Coast Of Illyria Play Analysis

On Thursday, 14 April, my wife and I attended the opening night of Coast of Illyria, presented by the Theatre Department, in Drake Union at The Ohio State University. We arrived early and were seated center stage, front row. We had already read this play in class and I hoped it wouldn't spoil the story-telling that was about to unfold. Early in the play, we were introduced to some main characters, like Charles and Mary Lamb. Being familiar with the script, I knew the characters and what was about to take place. However, when discussing with my wife, who had no prior knowledge of the show, she pointed out a given circumstance that was made confusing by the casting choice. When Fanny, played by Khala Tisdale, was presented, my wife had asked me if the play was about an inter-racial couple. This simply confused the opening message about their relationship. However, kudos goes to the director, Shilarna Stokes, who accentuated the “character”
acting by not casting Fanny's mother according to race. This allowed the story to be told and based the casting on their acting abilities and not preconceptions or social norm. Another concept that was used in the show fell short of its intended effect on the audience.
The tableaux before each scene was useless to me. After discussions it was apparent they were trying to portray significant scenes from the play. Not only was this effect lost on me, but it also distracted me. I was more concerned with the movement and synchronous stopping as well as the music being played. I paid no attention to scene representation of the tableaux itself. The mood was frantically paced with a humorous beginning. As the play moved along, there was a sense of a dark overtone setting in. By the final act, it was apparent that the happiness and lighthearted moments were over. The show ended with Mary being controlled in a makeshift straight-jacket. There were scenes where Mary lost control. Sarah Lawler did an excellent job of capturing those moments, turning the lights and displaying a disorienting barrage of colored lights. I thought these accentuated Mary's state, which didn't come across as clearly in the
script. The show really was built on heaps and triggers. It was a train-wreck that was waiting to happen from the word “go.” Zack Meyer's character, Charles, attempted to make everything right in his house, from his sister's return, his friends drug use to his own relationship. It was a series of follies that he didn't account for, that forced, seemingly, every circumstance to come undone. He also never accounted for Mary's feelings of him having another interest. Finally it was his debacle of trying to cover up his family and belligerent friends, as well as himself, from his girlfriends mother. That perpetuated misunderstanding and innuendo which added the greatest amount of disaster of the evening. The resulting actions left Charles and Mary alone, with Mary in a broken down state. Overall, I enjoyed this show. The levity in the opening scenes further progressed into darker scenes showing diversity and skill in the level of acting. It also challenged the design crew to tell the story and coincided with the script. It was apparent, after watching this play and reviewing the script in class, at how much analysis and research goes into making a successful production.