One of the things that I feel an audience can neglect to think about is the planning and the great attention to detail that goes into creating everything that is seen on stage. Jo Mielziner's memoir about designing Death of a Salesman is an excellent example of the process of how a production is created. Jo's level of detail in his memoir really gave me a mental picture of how the stage, the props, and lighting might look for this production. I feel that minimizing props was a good decision, because it allows the audience to fill in the rest of the scene with their imaginations. The decision to get rid of the headstone was a good choice. I can imagine sitting in the audience and being distracted at the headstone coming out of nowhere and I know that I would miss some of the meaning of that final scene.
I definitely agree with Mielziner's opinion about lighting, that it has the opportunity to be flexible, yet expressive and creative. The use of leaf projections to symbolize the openness of the past I do not feel was the best option. I would have liked to see some sky blue incorporated, because I feel that trees can also act a lot like the buildings the Willy despised and cut off the house from the air and the sunlight.
I agree that it is very easy to overlook the small but very critical decisions made by designers and directors to make a scene in a show come to life. This disregard for detail that we sometimes have, however, can speak volumes for the quality of the production being performed and its scene design. As an audience we are looking at the overall effect of the components in the scene and how everything flows together to make a comprehensive story...and personally if this can happen without much notice as to 'how', I think a lot of credit should be given to the designers. On the other hand, paying close attention to these details certainly gives us a greater appreciation for the show itself and helps to illuminate some of the more obscure intricacies and themes of the play. Either way, I agree that good design and attention to detail immensely improves the quality of any show! :)
ReplyDelete