Dali and the Rose Tattoo

There was one painting by Salvador Dali that reminded me of Tennessee Williams’ play The Rose Tattoo. The painting is called “Meditative Rose” and can be seen at:

http://www.expo-shop.com/2_2.cfm?&id=-294407721&oth=1&artist=-1279959675
In this painting I noticed that the rose is the central focus of the piece. It is floating in the sky above what looks to be a small village. There is also the image of two human figures standing right underneath the rose as it dwells in the sky.

This reminded me of the play in the way that the image of the single rose acted as the main symbol throughout the duration of the play. Everything that happened revolved around some type of rose image, whether it was the rose in Serafina Delle Rose’s hair or the color of the shirt that was made and worn a few different times. The color of the rose signified many things in the play including love, passion, longing and desire for things that couldn’t necessarily be possessed. Much like the rose in the picture the rose was something that was often meditated upon in the play.

The two figures standing under the rose reminded me of the end of the play when Serafina has fallen in love again and can shout it to the world. She is not afraid to withhold her feelings any longer and can express herself freely. The figures in the picture meditate on the rose as a source of freedom much as Serafina did in the end of the play. The rose (color of the shirt she gave to her male friend) was her source for letting herself open up and not be afraid anymore. She learned that it was alright to get over her deceased husband and move on with her life—she no longer needed to dwell in the past.

Overall, this painting, as well as The Rose Tattoo, both centralize around the image of the rose. The rose is what is meditated on and looked to for inspiration.

NOFIT STATE CIRCUS—QUESTION #1

Going into the NoFit State Circus I really had no idea what to expect. I was excited to see what the show would bring and how I would feel about it. Many of the design elements of the show were incredible, however, they didn’t really further my understanding of the play itself, the entire meaning/story line I am still a tad bit in the dark about, but they did help me to understand the situations that was going on at given points throughout the show.

One element that I really enjoyed was the use of props and costumes. My favorite scene where these elements really stood out was the scene at the beach. The performers were dressed in different types of swimwear and swim caps, which gave the image of them swimming up in the air much more effect. Throughout the audience beach balls were also being thrown around as to possibly imitate a beach party with a lot of guests. Using props such as a beach ball was also effective in including the audience in what was going on around them, instead of simply just standing around and watching. It made the atmosphere much more enjoyable to be apart of.

The set was also effective in helping me to understand what was going on in each scene. One scene that I found it very effective was the trapeze scene where the two lovers were angry at each other and fighting and then made up in the end. The trapeze itself was an element on which a fight could be staged. When the male character would toss around the female character, going back and forth, up and down back onto the trapeze, there was a sense of argument and frustration going on. At one point in this scene, the male dropped the female but she just continued on like it was nothing. Although this was not supposed to happen, I felt like it just added to the situation. The lovers were mad at each other and the woman fell off the edge but the mad was right there to pick her back up and start over, possibly symbolizing that he has forgiven her for whatever it is they were fighting about. Shortly after the fall they make up on top of the trapeze. So although there was a slight glitch in the routine, it really didn’t matter, it looked like it could have been there all along.

For the most part, there would be nothing that I would change with any of the design elements. Each element had its own intriguing qualities that added to the shows eclectic nature. And although the actual plot of the show still remains in the dark, the show was extremely enjoyable and kept my attention the entire time, leaving me very satisfied.

Othello—Question #1

Seeing Shakespeare’s play Othello at the Globe Theater was such an amazing experience, especially since I have recently studied the play in depth. Simply reading the play does nothing for a Shakespearian play, however, seeing the play on stage, what it was originally written for, has much more of an impact and leaves a greater sense of meaning and understanding for the audience. There were many design elements that helped contribute to my understanding of the play as a whole, two of which include the elaborate costumes and one of the main props, Desdemona’s handkerchief.

The costumes used in this play were fabulous. They seemed to be very accurate to what people in 17^th century Venice would be wearing. Having accurate costumes helped me to understand the setting of the play and realize where each character was coming from. One character in particular was Othello, the Moor of Venice. In the beginning of the play he was wearing what would have been normal gentlemens clothing of the time including the traditional tunic, trousers and boots along with a sword at his side. Towards the end however he came on stage in the traditional clothing of a Moor which resembled a white gown and a white turban type head piece. Seeing him is this costume helped me to understand his position as the Moor of Venice and helped me to see him for what he truly was and not just the only black character on stage. I was able to see the traditions and back ground that he came from before he came to Venice. This costume also helped to establish the authority he had even though everyone else in the play just saw him as different because of his skin color.

Desdemona’s handkerchief was another aspect that helped me to understand the play a little better. When I was just reading about it and its significance throughout the play I couldn’t really picture the problems it was causing everybody, but when I was actually able to see it and how it was passed from person to person and the jealousy and rage it caused Othello and the grief it caused many of the characters, it had a much greater impact on the way I felt about the play. Seeing how it worked in the actual play helped me to realize just how important it actually is to the plot.

For the most part I really enjoyed the play and its design elements. I don’t think there is really much that could have been changed to make the play more meaningful. Although there weren’t that many props, the characters used what they had and took advantage of the space that was available to them to make the play what it was. It was really exciting to see how all of the elements of the Globe are put to use to make situations more lifelike and I am grateful that I was able to partake in the experience.

GASLIGHT—QUESTION #4

The play Gaslight, although not necessarily reflecting current history, reflects issues that were once a major problem in the past. This part of history would be the mistreatment of women, mainly from the psychological standpoint. In the play, Bella is severely abused psychologically and manipulated into thinking she has done things that she really hasn’t. This play, having been written in the 1930’s, portrays how women were treated in the time period as well as prior time periods—but not really in this day in age.

