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Dec. 16th, 2017 11:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
skygiantsTonight genarti and I went to go see Bedlam's Sense & Sensibility at the A.R.T., which had been advertised by a poster of a person in a Regency dress with a giant horse head and roller skates.
It turned out there was neither a giant horse head nor roller skates per se involved on the production -- at least, not for the human beings. All the furniture, however, was on wheels, usually being zipped around in circles by ancillary cast members at light-speed, often with main cast members still trapped within it. Gen and I spent a lot of time on the train home talking about who got to move furniture, who was moved by it, and all the various things that implied about Elinor and Marianne's respective personalities and restrictive social structures and requirements in Regency society.
BECCA: I loved every scene when Marianne just noped out of an awkward social situation and took her chair with her -- the furniture and staging made everything feel so claustrophobic that it made her entire attitude of WHO NEEDS A SOCIAL CONTRACT WHEN YOU HAVE FEELINGS way more sympathetic to me.
GEN: See, and I just kept thinking about how much worse it was for Elinor in all those scenes after Marianne noped out. But I did love that she commanded the furniture armies!
BECCA: ME TOO.
(Neither Elinor nor Edward ever got a chance to command the furniture armies.)
Anyway, impressive furniture-related symbolism aside, it was also a very funny production. A brief list of some of the best dumb gags:
- the women double-cast as, respectively, Lucy Steele/Fanny Dashwood and Anne Steele/Mrs. Ferrars whizzing across the stage in their spinny chairs to play both sides of a conversation
- Edward Ferrars, having entered an extremely awkward conversation, clearly about to turn right around and leave when another ensemble member helpfully slides him a chair. "THANKS," says Edward, grimly, and sits down. Two seconds later, Marianne enters the scene, Edward gives her his chair and is about to leave -- oh! hey! look! the ensemble found him another chair! EDWARD IS THRILLED. (He's not thrilled.)
- I keep wanting to call Robert Ferrars a one-scene wonder, and he's not, because he's played by the same guy as Edward Ferrars who is also very good in that role, but his scenery-chewing turn in the "I LOVE A COTTAGE!!!!" monologue is a glory to behold
- as is his battle with the Foley artist
- and his attempts to chat up a random audience member about her cottage
- I know I already mentioned Marianne firmly picking up her chair and noping out of the Worst Awkward Dinner Party, but: it was beautiful
- also every time Marianne hid behind a couch or under a blanket and refused to participate in a scene
- the guy playing Colonel Brandon, who had an incredibly beautiful voice which he used for beautifully awkward line deliveries
- the guy playing Edward Ferrars' judgy horse
- Willoughby explaining that he can't stay because "his pointers are outside," while two ensemble members stand right outside the fence and point enthusiastically at various audience members
- this made us laugh harder than anything else
- we're both very easy sells
genarti and I went to go see Bedlam's Sense & Sensibility at the A.R.T., which had been advertised by a poster of a person in a Regency dress with a giant horse head and roller skates.It turned out there was neither a giant horse head nor roller skates per se involved on the production -- at least, not for the human beings. All the furniture, however, was on wheels, usually being zipped around in circles by ancillary cast members at light-speed, often with main cast members still trapped within it. Gen and I spent a lot of time on the train home talking about who got to move furniture, who was moved by it, and all the various things that implied about Elinor and Marianne's respective personalities and restrictive social structures and requirements in Regency society.
BECCA: I loved every scene when Marianne just noped out of an awkward social situation and took her chair with her -- the furniture and staging made everything feel so claustrophobic that it made her entire attitude of WHO NEEDS A SOCIAL CONTRACT WHEN YOU HAVE FEELINGS way more sympathetic to me.
GEN: See, and I just kept thinking about how much worse it was for Elinor in all those scenes after Marianne noped out. But I did love that she commanded the furniture armies!
BECCA: ME TOO.
(Neither Elinor nor Edward ever got a chance to command the furniture armies.)
Anyway, impressive furniture-related symbolism aside, it was also a very funny production. A brief list of some of the best dumb gags:
- the women double-cast as, respectively, Lucy Steele/Fanny Dashwood and Anne Steele/Mrs. Ferrars whizzing across the stage in their spinny chairs to play both sides of a conversation
- Edward Ferrars, having entered an extremely awkward conversation, clearly about to turn right around and leave when another ensemble member helpfully slides him a chair. "THANKS," says Edward, grimly, and sits down. Two seconds later, Marianne enters the scene, Edward gives her his chair and is about to leave -- oh! hey! look! the ensemble found him another chair! EDWARD IS THRILLED. (He's not thrilled.)
- I keep wanting to call Robert Ferrars a one-scene wonder, and he's not, because he's played by the same guy as Edward Ferrars who is also very good in that role, but his scenery-chewing turn in the "I LOVE A COTTAGE!!!!" monologue is a glory to behold
- as is his battle with the Foley artist
- and his attempts to chat up a random audience member about her cottage
- I know I already mentioned Marianne firmly picking up her chair and noping out of the Worst Awkward Dinner Party, but: it was beautiful
- also every time Marianne hid behind a couch or under a blanket and refused to participate in a scene
- the guy playing Colonel Brandon, who had an incredibly beautiful voice which he used for beautifully awkward line deliveries
- the guy playing Edward Ferrars' judgy horse
- Willoughby explaining that he can't stay because "his pointers are outside," while two ensemble members stand right outside the fence and point enthusiastically at various audience members
- this made us laugh harder than anything else
- we're both very easy sells
