When reading, The Resistible Rise of Arturo Uiby Bertolt Brecht, I pictured the play in multiple settings with many character costumes and props. The play took place by loading docks, at a courthouse, in Old Dogsborough’s house, and even in a different town for elections. There were over twenty acting roles listed in the 100+ page script. The production of this play would have to be expensive.
The entrance to Classic Stage Company houses a coffee shop. As we walked up to the entrance, there were not any lines of people with multiple theater staff directing them. There was just a simple coffee shop with a few people inside drinking coffee and eating small desserts. Then, the doors to the theater opened and as we walked in I could not imagine how this small theater, that can probably only sit about 300 people, would produce this play. The show was composed of only eight cast members, and the stage was divided by a fence. The actors would speak through the fence at times, and establish their roles behind and in front of the fence. The chemistry of the actors was the most impressive part of the play. The way they communicated to construct different settings of the play was remarkable, especially the closing and opening of tables in a synchronized fashion.
The experience of being so close to the actors was interesting. It allows us to see all the aspects of acting, including the enunciation of words by spitting and the general energy of actors as they embody the role they are playing. (The spitting reminded me of a Friends episode when Joey meets a famous actor in a WWII movie he is part of. The actor’s main tip was to spit in order to enunciate the words. I included an image showing Joey covering his face from the spit of the more experienced actor.)
The actors did a phenomenal job of portraying their characters and at times playing multiple characters. The breaking of the fourth wall was also interesting to see in person. At different parts of the play Arturo Ui, played by Raúl Esparza, spoke to the audience as if we were the people in the community where he took over the vegetable business. There were also parts where the actors went into the audience and interreacted with each other by yelling from different sides of the theater.
Entering a theater through a coffee shop was a completely new experience. I did not expect the play to be fully developed because of the theater size and cast size but, I was wrong. The messages of the play were clearly expressed by the actors, the lighting, and the sound effects. This experience of stepping away from the large Broadway theater and going to smaller theater highlights the themes of this class. This class allows students to explore New York City in a different light, in different perspectives. New York City has been my home for my entire life, but I never truly explored the arts it had to offer. There is more than the “mainstream” New York City experience. The Classic Stage Company proved that every part of New York contains art that is worth experiencing and exploring.
The picture above is the audience exiting the theater.
