The Miracle Worker by William Gibson is a play about the childhood of a well-known
American heroine, Helen Keller. Not only does the play focus on the difficult life Helen went through before she was able to communicate with the outside world, it also focuses on her teacher, Annie Sullivan. The play starts off when Helen is sixth months old, just overcoming some sickness (it’s believed it may have been scarlet fever or meningitis). Her mother, played by Jennifer Morrison, discovers that her baby daughter is deaf and blind when she doesn’t react to any hand signals or loud screams (the reaction to finding out Helen couldn’t see her). The scene quickly changes to a time when Helen is at least five years of age. Instead of a plastic baby doll to portray Helen, she is now played by the famous Abigail Breslin. Everyone in the Keller family spoils the child because they don’t know what else to do with her. They insist on getting a nanny so they won’t have to deal with her as much, and hope that Helen will also learn some manners with her new companion.
The play now switches focus from Helen Keller to Annie Sullivan. Like Helen, Annie grew up blind, but with intensive surgeries, she was able to regain some eye sight. From early on in the play, the audience can sense Annie has gone through some rough times because she continues to have flash backs to her assumedly dead brother, Jimmie. These hard times led Annie to have a tough character, and gave her a “never give up” attitude. At the beginning of her relationship with Helen, things don’t go as easily as hoped. The family is very hard to get along with because they don’t fully agree with her methods. Constantly, throughout the play, she bickers with Captain Keller, the father played by Matthew Modine, which brings humor to the script. Though she’s in a tough situation, Annie keeps insisting on her ways and, in the end, is able to get through to Helen.
Abigail Breslin is an Academy Award winner. She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Little Miss Sunshine. She’s the first 10 year old to even be nominated for an Academy Award. Her performance in The Miracle Worker was really good. Though Helen doesn’t talk for the entire show, her one “word” comes at the end: “wawa”, Abigail does really well expressing the emotions Helen must have been experienced. She showed frustration, love, anger, and satisfaction all by stomping her feet, screaming, and smiling. It would have been nice to see Miss Breslin perform with words, but she did an impeccable job in the part she played as a deaf, blind, mute child – no easy task!.
The set for The Miracle Worker is an interesting one. The Circle in the Square theatre has a stage in the center with the audience sitting around it. Not being a conventional stage, moving the tables and other props would have been difficult. Instead, the props hung from
the ceiling, descending when needed. The doors rose up from the floor when needed as well. At each scene change, music would play and the lights would go off, just like in all other shows.
The end scene was most emotional. Hearing Helen speak for the first time comes as a shock to the characters in the play, but is an obvious ending to those watching. When realizing that “wawa” is water, she realizes that all the other words that Annie taught to her (by signing letters into her hand) meant things as well. Helen’s recognition of her mother, father, and finally Annie (as her teacher), is extremely moving.
The Miracle Worker
April 2, 2010
Circle in the Square
Marina B. Nebro
