The Comedy of Errors

1.Describe the theater, sets, and costumes:

 Drayton Hall is a proscenium theater with stadium seating, which means that the audiences’ seats are stepped from low to high.  The set was composed of 3 houses, each 2 stories tall.  The houses on stage right and stage left have balconies.  The middle house has a large window instead of a balcony.  There was also a church that was in between the middle house and the house on stage left.  There were 3 tables set up with chairs surrounding them on stage left to simulate a cafe.  Throughout the play different props that were colored with bright pastels were carried in and out.  The costumes were very bright.  Both Dromio characters were dressed in purple sweater vests and large purple ties with identical purple wigs while, Both Antiphelus characters were dressed in bright oranges suits with identical orange wigs.  Adriana wore a long bright green skirt with a polka dotted shirt.  She also wore a large hat, like one you would see women wearing at a traditional horse race.  Luciana seemed to be more traditionally dressed in a light blue suit consisting of a skirt and jacket.  She also wore glasses which completed her character as more docile one. The belly dancers wore the same exotic type outfits with beads and sparkles but each was a different color.   There was also a maid whose costume was made to make her look overweight.  I thought all of the costumes were very flamboyant and different in their own way.

2. In what period does this play take place? Who is the author? What period did the play write live?

“The Comedy of Errors” is one of William Shakespeares earliest written plays.  The time period for which the play took place could be anywhere from 1589 to 1594.  It is speculated however, that Shakespeare based this play on the Roman play write Plautus.  This play that took place in Drayton Hall was a modern twist of the original.  The director, Robert Richmond, added modern music and different choreographed dances more relevant to our day and age.  Though, the language that was used in the play remained the same as the original.

3. Discuss the plot:

The story consists of two sets of identical twins that were mistakenly separated at birth.  They live their whole lives not knowing about the separation. One day Antipholus of Syracuse and his servant, Dromio of Syracuse, decide to venture off to Ephesus.  Once they arrived to Ephesus they come to find that they are mistaken for unknown identical twins; Antipholus of Ephesus and his servant Dromio of Ephesus.  This then causes a series of misconceptions in identity by the towns people, the twins friends, and even Antiphelus of Ephesus’s wife (Adriana).  The play shows the humor behind theses countless misconceptions, hence the title of the play; “The Comedy of Errors”.  Egeon, the father of the both sets of twins, also travels to the city of Ephesus to look for one of his son’s, Antipholus of Ephesus.  As soon as he arrives, he is accused for entering enemy territory and is sentenced to death.  When it is time for Egeon’s execution, he sees his son Antipholus of Esphesus and calls out to him only to find that Antipholus does not recognize him.  At the same time Antipholus of Syracuse and Dormio of Syracuse enter the scene which causes great confusion but then leads to the discovery that they are long lost twins.  Egeon is then pardoned for entering Ephesus  and ends up reuniting with his long lost wife.  This is how the play end!

Phantom of the Opera

 Describe- The Phantom of the Opera begins with the Opera Populaire's manager, Lefevre, leaving. His successors, Andre and Firmin, take over the opera and bring with them their new patron, Raoul. To celebrate their new managers, the opera throws a gala, at which the leading diva refuses to perform due to the mysterious Opera Ghost who seems determined to have the screeching diva leave. Without a diva, Andre and Firmin are fixed on finding a new leading lady, so they invoke the talents of a young, chorus-singer named Christine. She has been taking lessons from a mysterious tutor who turns out to be the Opera Ghost or, The Phantom of the Opera.  The Phantom, who turns out to be a physically disfigured musical genius, falls in love with Christine.  Raoul, Christine's old childhood sweetheart, who recognizes her at her excellent gala performance, wants to bring Christine back into his life.  When the Phantom learns of Christines acceptance to Raouls marriage proposal, he is heartbroken.  His despair quickly turns into a jealous rage and he is willing to do anything to have her as his bride.  In an attempt to catch the Phantom, it is decided to perform the opera written by the man himself with Christine as the lead.  The plan to use Christine as bait quickly goes wrong when the phantom kidnaps Christine during the performance and takes her down to his hideaway far below the Opera Populaire.  Raoul fallows him and Christine down to the Phantoms lair but, ends up being trapped.  Ultimately, the Phantom gives Christine the fallowing ultimatum; go with him and be his bride or have Raoul murdered right in front of her.  She then explains to the Phantom, in a last effort of sanity, that he is not alone and then kisses him.  The Phantom then realizes, due to the fact that he loves her, he must let her go with Raoul to be happy.  Before leaving, Christine gives the Phantom back the engagement ring he had given her in an act of remorse.  After Raoul and her leave, the Phantom smashes all of his mirrors revealing a secret path behind one and disappears down it to escape the advancing mob.  We then return to the present time where an older gentleman, who we now know is Raoul, is in a graveyard where he visits Christines grave and leaves a monkey musical box.  While doing, he sees a rose with the engagement ring tied to it on her grave stone.

