The 1996 production of Buried Child successfully captures Sam Shepard’s play. The production does a great job of portraying the tones of the play. The characters are humorous with their dialogue and the way they act. For example, in the beginning of Act I, the conversation between Dodge and Halie is entirely comical. The way they argue over horse racing had me in fits of giggles. However, there was an obvious underlying tone of darkness, which was hinted at by the pill bottles strewn around the couch. In fact, while a lot of the conversation between Dodge and Halie was funny, parts of it was also grim. Dodge seemed to shun his sons, which was shown by how he called Bradley a snake and his disdain for Tilden. Also, even though Halie and Dodge were technically talking to each other, they weren’t really listening to each other. Their dialogue showed the disconnect between the spouses and the rest of the family. This was clear in the play but the production brought it to life.

Another way the production successfully captured the play was the way the actors brought each character to life. The play would not have been as successful or humorous without the actors. One part that I felt captured this was when Halie mentioned that Bradley was going to cut Dodge’s hair. Dodge’s script in the play was already funny but the Dodge in the production was much better. While reading the script, I could hear Dodge’s indignation but the actor took it a bit further. The actor made Dodge act like a child throwing a tantrum, which I thought was a very interesting touch. In addition, the way Dodge says “You tell Bradley that if he shows up with those clippers, I’ll separate him from his manhood!” is loads funnier than anyone can imagine while reading. Overall, the 1996 production of Buried Child was successful in portraying Sam Shepard’s play.

The 1996 production of Sam Shepard’s Buried Child brilliantly captured this dark play’s twisted themes surrounding a dysfunctional and damaged American family. I felt this production did an amazing job at expressing the true nature of the play’s setting, characters, and relationships. The ’96 production brings to life the image of the setting that Shepard describes in the beginning of the play; pill bottles are all over the table, the carpet and couch are frayed and worn, and the rural Midwestern home is perfectly displayed as described. The ’96 production sheds light on the true nature of the characters as well; you can truly see how irritated and frail Dodge is, especially in the first scene where Dodge struggles when yelling back and forth with Hallie. The visual of Dodge on the couch, looking ill and ragged while sneaking whiskey from the couch, perfectly portrays the essence of Dodge’s character. Seeing a visual of the other characters too, such as Tilden, also helps to better shine light on the true nature behind the characters. I felt the ’96 production better portrayed the simple-mindedness of Tilden than just reading the written play does. Also, the true nature of relationships was successfully expressed in this production. The true dysfunctional nature of the family is given a visual representation in the scene where a drunk Vince, Hallie, and Father Dewis come home and everyone is arguing with each other. The absence of Hallie and Dodge’s love for each other is shown in the opening scene. Also, Shelly’s strong and at times humorous presence is given visual representation in the ’96 production, especially when she screams at the entire family or runs away with Bradley’s wooden leg. The 1996 production also successfully portrayed the tones of Buried Child, such as the splashes of humor as well as the underlying darkness of the play; especially in the last scene when Dodge is dead and Hallie is screaming to him from upstairs telling him about the harvest, while a drunken Vince is sitting on the couch in Dodge’s hat (taking on the role of Dodge), and Tilden walks by with a baby’s corpse in his hands. Being able to visually see this scene shows how the ’96 production excellently captures the darkness behind the dysfunction of the flawed family destroyed by a secret that Shepard illustrated in Buried Child.

The 1996 production of Buried Child does an astonishing job at showcasing the characters and themes of Sam Shepherds play. The production was very adept at displaying the disconnection within the family and the sad truth about the American dream. Throughout the production, we could easily see how disappointed Dodge and Halie were in both of their sons since one of them was physically handicapped(Bradley) and the other was mentally handicapped (Tilden). Their dead son, Ansel, represented a hero, one who had achieved the American dream. Bradley’s tone towards Dodge and Tilden implies that there is little respect between the family members. On the other hand, Dodge’s attitude towards the corn and carrots that Tilden brings in displays his inability to accept reality and most importantly, to be optimistic. The corn and carrots represent a chance of renewal, a new beginning almost.

The first aspect that I thought was strongly portrayed was the disappearance of ethics. In the final act, Halie simply walks in with father Dewis, implying that she had an affair with him and cheated on her husband. Bradley shamelessly teases Tilden and steals Dodge’s couch while also screaming whenever he feels like it. When Shelly is in the house, the family ignores her until she decides to throw a cup and break it against the wall. Additionally, she raises her voice and begins screaming, almost mimicking the way the family members treat each other. Finally, the family was only able to recognize Vince, when he was drunk and acted like a hooligan. Essentially, the family only paid attention to an individual when they acted like them.

