Theater Review

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Blood Brothers  Billy Russle
Vanemuine Theater, 2002 and 2003 (in Estonian)
 
  This is Exageratedly long, because it was written for a theater student, assisting her with a project she was doing. -SlyM, 27.06.04


Let me see now...
  Vere-Vennad. Blood brothers.
  This is going to be a long ramble about all that comes into my head on the topic, because you didn't ask any dirrect or specific sort of questions. with any luck though, there willl be some things that will give to you usefull ideas. Bear in mind though, that all this will be off the top of my hea, so don't take what I say as gospel, and don't laugh to much if I absolutely contradict myself.
  That being said, Onwards!!
 
  Perhaps, (and this idea occured to me 20 minutes ago, when I was catching the last 15 minutes of the performance, after my long day of rehearsals,) the extensive use of the dolls/marionets/larger-than-life puppets, was all done to emphasize the fact that it all IS a story: From the beginning with the narrator asking "did you ever hear the STORY of the Johnston twins?... But... judge for your self." -and the play begins. So it could just be a bit of continuity, and the interpretation of emphasizing the fact that they are all just characters of this story, which it's self is in the Play, (though in a wy, it IS the play. And the beginning but a prologue attached to it. But you see, perhaps THAT was thepoint: to make a clearer contrast Through-out the peice, that the Narrator, is the Human, and that all the others are but his imagination, and puppets of his story. Becase otherwise, that aspect could be lost, being only clear at the very outset, and a little at the end. Perhaps in your version, throught the play he's not so much the ... entire source, but only a commentator, on somehting he's only a spectator of.
  Just a thought.
  I'm rather uncertain why they used the varietry of puppets that they did though:
  There were the life-size marionettes, (Ms. J's first song, and Ms. Lyon's stabbing scene. Also I think somewhere before Ms Lyons was given Eddy. Oh, and Just before Micky's "Sunday Afternoon" song.)
  There were Using People, As IF they were life-size puppets, (through out the performance, particularly the first act, but never of the Children, only Ms Lyons, Ms J., Police-man, and Sammy. Notably NOT Lynda, Mr. Lyons, Micky or Eddy, though the Twins would be the Two I'd consider MOST puppets of their situations: Both finacially, culturally, and (in Micky's case) Physically, through his chronic depression. so they would be the ones I'd most certainly portray as unable to controll their actions/reactions.
  There were Hand puppets, for Ms J and Lyons, which the Narrator used, (discussing the giving up of Eddy,) and for Eddy, (which playes with durring "My Friend" in Sunday Afternoon. -than he gets the Ms. J hand-puppet out of his pocket for the beginning of "Bright new day.") I think the only place they were effective, (and not greatly at that,) ... this being in line with profound dramatic effect, would have been the Ms J and LYons, again, to show that they're Nothing but Character's of the Story being told by the Narrator. But I found the part of Micky playing with Eddy Buppet, very touching, in his devotion to his old friend, and also pleasantly forshadowing, of his unfirm grip of normalicy: that he WAS playing with... a puppet, and not a real person, (being alittle bit of a crazy thing to do -at least in excess.)
  There were (lastly,) the larger than life dolls, which were a good 12 or 15 feet high, which were of Eddy and Lynda, durring "Just a light romance..." Their hands were moved by the characters of Eddy and Lynda, who could also make them turn. This was the only place where these two were made into puppets, (I consider Eddy hand-puppet not to count, as it's only Micky's plaything, and represents THAT, and not what the Real Eddy actually does.) That I think could be telling; that they had free will in all else, but but became puppets only to their desperation and love. (anyhow, I could well imagine that sentiment needing to be expressed: that humans are free to chose, except where their heart is involved, for there they have no choice. But that's dipping a little to my personal experience too. :)
  So the puppeting could be ... all that stuff I said. :) And i also found it a more effective moment, when eddy goes off to shoot with Micky and Lynda, when Ms. Lyons comes in trailing her strings, and handles: obviously un-controlled. For me, that was showing it to be the one time when she was not who society made her to be, and she was not simply a character: whe was earnestly frightened, and concerned about her child, and that love and worry broke through all else; in a way, it was the one time when she was truely human. -Anyhow, I liked that moment.
  Hmmm Hmm Hmmm... what now?
  Did I mention (or you notice) the "Game" song, of the Children, had the chorus dressed and moving like South Park? I was never totally clear why that was, but it could be a comment on the bloody Americans, and their trigger-happy fire-arm-obsessed ways. Perhaps that's partly just the Estonian impression, as they do not rely know first-hand, but their biggest impresion of America would be what they get through the media... and Violent movies come from there, and violent TV shows, and South-Park. Interesting.
