Project #4 Big love

1.A.I think the idea of the 50 total brides and grooms is more of a light idea not so much an necessary element that makes or breaks the show, but for the simplicity of having enough people out there and abiding by the idea I would cast 10 men and 10 women. I would have them all bring their best wedding attire, even if it more prom tuxes and bridesmaid dresses I think it would work for this scenario. I would include all ten in the show as often as possible such as when the grooms make their entrance and have the women out there in as convenient a way possible. To make it seem that there are 50 of them I would have a mirror effect from the ceiling, that is at 4 different angles so that if you look at all 4 mirrors and the actors there are 50. I would employ color blind casting.

1.B “Before a grand entrance constructed mostly of arches and a staircase sit a table and chair and a tub filled with water.”

I would use that type of stage but with a mirror line just above the arches, no one has seemed to think of this as a viable option

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.austinchronicle.com/binary/0ae2/arts_review1-1.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/section%3Fname%3DArts%26issue%3D2008-02-22&usg=__ZCf3RnoZZn0c5aCnh6R5acCRwTU=&h=321&w=450&sz=60&hl=en&start=51&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=48Su9Dkrc_EG6M:&tbnh=91&tbnw=127&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCharles%2BMee%26start%3D42%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN%26ndsp%3D21%26tbs%3Disch:1

1.C. “The play offers truly magical moments, from the opening scene with Lydia bathing, with elegant brief nudity, against John Robinson's striking black and white set of a few railings and columns with fluid drapes highlighted by Tonya Moake's lighting.”
They went for open and broad the complete reverse of my idea.
http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.chancetheater.com/season_2005/4b_love/images/gal1.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.chancetheater.com/season_2005/4b_love/press.php&usg=__YK33XhWExwqGPgvoJBd89118tvY=&h=214&w=300&sz=54&hl=en&start=14&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=aJABdDr02h2IDM:&tbnh=83&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DCharles%2BMee%2BBig%2Blove%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26tbs%3Disch:1

2.A. I would not go into full frontal nudity. I understand the need for it some portions but I know that that is typically something that is viewed more as a shock and awe moment versus a valid artistic choice. I would allow for both sexes to remove their tops but I think that the idea would have gotten across if they stayed in the bottom half of their underwear. The language does not bother me too much, but factoring the average audience I would cut all of the GDs and leave them just a damn. I feel the point is yet again reached without allowing people to instantly be turned off by one segment.
2.B. “one of them immediately jumps out of her clothes and into a bath.”
The speed at which they did it is the idea that I am going for.

http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2001-11-02/entertainment/0111020040_1_big-love-soul-and-body-mee

2.C. “Ashley Rhodes as Lydia doesn't dump the dress, but otherwise the action unrolls as Mee envisioned”

It is almost too prudish in my opinion.

http://austinlivetheatre.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=660:big-love-by-charles-mee-texas-state-university-october-6-11&catid=307:texas-state-university&Itemid=126

3.A. I would have Lydia hop in and out of the tub on towels, and have her dry herself off as best and fast as she can. The tub itself would be empty and there would be a small container inside with a rag that she would lift up and squeeze water with to make the picture clear she is in a full tub, I would place it far enough back that the audience would assume that it was only half full. I would allow the tomatoes and wedding cake scenes be limited to getting on the floor and not shoving Thyona in the cake which Giuliano will come and clean with a mop and broom almost instantly after they happen. The blood will be minimal, and the smashed China I think I would simply omit.

3.B. “tomatoes are squished, pop songs are sung, and several men lie dead on the floor.”

There is something about it that just seems necessary.

http://www.swarthmore.edu/x18871.xml

3.C. “It offers an evening of kitsch, froth, stage blood (over-the-top and inoffensive), and body-slamming physical humor”

The stage blood is too over the top except for in the most minute fashion and as the review says its kitsch.

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/american_journal_of_philology/v123/123.1rehm.html

4.A. I would have originally have had the grooms pop out from all the Voms, but after watching the scene we put on the obvious answer is to have them come through the house doors, to throw off the audience and fully use the space creatively. I would have the men go down differently in that Nikos, and Constantine would walk halfway down and each slide the rest of the way, while having Oed trying to be cool and trying to upstage his brothers, have him hop over the bar and chair walk his way down, failing and falling miserably into the laps of the neighboring audience. I would have the middle seats in single file line reserved and unusable for the show. I would need a helicopter gobo and sounds for the landing.

4.B. My quote for this one is what I said when the grooms walked in Saturday afternoon. “Awesome use of the room” –Micah Taylor
I thought the placement of the entrance was as ideal as you could get in the showcase.

4.C. “actors make their entrance by rappelling from the ceiling”

In a perfect world this would be my option one.

http://www.desdemona.org/blog/?p=198

5.A. I would stage the scene at the wedding with the different pairs one by one moving to the front house doors, a few moments later each bride coming back with blood on their hands. All the while Nikos and Lydia are in the corner behind a screen clearly making love. I would keep the awkward sort of lovable moments like the strip off between Constantine and Thyona but have them split the staircases going to the door as they strip. I would have a large moment of doubt with the death of Oed as to whether or not he would be killed but Olympia caves to the disapproving look of Thyona.

5.B. “Of course, there are lots of twists and turns and dead body parts flying around”

This was an acceptable idea minus the rubbing in of the blood.


http://royberkinfo.blogspot.com/2009/08/big-love.html

there is a clip as well

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bt_hFS8HrQA

5.C. “on a fantastic and macabre gorgeousness, crowned by an ensemble of beauties, their breasts heaving in the blood-stained white gowns, standing over a litter of half-stripped dead men.”

It is a valid choice just it seems painful.

http://theater.nytimes.com/mem/theater/treview.html?res=9E03EEDF1F3DF937A35751C1A9679C8B63