Andrew L.

Cartwright
Honors Intro to Theatre Performance Review

11/30/10

Machinal

Overall, I felt the production of Machinal was well constructed. The key points to it

being a good production are the set, acting, and the directing .

Coming into the play, I really had no idea as to what to expect the set to be like . The set

design was phenomenal, with no small accessory left out . The details were so complex – just

thinking about how much time was put into scuff marks and bolts was riveting. There were
many subtleties – I felt as if the angle of the set’s four walls opening out towards the audience

embodied Helen’s desire to get out of her world. The bars at the back were supposed to be
window panes but also had the appearance of prison bars, which further exemplifies her

inclination to leave her world, the world of monotony. The lighting was constantly changing,

adapting to the mood of the scene. There also seemed to be a standard light that was a dim

gray and brown, giving a mechanized ambiance to many scenes. The sound of footsteps and

other noises overhead gave a repetitive ambience throughout the play.

The acting was fantastic. At times, it was easy to slip into the play and forget I was an

audience member. The actress playing Helen/young woman portrayed the character perfectly,

leaving me questioning her sanity after the play. From the very beginning, she is neurotic and

indecisive. The actor playing George H. Jones was a pretty good interpretation of the all-caring

husband that he sought to be. He was exactly as I envisioned him as described in the play:

short, pudgy, and a rather boisterous man. The actress for the young woman’s mother was

excellent as well, being able to be as assertive and as selfish as described in the play . Initially, I
didn’t know what to think about a girl being cast as Helen’s lover, but I accepted it as the
director’s casting decision. Though she didn’t play too much of a part, I still thought she was a

decent actress.

A unique twist was provided to this production of Machinal at the director’s discretion.

It was brought into the 21st century by the use of contemporary technology. Now, the machines
most prevalent were the antiquated ones providing the constant background noise, like

typewriters and a telephone switchboard, but cell phones still made a couple of appearances .
In the courtroom scene, when the young woman confessed, the reporters whipped out their

camera phones and laptops and began reporting. If the director can pull off putting modern

elements into a play set in the 1920s that shows real experience . A greater depth of the
performance’s reality was created by noise coming from above and behind the audience, and

the incorporation of the audience into the play. The Lawyer for the Defense’s talking towards

the audience makes everyone feel like they’re actually in court, attending the case . The lights at
the very end swiveling over the audience also seemed to include members of the audience one

last time, though I’m not entirely sure that’s the reason for the lights .

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this production. I didn’t really get that into the play itself,

but like I said in my post about it, I was still really excited to see the production . Walking in with

high expectations about the performance, I was not let down. As I came into the theater, I

stopped, literally gasped and let loose a big ‘WOW’ at the incredible set . The time that must

have been spent creating that just amazes me. The complex lighting rigs amazed me too. And
with such effort in the set, I realized that the performance was going to way exceed

expectations. The cast really managed to accurately portray the characters and create a deeper

experience by really getting into their roles. I enjoyed watching all the actors and actress,

whether large or small roles. Lastly, though I can’t help discussing this yet again, I really enjoyed

the audience incorporation. Even though there wasn’t much of it, I felt it really enhanced my

theater-going experience, and ended up going to see it twice .