Theater Review
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