and helped transitioned into new scenes. The director and producers of the play made the characters relatable and realistic, Caldwell did a good job at portraying her image of how the play should go and it was effective. Leveling up is a great play that all generations could love.
It was good setting to get the attention from the audience and also a way to move around or change settings of the play. Although I love this play my small critic for this play was the players. Some others actors had understandable accents but others didn’t. For example, the brother of the servant his accent was confusing because he kept switching his accent from different country languages. This play was really nice it had a little of bit of everything drama, comedy, romance, betrayal. What like about this play it was how they used the dramatic structure the inciting incident and the climax. The inciting incident for this play of musical comedy murders of 1940 was guessing who the killer of the play was because there was tension building up not knowing who the murder was. The climax for this play would be for me finding out who was the murder and just being in shock how everything had change into a new scenario. Overall it was amazing show how it developed and how well an organized transition the play
The production had many elements which for the most part formed a coalition to further the plot. The characters, the three part scenery and costumes represented well the period of time these people were going through. As far as the performers entering and exiting the stage, it could have been more organized. There were a few times when the performers exited at the wrong times or it seemed so due to the echo of the music. At certain moments the music was slightly loud and drowned the performers. Many of the songs dragged on, so the pacing could have been more effectively executed. Though the music was off at times, the director's decision to have most of the songs performed center sage was a wise one. Also the implementation of actual white characters that were competent in their roles came as a great surprise to the audience and heightened the realism.
In conclusion I think that the stage directions and dramatic irony are significant to the play, and without them there would be no need for a lot of the events that happen in the play.
Good acting is essential to any good performance. The actors and actresses have to try to make what the audience is seeing and hearing come alive. The four characters in the play “Proof” are able to do this. The meaning and purpose behind the play is easily understood because the actors and actresses do such a fine job in their performances.
Overall there was a strong script with excellent actors. The performance was very funny. There was a well designed set and costumes. The performance I saw influenced my opinions on theatre in general, in a positive way. I will definitely consider using theatre for my future entertainment(closing paragraphs are hard).
...the audience and parents that tragedy that could come to them. I think it is not only a lesson for teenagers, but a lesson for parents as well. Time, effort, and energy put into this play were definitely worthwhile, in my opinion. I believe all their practice, rehearsal, and hard work paid off.
One reason that this play is well known is because many of the characters are identifiable with ourselves. Willy is a burnt-out businessman with no special talents or qualities. Linda is a kind and dedicated housewife, but she has not accomplished anything noteworthy. Biff has a habit of theft and a number of pent-up frustrations. Happy tries to smooth out the tensions in the family, but he is also unsatisfied. The only “successful” major character in the play is Bernard, but even he was considered “liked, but not well-liked” by the Lomans when he was young. There are not any heroes or bad guys in the play. The characters are all very human, and very flawed.
I believe the story worked well because since it was a comedic play and i expected to laugh and did. The play was definitely interesting and entertaining. I never knew what to expect and didn't expect certain reactions like jocasta reaction to the confession.
Overall this production was very interesting and well performed. It was somewhat enjoyable to the audience, there were times of boringness but the comedy kept the play interesting. The director did a great job of putting everything together and as a result everything was on point. The only thing to say that would better the play is to make the play more interesting to the audience so that the audience does not get tired of watching.
I enjoyed reading the play and I thought that Sam Shepard did a really great job writing it. I thought that the play was easy to follow and understand, but there were times though that I had to reread certain parts because I got confused between the two characters when they switched roles. Overall, I liked how Sam Shepard portrayed both of these characters and I liked how he had them switch roles during
Some areas of the play were questionable, but I commend the actors for doing a terrific job with their performance. This play would be beneficial for high school American history students. Hence, it allowed me to build a greater appreciation for Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. I wish I would have been able to see this performance in high school. The concept of the play was very intriguing and would appeal to anyone interested in history, not just civil rights historians.
Even though this play was at first confusing, I enjoyed it very much. The plot was very intriguing. Initially, the narrator introduced Tilly Evans as if she