The second aspect that was strongly portrayed in the production were the character’s personalities. I could clearly see that Tilden was mentally damaged from his trip to New Mexico. It was obvious that he had trouble standing up for himself especially when Bradley scared him away. Dodge on the other hand, was shown to be a character that was thoroughly depressed. He constantly smoked and wanted a bottle of whiskey. Bradley  acted like a spoiled brat, as if everyone owed him something just because he was missing a leg. Finally, the personality change of Vince was made crystal clear. His calm self turned into a self-proclaimed alpha male that was going to carry out the family legacy.

Sam Shepard’s play, Buried Child, displays a strong statement on the disconnect between families. This disconnect is apparent from the moment the play begins, as Dodge is by himself in the living room, Halie is by herself in her bedroom, and Tilden is by himself in the kitchen. Although they are together, they could not be more apart. They communicate by screaming between the walls, which the actors in the 1996 production capture incredibly well. As an audience member, I could hear the whining nag that Halie’s character possesses, along with the frustration in Dodge’s when his yelling only triggers his cough, which is one of the crucial aspects that gives these characters their stage presence. When Tilden speaks to Dodge towards the beginning, his voice is distant and almost empty, like he doesn’t care what meaning his words carry. Although they are communicating with one another and in the same household, they remain very isolated from each other. Another aspect that was expertly captured in the 1996 production of this show was the closing scene. We see Vince, the “forgotten” family member, transition into the same man who was the center of the attention at the start of the play. When reading the script alone, we can create a visual of what exactly is going on, however it does not come with the same clarity that is brought when watching the production. From wrapping himself up in Dodge’s blanket and wearing his hat, to taking his seat on the sofa as the lights start to dim, he becomes the center of our attention, and also Halie’s, as she resumes the shouting at him from upstairs, out of view. We become aware instantly of how the cycle is just destined to continue starting and ending, over and over again. Through this we are led to believe that Vince will suffer the same fate as his grandfather did and the same disconnect will exist among the family.

The 1996 production of Buried Child successfully captures Sam Shepard’s nuances of the “buried child” and the disconnection within this broken family. The stage setup of the production matched Shepard’s description almost perfectly with the old furniture, tired and sick Dodge in his brown blanket, and the stairs where Hallie’s words echo down as she screams at Dodge. This very first character interaction already shows a disconnection that seems to be present both physically and mentally for all characters throughout the play. Hallie yells at Dodge from upstairs forcing him to yell back in order to communicate although he mainly ignored her and let Hallie ramble on. To drown her voice away, Dodge yells for Tilden, their oldest son who seems to need attention and care at all times because of something that happened in New Mexico. Tilden speaks quietly and monotonously with an expressionless face towards the ceiling or the audience, a disconnection with the rest of the characters, until he talks about the baby which is the only time when he raises his voice in the play. Vince and Shelly enters hoping to be welcomed by a warm family only to be disappointed and frustrated when the family doesn’t recognize Vince. Dodge throws a tantrum like a baby when Tilden “stole my[his] bottle” and disregards Vince until Vince agrees to buy a bottle of whiskey for him reinforcing the themes of disengagement and childlike behaviors. The scenes when Tilden asks to borrow Shelly’s coat which he cradles close to his chest like a baby and when Bradley enters to bully Tilden by shaking Dodge’s pills and whiny noises, Tilden cries to the similar sounds of a baby all alluding to the secret of the buried child. However, it is the very last scene when Hallie is yelling from upstairs about the vegetables in the backyard, Vince sitting on the couch unfazed, and Tilden entering with the corpse of the baby’s bones that reinforced the idea of this broken family where the characters disregards and ignores each other’s presence and speech.

In my opinion, the 1996 production of Buried Child successfully captures the essence of Sam Shepard’s play. It accurately reflects his stage directions and dialogue and on a more thematic note, it conveys the themes and messages that Shepard intended to relay. For one, Shepard hoped to illustrate a dysfunctional American family that challenged the accepted notions of domestic, nuclear relations. From the first scene, only Vince is seen, engaging in a seemingly endless yelling match. The degradation and rasp in Hallie’s voice is essential to her character. The fact that she is not on stage shows how impersonal and destroyed their romance is and her insistence that Vince strain his voice demonstrates her lack of concern for his deteriorating health. Throughout the performance, the actors’ tones are consistently strained and angry and the set design is dark and gloomy. Dreariness is exuded in every portion of the play, mimicking Shepard’s morbid writing style. Furthermore, the concept of hiding behind a mysterious reality is exquisitely portrayed. Physically, characters are oftentimes hidden. Vince is buried beneath a blanket for most of the play, also going back to the overarching secret of a buried child. The secrets within and between the characters is evident; unknown facts of the past swirl the stage’s atmosphere, but most of them are never revealed, contributing to the production’s uncertainty. The question of what happened to Tilden in New Mexico, the possibilities surrounding Ansel’s potential, and the general motif of family secrets are exemplifying of the play’s distorted reality and sense of uncertainty.