Greenwich Theatre: Be My Baby Essay -- Drama

Greenwich Theatre Be My BabyStaging=======The audience was seated in a square u shape around the square horizontal surface,which set about the audience at a right angle. There were two exits, oneat right back and one at left back stage with room to walk betweenthem. There was a curtain in the style of a hospital ward, which waspulled around one of the exits the exact one depended on the scene,which worked well when it was pulled across the whole stage when Marywas giving birth.The stage was set out with all the scenery incorporated into one set,this included the laundry, Matrons dapple and Mary and QueeniesBedroom. When extra scenery was needed, for example, laundry baskets,they had wheels fixed to the bottom so they could be wheeled in andout with ease as needed. The lighting was rattling effective in that itmade the set look like a hospital ward. It also showed the differenttimes of day, as there were different act upon behind the window,orange for daybreak, and to set the ti me of year and temperature.TheatreThe theatre was quite small making the audience aspect more intimatewith the mould. Also, the size of it of the theatre meant that all of theaudiences attention was focused on the actors. There was a tensionbetween the girls when Mary first enters the home. They build theaudience up to a climax when Mary Gives birth, using the curtain as ascreen as if in a hospital. The play highlighted the problems faced bypregnant girls in the 60s.The theatre, itself was different to those I am used to, it felt morewelcoming to walk down a warmly lit narrow staircase. Towards anintimate pose area where the staff showed the audience to theirseats in a similar way to that used in a cinema.CharactersMaryMary was portrayed as a bright girl with more confidence than Iimagined her to have when I read the script. She walked with her chinup and her back straight. She seemed to be less kind with Queeniethan I thought she should. She also seemed to be a bit too snobbis hand above everyone else. She spoke with a predominantly Englishaccent, which abruptly changed to blue when she first entered thehome, however, after the interval, it changed back again. Mary seemedvery set in her ways and to the point in the way that she wasportrayed. If Mary were an animal, she would be a peacock butterfly as they ar... ... directingthe play, I would make her less confident and more eager to fit in.Also, if Mary was seven months pregnant, her father wouldve noticedso she would habilitate in baggy clothes or clothes that were too big forher, however, she entered the home wearing a fairly tight skirt andjacket set.The play highlights the problems and flaws in 1960s society, whatpregnant girls had to go through and their feelings. They used thestereotypical northern teenager and divided it into four, addingfeelings and history. Setting the play in northern England, usingnorthern accents makes the girls sound backwards and poor.Audience ReactionsThe audience laugh ed mainly at Dolores. Norma made the audiencenervous and made them pity her. Mary made the audience feel as if theycould relate to her. Queenie was the leader of the girls, and so ledthe audience into the home and into the other girls lives. Matronmade the audience look up to her, as she was responsible for cart trackthe home. Mrs. Adams made the audience feel sorry for her to have togive up her own daughter, but at the same time hated for being soobsessed by her status and what others would think of her.