THE 1041C Theater Reviews

I’ve been jammed in the back of a tiny Acura TL with three other people sitting next to me and one person lying down on my lap, and I still think that the seats at the Vivian Beaumont theater were the worst seating arrangements I ever had to go through in my 18 years of life. I think the experience is comparable to being in the backseat of a Mexican border smuggling van, being cuffed and squeezed inside a police car, or being locked in an Al-Qaeda solitary confinement prison cell. I won’t say which of the three listed situations I had the misfortune to go through, but I will say that after sitting in those seats I will without a doubt never be able to have children. Obviously there has been a huge increase in the obesity level over the years in New York City because those seats were clearly custom made for Kate Moss, or might have been made from a surplus of foot rests. I just thank all my blessings that I didn’t buy the overpriced popcorn at the concession stand, had I eaten anything while sitting in those cramped seats I wouldn’t have been able to get out of them at the end of the show.

All specially designed hamster seats aside, I enjoyed A Free Man of Color a lot. To start, I think the actor choices for the characters blew the character selection of Medea right out of the water, not to say that Medea was ever actually in the water. Mos Def was most definitely brilliant; it’s good to see that a lyrically powerful rapper can pull off a just as powerful performance as a powerless slave, I personally feel that his cynical acting style contributed the most to the humorous tone of the play. However, his separate portrayal of a Haitian revolutionist and his “betrayal” of Jacques Cornet at the end of the play showed a more serious side of Mos Def’s acting ability. Jacques Cornet was also very well played; his frivolous behavior and scheming player mentality was strongly portrayed by the actor. However, his fashion sense was rather questionable even for the historical time period; his wardrobe would make a gay pride parade look bland.

I also enjoyed the actresses of the play, although I feel that the only role the women played were sexual roles. I have nothing against sexually active women, but I think the role of women could have been expanded further than flings and scientists finding epiphanies while having sex. On the flip side, I found that the especially large breasted women drew attention away from the main action of the play, particularly those of the light skinned Hispanic girl. I blame the presence of her breasts on stage for my inability to recall any names from the play.

The plot of the show was relatively strong, but somewhat ridiculous. It was generally historically accurate, but the actions of the characters were much more contemporary. Of course, I wouldn’t have liked it any other way because I definitely would have dozed off had they been speaking and acting in colonial mannerisms, big breasts included or not.  I did however find Jacques Cornet’s announcement to New Orleans that his penis and testicles were shot off to be hilarious; I felt the same way while sitting in those emasculating seats. Another highlight of the play was when Napoleon got up from the bathtub wearing nothing but an extremely ornate strap-on; I nearly died laughing. The actor who played Napoleon’s character was actually among my favorites of the play; his accent mixed with a snobby, vulgar and desperate attitude helped provide a tasteless side of the play, which I find to be the best sides of plays.

I would give this play an eight out of ten. The two points were taken off for the two things of mine that were taken off while sitting in that cage of a seat, and the eight points came from a variety of positives: big breasts, a multitude of sexually charged jokes, references to people and events that came into being hundreds of years after the timeline of the play and the subliminal messages hidden beneath all the shallow sexual jokes and flirtatious women. One such message was that the phrase “all men are created equal” as stated all throughout American history is as valid as my student Metrocard from high school, and that the double standard used with blacks while dealing with equality is extremely prevalent. I for one agree with this message, and enjoyed the fact that the screenwriter managed to fit something so important into such a seemingly lighthearted theater production.

I really enjoyed the “A Free Man of Color” play. Despite the long three hours, it was definitely not the boring and lackluster play I imagined. Everything there was vibrant and beautiful. Essentially, it was a proscenium seven sided stage with double tiered seats. There was also a proscenium arch. Despite the crowded seating, the atmosphere was very comfortable and amicable.

The first thing I noticed when the play started was the costume Jacques Cornet first wore. His costume was comprised of gold, purple, and bright red textures and clothes. It was surprising because I never realized that people wore such vibrant clothes during that time period. I was also surprised when parts of the floor were moving and changing. For example, when Jacques told his slave Cupidon to get his treasure chest of clothes, a part of the floor descended down and ascended back up with a chest. They did this change throughout the play with different types of props like chairs, ship, tables, and more.

I noticed a lot of common elements used throughout the play. For example, each of the characters took turns talking by standing in front of the audience. In addition to this, light was shown on them to enhance their facial expressions. Plus, I had no problem hearing them talk because their voices were amplified inside the enclosed arena. There was also a narrator that said all the actions that were happening or were about to happen. This is similar to a chorus. One element I enjoyed hearing and watching was the exaggerated noises the characters made.  For example, when Jacques and the girls were almost done with sex, the girls exclaimed really loud moan of ecstasies and there was a firework sound effect. There were also shadows made to emphasize the secrecy among the citizens of New Orleans.

Another thing I really liked about the play was all the sexual innuendos the actors implied. They were really hilarious and the jokes kept me awake throughout the long play. The different types of scenic props were also very exciting for me. I was shocked by how they were able to change the background constantly to fit the next scene. They went from hanging trees to the American flag to cages/doors. I was captivated by how the actors and actresses were able to every part of the stage to convey entirely different places like the living room or the yard of a poor man’s house.

Despite it being vibrant and theatrical, the play also has historical significance. Jacques and the other characters talked about major themes during that time. For example, they talked about slavery, marriage, politics and power, and land. It was interesting how they incirpoated historical context into the play but yet, made it humorous and alluring. Overall, I would definitely recommend this play. It is full of historical knowledge but yet, funny and hilarious.

-Christine

The staged reading of “Medea” was a pleasure to watch. It brought to life the play that we had read for class. I’ll have to admit that it was very similar to what I had imagined while reading it.
The actors did a great job for a production that was pieced together in a short amount of time and with a bare minimum of props. The Chorus definitely surprised me in the beginning with their sudden appearance from within the audience. I would have never guessed that they were actors in the production. The actors also did a great job of breaking the fourth wall. Throughout the play Medea and several other members of the cast continued to turn and speak to the audience. This technique caused me to stay alert and engrossed in the play.
The lack of props seemed to pose a challenge to the actors but they pulled it off excellently. They never hesitated to refer to the two masks as children and their strong belief that a prop was alive forced me to believe as well. Also, there was barely any scenery besides a small Ionic column in the background. The lack of scenery also made it harder for the actors to create a believable performance, but they pulled it off nonetheless.
Denise Ann Pelletier did a great job as Medea. She certainly portrayed the madness within her character quite well. The reversal of Medea when she goes from self-pitying to revengeful was well played. Another character worth noting would be Kahleen Turco-Lyon as the Nurse. I feel as if she did an excellent portrayal of the Nurse and even though she did not have many lines, her presence was felt throughout the play. The actors within the Chorus should also be noted because I believe they had one of the toughest jobs of all. Many members of the Chorus were playing dual roles and were sometimes forced to switch characters instantaneously. The characters all interacted well with each other, which caused a more realistic play. The only character whose performance was lacking would be Jason’s. He did not seem to be in character, he seemed to be a man pretending to be somebody he is not. In other words, his performance was no as believable and I have to admit caused me to lose belief in the play as a whole.
In general the play was well performed and well directed. Though there was a lack of props and settings, the actors made up for it through their performance.