Analyze-  The Phantom of the Opera portrays a typical love story in which the woman (Christine) is torn between the love of two men, both whom she cares deeply for.  Both the Phantom and Raoul share a history with Christine.  Raoul is her childhood love while, the Phantom has been her passionate musical tutor. This further complicates the situation because both men have very well established feelings for her.  However, fallowing her heart she chooses her childhood soul mate, Raoul.  Because the Phantom has been shunned and harassed his whole life due to his facial deformity, Christines choice to deny him hits him very hard.  This turns out to be the final step to push the Phantom over the edge.  Blinded by his jealous rage, he goes to the extreme and kidnaps Christine in an attempt to force her to be with him.  However, his love for her eventually overcomes this rage when he realizes that she will never be happy with him.  Despite his desire to be with her, he learns that all he wants for her is to be happy.  So, out of love, he releases Christine to Raoul.  The Phantom then flees knowing that he eventually did the right thing.

Interpret- I believe that one of the purposes of the opera is to show that love comes in all forms, even to those who do not end up with the girl in the end.  Though the Phantom does not end up with Christine, his love for her ultimately leads her to live a happy life.  This in turn gives the Phantom true satisfaction because; all he ever wanted is what was best for her.  Also the opera shows there is good in everyone, despite people’s individual flaws.  At the end of the opera, Christine explains to the Phantom that he is not alone.  She is sympathetic to the man that has just kidnapped her and threatened to kill her lover.  This is because she sees through these evil acts to the good inside, the good that exists within everyone.  The Phantom has been shunned his whole life due to his facial deformity.  This has caused him major psychological problems.  By truly understanding this, Christine can comprehend the miserable life the Phantom has had.  She knows that he is truly a good person; it is society that is the one to blame and not him.

Evaluate-  I believe that the Phantom of the Opera is successful in relaying its messages to its audience.   By introducing a character like the Phantom as a mysterious musical genius who seems to cause only havoc within the Opera Populaire, and slowly revealing his true character and the reasons behind it, this piece makes its audiences reconsider their negative preconceived notions.  It shows that everyone has a story, and that story is what ultimately defines them.  However bad their story may be, there is always some good left within the person.  It just takes a person who is non-judgmental and willing to try and understand the individual in order to relate to them.  By doing so, a feeling of sympathy and not anger will prevail.  This sympathy will eventually lead to what a person really needs, the assurance that he or she is not alone! 

Assignment #8

1.An opera is an extended dramatic composition in which all parts are sung to instrumental backgrounds, which usually include operatic solos, choruses, and vocal music intermediate between speaking and singing.  Also, an opera usually includes some type of planned dancing (usually ballet), acting, and stage scenery.  A light opera is still an opera however, rather than being dramatic in nature, the story line consists of light subject matter/comedy and a happy ending.  Musical Theater is a play or film whose action and dialogue is blended with singing and dancing.  Though there is strong overlap between opera and musical theater, the two are different.  The main difference is that there is more of an emphasis on dialogue within musical theater while, in opera the emphasis is on music.

2.  Opera singing is not something that a person can learn in a short period of time.  It takes countless years for a performer to establish a fully trained operatic voice.  This is because the performer must learn how to make his/her voice hit very high and very low notes for an extended period of time.  They also need to learn how to hold these difficult notes in different languages while dancing and performing.  An Opera singer needs a very experienced coach in order to assist them in developing their voice and many years of practice.  Many opera singers continue to develop their operatic voices throughout their whole career.

3.  La bohème is a romantic opera written by Puccini in 1896 and is often referred to as his most notable piece. The opera is based on the book Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. The opera consists of a story about young bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris during the 1840’s.  It focuses on the relationship between the main male character Rodolfo and the main female character Mimi. Rudolfo is a poet while Mimi is a seamstress. The two eventually meet and fall in love. However, they soon have a falling out.  Later, Rudolfo and Mimi are reunited once Rudolfo is told that Mimi is dying.  Realizing that he has always loved Mimi, Rudolfo is distraught. Entwined in the Rudolfo- Mimi love story are brief stories of Rudolfo’s friends who try to get Mimi and Rudolfo back together.  This opera is still very famous today.  A modern version of La bohème is the popular Broadway rock opera Rent.

Assignment #7

1.  A Thrust Stage features an extended stage into the audience.  It is connected to the back stage however; its three sides expand out into the audience.  A Proscenium Stage is a theater whose main component consists of a large arch shaped frame.  The stage seems to be a window for the audience to look into.  The Thrust Stage promotes a greater intimacy between the audience and the performers, while the Proscenium Stage leads the audience to look in on the performers as if watching them through a window.

2.  Fly Gallery- A narrow raised platform at the side of a theater stage from which flying scenery lines are operated.  The system allows the stage crew to quickly, quietly, and safely hoist components (scenery,lights,people,etc).

3.  A Scrim is a piece of fabric used as a drop or border for creating the allusion of a solid wall or backdrop.  This is made possible under particular lighting conditions from behind the fabric.  This allows the stage crew to create a intricate and detailed background without the hassle of building it piece by piece.