Rosmersholm Performance
I attended the performance of Rosmersholm on Friday, April 20, in the Ida Green Theater. This play was the best play that I saw on campus all year, and I’m not just saying that because my professor directed. The actress who portrayed Rebecca West was enchanting. From the very first words she spoke, I was drawn into Rosmersholm. Coming into the play, I was expecting a two hour bore-fest. The lines I had read in class didn’t really interest me until I saw them come to life. Almost everything about the play was amazing, I only didn’t agree with two things. I had imagined John Rosmer as taller, more captivating character. I couldn’t have done any better and he did an excellent job, but it was a let down in my mind. Also, I had imagined the ending happening more abruptly. The performance had the lights dim into a spotlight the maid, which I thought dulled the action. I had envisioned the lights cutting completely off, ending the play with the audience’s hearts pounding.
posted by Michael Todd @ 1:40 PM
4 comments
4 Comments:
Do you think that the reason that the story bored you on the page was because (up until the end of the show) the story seemed a little too realistic? I felt like the beginning of the story spends so much time on character development, but the action is rather slow. However, when I saw it performed I felt like it was much more entertaining because the actors delivered it in very dramatic ways. Ulrik got on my nerves reading the script, but on the stage he made things much more interesting.
I agree with both your expectations coming into the play and you evaluation of the play itself. However, I am not sure why the casting choice for John Rosmer was a surprise. I feel like even his physical appearance was a good choice. I did not envision Rosmer as a physically imposing man. I think that having someone not as tall as Rosmer forced the audience to focuses on his social stature rather than his physical. The man, as well as his family, were considered giants in their community, but there was nothing said about his physical appearance.
I agree that I too had a far better appreciation for the play after seeing it live. The words seem a bit boring and with a play this ambiguous, it’s nice to be able to put concrete images to the words. I also agree with Dan that when I read the play initially, I pictured the character in very much the same way as he was portrayed. He came off to me as a vulnerable and I think that I may have lost some of the sense, had the actor been more physically imposing. I think he kept a very emotionless, maybe slightly worried or confounded, face throughout the performance which I feel also highlighted the susceptibility and confusion of John Rosmer.
I too had a greater appreciation for the live performance than the tedious words and interpretations that they leaned to be heavy on ones need to use their imagination. I was also expecting that same two hour bore-fest, which I feel like I was given for at least the first hour and 59 minutes. I think reading the play before was necessary to understanding the plot but it also dulled the mood because the suspense had been stripped away.
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