Jacquelyn Pass

NEWS 2/7/13 6:00pm

Rice Players Presents an Unsettling Mystery

By Jacquelyn Pass

The Mystery Plays presents us with the notion that there is much in life that cannot be explained. Our expectations are complicated by forces beyond our understanding, whether it is fate, the supernatural or simply human nature. Through the mysterious tales of two individuals, we are led to wonder whether any meaning can be taken from life's tragedies. This is heavy, challenging material to tackle, and, for the most part, this production succeeds.The Rice Players take a unique spin on staging by transforming the stage at Hamman Hall into a black box, with the play performed in the round. This lends a certain intimacy to the performance, allowing the actors to confront the audience face-to-face with the drama. Though the stage design is simple, it is utilized extraordinarily well. The masterful lighting design transforms the set into different worlds when called for. The simple stage picture of an actress seated under a ladder is made beautiful and haunting, allowing us to believe she is reliving her childhood memories under a familiar tree.Though the atmosphere is set up superbly, the acting is not quite on par throughout. The Mystery Play's dialogue is difficult to make sound natural, and only some of the cast can pull off the delivery. A key scene on a train at the beginning slightly misses the mark due to the actors, Brown College seniors John Mendell and Ben Seidensticker, who add strange inflections and pauses and overall sound too staged. They are unable to immediately pull us into the story, yet they do manage to build the tension and succeed in pulling us in by the end.The large cast seems unnecessary at times, and it very well could have been to the show's benefit if more people were double cast. Jones College senior Carter Spires' performance in thematically similar roles, including the narrator and a detective, helps keep the acts from feeling disconnected, which would have been better achieved if other actors had been similarly cast. The standout performance is by Baker College sophomore Alyssa Dugar as the attorney revisiting her hometown. Dugar's performance is the saving grace of the show's action, due to the sensitivity and emotional weight she gives the role, as well as her interactions with the figment of her brother played by the skilled McMurtry College freshman Juan Sebastian Cruz.The end result is a thoroughly intriguing, and at times inspiring, exploration of life's mysteries and how we must face them. Though the production is very good, some shortcomings in the acting prevent The Mystery Plays from reaching its full potential.

NEWS 11/1/12 7:00pm

The Drowsy Chaperone is anything but tired

By Jacquelyn Pass

Hanszen College and Brown College theater's The Drowsy Chaperone offers a hilarious sendoff of the beloved classical musicals of yesteryear, resulting in a meta-experience that is both strange and enjoyable. It is perfect for those who have ever had one too many Cole Porter songs ingrained in their minds as the musical both mocks and celebrates the corniness of old-school musical theater.

NEWS 10/24/12 7:00pm

Martel College senior spotlights failure in her witty play

By Jacquelyn Pass

It is undoubtedly true that we cannot really understand who we are until we discover our own short-comings. Failure is a powerful, difficult part of life yet, for some reason, we love to watch others experience it. Martel College senior Maggie Sulc's The Failures provides an intriguing take on failure that is highly entertaining, but has little bearing on reality.The play starts with an audition for an American Idol-like talent show. An overly eager wannabe superstar fails utterly with her horrendous rendition of "Amazing Grace," but she does not realize her own ineptitude. She spills her hopes and dreams to a reporter writing a story on like-minded delusional divas. He is amazed at the sheer level of her delusion, and from there, the two deal with the repercussions of having their lives' ambitions crumble around them. The Failures offers a distinct experience by traveling to different colleges to bring the show to students. The concept of the show lends itself to minimal set design that can be easily recreated at each venue since the entirety of the show takes place backstage of an auditorium. The lighting is also minimal but used effectively.  The bright light shining from the stage is the perfect imitation of the spotlight that blinds performers on stage and provides that barrier between them and the judges.While the acting in general is not very convincing, the actors have a lot of fun playing the roles of ridiculous characters. Jones College freshman Mariah Lawhon stands out as Alexa, the delusional hopeful. She brims with energy and optimism, and though her singing is grating, she is so self-assured and likable that we sympathize with her rather than engage in the mockery typical of reality show audiences. Lovett College sophomore Ian Loya as the reporter, David, comes off as wooden and unnatural, but Wiess College sophomore Marie Chatfield is gloriously over the top as Alexa's mother.  At times, the blocking is transparent, as if the characters are moving and speaking simply because they have been directed to do so, but the performers are nevertheless fun to watch.The characters themselves seem less like real people and more like caricatures created to make a point. Alexa's mother is the cliched, overbearing stage mother who exists to illustrate why Alexa has gone so long without realizing she cannot sing. David comes along to finally shatter Alexa's delusions, but he is not a realistic portrayal of a reporter.  It is hard to imagine that any respectable reporter would be so unprofessional as to break out in laughter at Alexa's ambitions, or to get so emotionally involved in her situation. The audience can, however, partake in his frustration that no one at the audition can bother to tell Alexa that she has failed - not even the stressed, overworked producer played by Martel junior Julie Eisenberg, the only character who might realistically exist in the real world.For a show that is meant to be silly, there is not an issue with the characters being concepts rather than people, except that the play is not explored to its full potential. The premise of the play hits on intriguing and universal questions: Why are there so many people in the world who cannot understand they simply are not good enough?  What do we do when we fail utterly at the only thing we have ever wanted to do?  There is a long buildup of Alexa's ambitions of stardom, but she too soon realizes that singing is not her forte. The Failures never drags, but it is not long enough to unearth the true implications of failure.There is a certain schadenfreude to watching horrible singers on American Idol. Sulc's play is witty even though the dialogue does not sound natural. As a whole, though it lacks real depth, The Failures is enjoyable to watch and certainly does not fail to entertain.