Huwebes, Marso 24, 2011

Literary Review- "The Dancers"

The Dancers

Watching plays really entertain me; and the experience I had last Saturday, 26th of February, was so great that I would actually want some more. There is no doubt that each group performed really well; all the actors and actresses gave justice to every character they portray, but there is one play which did not just entertained me, but really impressed me, and that is the play “The Dancers”.

The story is actually a direct portrayal of the lives of some Filipino families, especially those who are financially handicapped. It is a story of a poor family where a spendrift father is obliging his children to work and earn a living for the family. First, it was his oldest son who started working for the family as a jeepney driver, while his father would often ask a part from what he earned and spend it all drinking and enjoying with women at the bar. Nena, the eldest daughter, was made to work as well, but at the bar where she works as a dancer. Later on in the story, it was the youngest daughter, Nenita, whom their father sent to go with her sister at the bar, for the intention of having her work there in the future. The story ended up with the mother not being able to do something to stop his husband.

Just as what was mentioned above, every character from the play portrayed their role effectively. They were very convincing that you can’t afford to miss every line or scene they are going to deliver. The lead characters, most especially, were very convincing and the board of judges surely agrees with me. The girl portrayed the role of the mother was so great that she was hailed “Best Actress” while the one who played the role of the father , in his effective portrayal was then hailed as “Best Actor”. The play was so good; everybody was doing well, there was a good shifting of the story; all the characters were speaking with a well modulated voice; they all exhibit good facial reactions;’ there was a good execution of gestures, good shifting of  the tone of voice (based on their emotion) and everybody was so consistent with their act.

Of course, the play would not stand alone. The characters made use of props which helped them do better in their portrayal of the assigned role. The props used were simple yet functional. On the other hand, the set was so simple which dictates the simplicity of the life of the family; but I think that it could have been better if the story was played inside the house, other than that, everything was good.

Another feature that added to the flavor of the play is the costumes of the characters. Everything was simple which then fits the characters’ personality as dictated by the flow of the story. Lighting was also utilized well. The effect was good and so the group also got the award for “Best Lighting”. It was also notable in the play that they made use of limited yet very effective sound effects and that I guess added to the simplicity of the whole presentation. The play went on smoothly and the group was able to lessen the predictability of the events that took place.

There will never be a perfect performance/ presentation, but then there will always be a good one. I guess all the six groups did really well, but we cannot deny the fact that each of them has their own set of flaws and imperfections. As for the play “The Dancers”, some notable points for improvement that I could suggest is that, it could have been better if the setting of the story is a place inside the house because based from the presentation, the characters seemed by standers who are arguing outside someone else’ house. Another is that, the character of the youngest son, Juanito, should have been given ample chance to be portrayed because from the presentation, his character was not given much emphasis.

To sum it up, the play was really good. It gave the characters an opportunity to hone their craft and more importantly, it gave them the chance to be recognized for their talent. I would say that the group really deserves all the awards because the presentation is well- balanced and it reflected that every single detail was so taken cared of.

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