Instead of relating to contemporary issues in today’s society, Gaslight represents and reminds viewers how far women have come today in 2007. Even though psychological abuse still does take place, for the most part women have been empowered and are fee to live as equals to men. Bella’s actions in the end of the play, when she opens up the curtains that were closed by her husband Jack in the beginning, shows that she is starting to free herself from the psychological bonds of her husband and can live as a woman of her own mind, much like women live today. This play, and the treatment of Bella throughout makes viewers think about everything women were once put through and give women and sense of achievement of how much they have achieved over time.

ANGELS IN AMERICA—QUESTION #2

Throughout the play Angels in America, one of the main characters that makes a big change in the duration of the show is Harper Pitt, wife of Joe Pitt.

In the beginning, Harper is introduced to the audience as basically an insane woman with a drug problem. This problem however stems from the fact that she is not getting what she wants (which is what she desires during most of the play). Throughout the show, she desperately wanted attention and love from her husband and because she was not receiving it, she had to turn to something else—the drugs. These drugs (Valium) caused her to achieve a fantasy where she could do what she wanted. In her hallucinations she was able to go to Antarctica and see an Eskimo—but would all of these situations have been different had Joe not been so distant and gave her the love and attention she deserved all along?

Joe’s distance and the fact that he was a homosexual was one of the main things that stood in Harpers way of getting what she wanted. Joe was always coming home late and then making excuses as to where he was, so Harper would end up getting upset. She did start to have a feeling that something wasn’t right, so by asking Joe flat out if he was gay, she was starting to open herself up in order to find out answers to see if her thoughts about the matter were indeed correct, which showed the audience a slight change starting to take place in Harper’s demeanor, but not enough to be something very significant. With Joe’s leaving all the time and then making his excuses, which left Harper upset, a large gap was put into the middle of their relationship as a married couple which made it very hard for her to get the attention she wanted from him. Another obstacle that stood in Harper’s way of getting what she wanted was the fact that she didn’t like or want change. This made it hard for the two to agree—Joe wanted to go to Washington and Harper didn’t—she wanted to stay where they were because she “needed to finish painting her room.” This just caused more distance and separation between them—they both wanted different things yet deep down Harper still wanted Joe’s love.

Harper makes a very dramatic change from the beginning to the end of the play. In the beginning, she is very closed up and dwells in her own little world of fantasy and hallucination—she doesn’t want to change and wants everything to stay exactly the same. In the end, however, she comes out of her shell and exposes herself. This is seen in the scene towards the end after her and Joe have just made love. She comes out on stage and tries to talk to Joe—she tries to get his attention because he is trying to run out again—and she rips her sheet off of her body and is completely nude—she asks, “What do you see?” In this situation, Harper is expressing her feelings of needing to be loved and wanted as a woman and exposing her vulnerability. She is finally opening up, not only to Joe, but also to the audience. She was trying to show that she was not just an insane woman with a drug problem, but also a woman who has desires and needs and emotions as well. It is at this point that the audience can be amazed with the change that has taken over the person Harper is.

TRANCE--Question #3

Throughout the play, Trance, there were several different themes that were explored, however the main idea that was dealt with was the idea of what is real/truthful and what is a delusion. This theme was addressed in many different aspects of the play, but there were two specific elements that I felt implemented this theme very well which include the white lab coat and the use of a very simple set.

The white lab coat was the single prop used in the play, and when it was worn, it allowed each character to try to diagnose the truth of the others reality. At the beginning of the play, the coat, was worn by a single character, Reiko, who believed she was a doctor, and tried to diagnose Masa with Schizophrenia, however in the end each character is seen wearing the coat and none of the characters really know who’s reality is real. The coat lets them believe what they want and lets them create their own reality, it can be whatever they want it to be. When only one character wears the coat, they believe they have the power to diagnose what is real and understand the situation around them, but when the coat is worn by each character, the characters as well as the audience come to the realization that they are free to create whatever truth they want and can live whatever life they want to live, it is not to be determined by anybody else. There was one part in the play where Reiko talks about what is normal and who determines what is normal and because we can’t find anything wrong with someone’s brain we can’t determine what their reality is, and in the end this is the conclusion that is drawn, each character determines their own reality and stops trying to diagnose the realities of the others, signified by each character refusing to take the coat back ending with it lying on one of the blocks.

The use of the very simple set, which included only a few plastic panelled boxes for walls and four white boxes, set on top of a white floor, made the theme of reality/truth and delusion come to life. This set suggests the idea that the characters are possibly patients in a mental hospital and the characters as well as the audience have to use their imaginations as the play goes on to determine what is actually happening. If the characters were indeed patients, then this would suggest that they are making everything they are doing up and having to create their reality and what they think their reality is. This is also seen in their use of pantomime, suggesting that there is nothing in their asylum room and they have to create everything they do including drinking beer, lying on the bed, and going to a doctor’s office. They do not know that their reality is just a delusion, but in fact believe that what they are actually doing is real, when to the audience it is actually just pretend. To the characters in the play, what they are doing is their truth, it is who/what they believe they are, and to the audience, we have to use our imaginations to follow the “reality” of the characters as they proceed in the play.

Overall, I really enjoyed this play. It evoked a lot of thought in my mind and actually seeing it performed helped me to comprehend it much better than when I just read it. It was very stylistically as well as aesthetically appealing and I am glad I had a chance to experience it in London!

One more week until I am on a plane to London! I am soo excited! It will be here before I know! So crazy!