  I wonder though: Is vere-vennad a comment on Fate? that from the beginning, they were the puppets of Time, and inevitability? Or were they just characters in a story, that could have gone however the story-teller wanted it to go. There's that: was the story-teller creating the story, or relating something he's heard?
  And my mind is feeling a little empty, but I'll see if it comes up with somehting more...
  I found that the sets did a resonable jof of recreating the feeling of Ghetto, which may be important, for the Estonian audience which knows only Soviet Concreat-block clusters, around a grey, depressing communal square, with twisted, peculiar metal to serve as a jugle-gym for children.
  But then, I only know the American style Ghetto, what was the British Subsidized housing of the war-years like?
  Uhhh... uhhh... uhhh.... The Police man was portrayed as a clownish fool, which I suppose is due to that being how the children would have fouund him.
  As for why the first scene of the second act was done by the actors, half in costume, behind 3 microphones on the apron, I have NO idea. Yes, it's a difficult thing to do: with such an abundance of changes from characters to characters, scene to scene, place to place... but... I don't know. I think it was likely only a solution to a difficult bit to stage, and not a part that participated in getting across the "message" or "theme" of the play.
  Hmm... I sort of like the playing with levels, (of reality) when at the end, Eddy is giving a lecture (or whatever he's doing, just before Micky comes in to kill him,) he's giving it TO the audience, so the house lights were brought to half. Then Micky comes at him OUT of the audience, and the Police-men come in throught the side doors of the house. I'd have to say that this doesn't have continuity with the rest, (it being made as a fabricaation, and nothing more.. and then this is TRUE and from the Audience.) But I still appreciate the effect of it, and found it well done.
  And I feel that the spirit of "fabricated" could explain the ending, when all the actos drop their characters, and stand up to sing the last song; showing that they are just players. -YES, but the Song it's self is totally NOT that: it should be done as real people, begging reality to BE only a dream. Only some old movie.
  For any other type of ending song, that would have been apropriot, even to the grotesque limit of their head-phones: that if it were a post-script, and a bit about the PLAY that had jsut been, then Yes.Good and fine. Shakespear's Tempest ending of one player saying, "there, that's the play, the characters did such and such, and I hope you liked it." This sort of ending would go fine with the actors all breaking from character, and even playing it up, and mocking their own performances.
  Even the Narrators Coda of "did you hear the story of the Johnston twins..." could have been spoken by the whole company.
  -But not that song. That was just wrong.
  Of course, it's still a beautifull song anyhow, and if you don't mind being so split-personality, as to forget the sense and situation of he play you've watched for the past hour and some, it can still be quite enjoyable.
  I also have no idea why one of the "devil's got yuor Number" is done as an Elvis impersonator.
  Back to the Fate thing, I Can see that the mothers are in a way, controlled by their... beings: that they don't have a choice. Ms J. CAN'T affort to have twins, Ms Lyons Has to be the way she is, because that's who she is. (just as I could Not be violent: That's not me. I'm incapable of it.) She Has to be over protective, and manipulative. Its who she is. it's the only way she knows to live. When Eddy talks back to her, and swears at her, she's traped into behaving badly, because it's the option she, as a person, has.
  Anyhow, just a little bit of flegling phylosophy there. :)
  Well...

In Word Perfect, where I'm typping this, I've just popped onto the 4th page. and I've got to admit, that I'm getting bloody tired.
  So I hope you won't mind that I stop... (as I've also run out of things to let fall from my mind.) Feel free, (and in fact, encouraged,) if you need more materiel, to Ask me Specific questions, or to just have an open diologue with me, because you might say one thing, which I'd reply "is the same in these two places in the performance, and reminds me of this other thing..."
  for example, do you remember how the brittish version started the second act? I con't think of any good way to do it. (which would add to the overall effect of the production, rather than just mannaging not to subtract from it. That's what I was trying to say earlier about this one here.)
  OK, as I was saying, I'm tired now, and typped right out. I hope that this has helped, to some extent, and that you'll have time to finish this whole damned essay-project whatever.
  I sleep now.
Pax, love,
SlyM Oct. 9th, 2002