At what point did it seem like a good idea to do a 'play' on the life of a shut-in. First off, there were only three actresses (all playing Emily Dickinson) transferring broken poems between lines, realistically making one of the greatest American poets seem more schizophrenic than a secluded individual.
Second, I found the whole play more or less just reciting her poetry in a peculiar way instead of trying to portray an individual’s interpretation of the poems (which would have been much more interesting). There were little visuals here or there like a blindfolded scene with a ribbon, that although were executed very well by the actresses, seemed as if it was reaching to be artsy. It just ended up being nails on a chalk board.
Now I feel really bad giving this review because it seemed like everyone tried, the play was free, and I would love to see more theater here at school, but this shot for mediocre, and didn’t even get that. The actresses did a fine job and worked well with the work that was given to them, but the work given to them was far from a good idea to do in a play.
The turnout for the Jan. 29 event was small, and when I thought about all the people that worked on this and their family members and everyone from the club that put this on was there, I almost felt as if I was the only one there to actually see the play. All I can say is better luck next time; don’t give up. I would love to see more theater, but try to have a better idea for a play before you go through the trouble.
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