"The Invention Of Theater" by neophyte playwright and
Otterbein Theater alumnus Sean Murphy, intends to be a light-hearted, fun-filled
demonstration of all the things that go into making theater. It includes an in-depth examination of
actors’ preparation, the nuances of line delivery and character motivation, the
effect of adding props, lights and other elements to create the sense of time
and place. It also traces some theater history with brief mentions of various
eras and styles including Greek tragedy, Shakespeare and the Elizabethan era,
Neil Simon, Tennessee Wiliams’ “Streetcar Named Desire”, and a contemporary punk
rock musical complete with gore and violence.
Along the way producer complications get layered in with an eye on the
mighty dollar.
The acting from Benjamin Folts, Grace
Hoover, Evan Moore-Coll and Steven Meeker is excellent. The stagecraft is
minimal with some cute costumes, a few pieces of furniture and some screen
projections.
The premise is charming. There are
some great lines, laugh-out-loud comedy routines and compelling moments. But it’s a choppy, episodic piece that goes
on for 90 minutes, repeating the same story and lines for what seemed like 90
iterations. I was ready to leave within the first fifteen minutes,
especially with the hot, humid conditions created by poor air-conditioning.
As I understand the situation, it began as a short workshop piece when Murphy was a student and, at Director Melissa Lusher's suggestion with concurrence from Otterbein Summer theater Director John Stefano and the rest of the staff, Murphy expanded it to its current 90-minute format. It should have remained as a 30-minute one-act workshop or classroom project. I think it is a poor choice for a main stage
production during the 50th anniversary celebration of Otterbein Summer theater where folks are paying $25 or more per ticket.
No comments:
Post a Comment