I feel as though the 1996 production of Buried Child successfully captures the play by Shephard. It accurately portrays the characters and the tone of the play. Much of this was due to the actors. They captured their respective characters so well that I felt like I was watching a family discussion that I shouldn’t be a witness to – like when your friend’s parents begin yelling at them while you’re at their house and you want to be anywhere but there at that moment. They depicted the dark and uncomfortable quality of the household very well.
The first interaction we encounter, is a scream-off between Dodge and Hallie. Dodge’s gruff voice while yelling to Hallie in the other room shows how weak and vulnerable he is while the way spit flies out of his mouth while coughing makes his weakness and vulnerability much more realistic. The speed at which Tilden talks shows how he not only “wasted away” physically but mentally, too. Had the actor talked at a normal pace, it wouldn’t have had the same effect. Seeing the look on Vince’s face when his family fails to recognize him makes the situation feel even more uncomfortable than it was when I imagined his expression. The way he could appear so nonchalant while dangling his uncle’s wooden leg over his head. The script may have given them their lines but the way it was executed them and their interactions is what allowed the production to successfully portray the dark tone of Shephard’s play.
