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Theater
critic slightly off the mark One generally assumes that theater critics are knowledgeable about the performances they critique. A critic should have a good grasp not only of theater in general, but also of the genre and style of each individual production. But TCU Daily Skiff features writer John-Mark Day has cast some doubts on these assumptions through his critiques, especially his article Friday about the theater department’s production of José Rivera’s “Sueño” at Stage West. Day begins by saying that “Sueño” successfully “invokes the dream of which the title speaks,” yet almost contradicts himself by calling the script a “weak element ... leaving little room for the actors to act.” Perhaps the weakness lies not in Rivera’s script, but in Day’s understanding of it. Day praises Cody Perret’s performance as Segismundo but says the script fails to “explain his sudden changes of heart.” First, Segismundo’s various “manifestations,” as Day calls them, each dominate one act of the show, but one would think most audience members would not consider a third of the play to be a “sudden change.” As for Rivera’s alleged failure to explain these changes, perhaps Day was too busy making notes during what he calls “preachy monologues” to hear as characters Basilio, Clotaldo, Rosaura and Segismundo speak about and explain the various transformations. With his critique of Rosaura, one begins to wonder whether Day was simply not paying attention. Rosaura is not literally a man in the first act, as Day claims, but rather a woman dressed as a man; this is apparent almost immediately because her servant Clarín calls her “madam” when they are alone. Rosaura is partially revealed to Segismundo (though hopefully not to the audience, if they have been watching and listening) in the second act through what Day calls “seductively strong swordplay,” but also through Rivera’s dialogue and, of course, through her feminine costume. Day may have written the critique with good intentions, but his article turned out somewhat misguided. While he is clearly aware of mixed classical and modern elements in Sueño’s technical aspects, such as the costumes and fight choreography, the fact seems to have escaped him that the idea for that production concept stems from the script itself. Rivera updates Calderón de la Barca’s classical Spanish piece, “La Vida es Sueño,” into the English-language “Sueño,” which blends classical prose, modern humor and even a few Spanish phrases together to make for quite an interesting evening. Although
he misses the mark with his slights to Rivera’s script, Day
is on the right track with his compliments to Sueño’s
actors and designers. For those who would like to give Rivera, as
well as the cast, a chance themselves, Stage West is merely a short
walk away.
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TCU Daily Skiff © 2002 |
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