Gem Of The Ocean Analysis

The play Gem of The Ocean overall was a great production, although this paper is not suppose to be about what I liked or disliked about the play. For the simple fact that I don’t regularly go and watch plays; just going to this one made me realize how well put together plays are. From the acting, the design and the direction of the play were all amazing to me. This paper is to inform any reader that the actor selection was a great pick, the design was effective in a numerous amount of ways and the direction of the play was undoubtedly astounding. I feel the cast of the play were very effective in playing the roles given. Troy McCray, casted as Citizen Barlow really caught my attention. Although living in the era we’re in now; referring to
everything being hi-tech the play gave me the actual feel that I was in the same time period as it displayed. The dialect used was something I admired; which at the same time was something that also made the play so affective. Listening to them talk to one another without skipping over lines was amazing because they had to bring the character to life and make it as if it were actually them. I find it quite intriguing for the fact that the actors and actresses were speaking in a way that we don’t do now, and to be able to do so made the play all the more better. Troy McCray or Citizen Barlow I felt was the main focal point of the entire play, he seemed to be the one getting into the most action or conflict. What I thought was ineffective or not necessary was all of the excessive running and chopping of the feet. I couldn’t figure out if he was always in a hurry to do something or if was he always nervous, it ultimately put me in a state of confusion. The design of the play was unique after I had to be informed on what it really was.
I thought that I was just a regular home but come to find out it was actually suppose to symbolize a boat. I was told that on the left side of the stage or “Stage right” had railing at the top such as a boat and the blue lighting to symbolize water or the oceanic feel. Giving the set a feel of a home was created perfectly, it actually gave me the visual of being in my grandmothers’ home. I also felt that the set was boring to look at, and that the cast made the background work. It could be the possibility that I am a neophyte to going to plays, but the fact that it was set in one place bored me. The last play I’ve seen would have been something I seen early High School or the end of middle school, and what I remember is that the set would be changed occasionally. What worked for me would have to be the fact that the crew made the background work. They stretched the stage and used practically everything on the stage to show me different views of the set. Another reason I feel the background was such a bore could have been to force us (the audience) to pay attention to the cast and the plot rather the background. The bones being the most precious thing in the ocean would be a perfect form of symbolization. During that era bones were more precious and valuable to them and would symbolize the what the Gem
is. The director made the right choices in the actors. At the end of the play when I left the auditorium I noticed a script on the outside that had the accolades of the actors and actresses. From what I seen they were more than qualified. Before I even went to go and see the play I watched a couple advertisements of the production on youtube and seen a session of the play being directed. Seeing that it showed some things of how they were suppose to move and make different things happen to create an illusion or anything towards that nature. It doesn’t actually show the director Mikell Pinkney interacting with the cast but watching the production I believe he did a wonderful job in preparing them for each night and having them ready for adversities that occurred during it’s show time. The way the stage is set up is considered to be a Proscenium Theatre; which has the audience on one side of the stage; generally in the front. With this type of stage setting blocking was pretty much prevented. In every scene everyone’s face was visible and we were enabled to see what was going on. It was a part of the play that I think is considered blocking; it’s when the fictional character Citizen Barlow first appeared on the scene and bum-rushed Eli whom is played by Ryan Johnson-Travis to get in the house. It was a part when the two got into a little scuffle and Citizens’ cap was knocked off of his head, Ryan had his back turned to the crowed as the act was committed.