Before the play” Everybody” started, I was so excited and wondering how it performed, because this is my first to watch a play. And the writer is Braden Jacobs-Jenkins, who The New York Times calls “one of this country’s most original and illuminating writers.” When I was thinking about it, a female who in a blue T-shirt right before my eyes. She introduced a little bit about the policy for watching this play in this place, and she talked the literary history of the play. I thought she was a staff who worked in Signature Theater. However, she suddenly became serious and turned to the other person, the play stated. She walked around the lower auditorium, and randomly communicated with the audience (later I knew it has been designed, and those actors and actresses mixed in the auditorium).
What made me feel surprise was with the deepening of the plot, “Everybody” has been mentioned repeatedly, and more and more reflected into the theme – there are not only them, but also, we are the Everybody.
Lighting effect added the mystery to the whole play, that was incredible. When we listened in the dark, especially the people sat in the back or near the walls, there were some tense, mystery and a little bit terror, because at that time we were witnessing a dying girl how to talk to her friendship, kinship and some material goods (those played by actors and actresses). When the girl finally found a person, who was willing to be with her to go for this dangerous and unexpected journey, she was so happy and thankful. But this guy wanted her to take off her clothing and was making fun of her and let her keep running around the auditorium, otherwise he would not go with her. It was so cruel, she kept on running until out of breath, and even tear out, he stopped her.
A friend in need is a friend indeed. But in the end of the play, everybody – Beauty, Friendship, Strength, Five wits and Discretion all left this girl away. The girl was unfortunate and tragic, she hit the unlucky lottery—had to go for a death journey. When she begged to everybody to accompany her in death, everybody could support her and be with her. The play “Everybody” not just a play, it also has allegorical. We know that we can’t change individual life that everybody dies finally, but it also reflects eternal human nature—is everybody born in selfish and evil? Or everybody born in a good heart, it just because the time goes by, their environments affect them?