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What did you guys think was the significance of having many of the female characters played by men and vice versa?
I think that the role reversal was a very interesting choice and I like the fact that they decided to perform the play that way. It made me wonder whether the play was written that way specifically to include men played by women and women played by men, or whether it was something that the Atlantic Theater Company decided to do on their own. On the other hand, it may not even be a conscious choice. Either way, I think it added to the meaning of the play in many ways. It definitely added to the exaggeration of societal stereotypes in the time periods, specifically in the first act. It really drove home the satire of the first act, showing how British society at that time had very unrealistic expectations of people. Additionally, it added another comedic element to an already funny play and displayed the skill of the actors in portraying a variety of roles.
I was also wondering the same thing about whether the role of Betty was meant to be played by a man and the role of Edward to be played by a woman. It was a bit confusing and shocking at the start of the play, but as the plot developed it seemed to fit in with the main theme that the writer was trying to demonstrate concerning identity and social norms. Although we know that Betty is a woman and Edward is a boy, by having the role reversals the audience is able to further understand the characters’ identities aided by implications made and personality as well as a visual indication. I think that this was also done to have historical accuracy to some degree since Edward, for example, would be seen as feminine, different and “girly” (as called by Joshua) because he liked playing with dolls. However, with the transition in Act II, Edward is played by a man to show the change in society’s view towards homosexuals. In Act I, Clive states that Harry is “disgusting” for his homosexual acts and Betty rejects Ellen. In Act II, Betty talks about her knowledge of Lin, Victoria and Edward’s relationship but seems to accept it. Aside from this impact in my reading of the play, the role reversal was also added for ironic and comedic effect.
Something worth noting is that the same actor who played Betty in the first act played Edward in the second, and vice versa. Do you think this has any sort of significance? In addition to supporting the theme of role reversal, I feel like this also draws a strong connection between the two characters. Both Edward and Betty are central to the plot throughout the entire play, and both embody the major themes of repression, freedom, and social norms. I think the casting of these two roles was done on purpose to draw our attention to the similarities between these characters – what do you guys think?
The “Cloud Nine” performance by the Atlantic Theater Company at Linda Gross Theater was Great!
One of its main themes seems to be the confusion of gender, which Churchill represents by letting the men play women, and the women play men. Uncle Harry, for example, has nontraditional relationship with a little boy. Churchill shows that matching physical identity with the true sexuality is one of the challenges that people face in life.
Clive tries to hold power over the relationships among his family members. Clive strongly believes that nontraditional sexual identity is a sickness that can be cured with proper discussions and conversations with the patient. One of the main “lenses” that reveal the identities of the characters in Act 2 is the hide and seek game, during which we found out a lot of irregularities in sexual relationships and identities – most of them had to do with Uncle Harry. Act 2 happens in a new setting, and Clive is no longer there, so the rest of the characters – Victoria, Betty, and Edward continue trying to find their true identity.
I really liked the beginning, because the characters introduced the play to us by singing.
This was my first time in the theater, and it was very different from what I imagined and expected, however, I really enjoyed it.
Unfortunately, taking pictures was not allowed there. I took only one picture during the ten minute break, and it is attached to this post.
The experience was… New…
Thank You For Reading This!
Lior Agaronov
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