1996 Production of “Buried Child”
The 1996 production of Buried Child perfectly captures Shepard’s play by highlighting the cacophony and disengagement within this family through the actors’ perfect use of tone and volume. The performance begins with an interaction between Dodge and his wife Halie. In the written play, Halie is nagging Dodge to take “a pill” for his cough, all the while forcing him to converse with her thus aggravating his cough and increasing his irritation. You can see how disagreeable they are to each other based on the language, he uses simple, sometimes passive aggressive statements to respond to her much longer statements. She conveys her frustration towards him by being insulting for example when he answers that the rain looks like rain she is appalled and asks if he is having a seizure thus making a rude comment on his cognitive abilities. Through diction, we are able to understand their distaste for each other because it’s written in front of us. However, when something is spoken aloud tone and volume can account for the majority of the meaning we take away from certain statements. Luckily the anger between these characters is perfectly highlighted by the way the actors shouted gratingly at each other, especially when Dodge would cough violently.They facilitated an environment of discord, which is prevalent throughout the entire play, through their delivery of their lines. Tilden’s actor, for example, averted eye contact with his father and spoke with a low timid voice, even while trying to explain his experience in New Mexico which expresses a desire for closeness, for someone in their family to give him understanding but also cannot seem to connect to the people around them. This was also made clear where dodge was asking Tilden and even Shelly almost desperately to stay with him. To not “abandon” him. This was all expressed through an increasingly pleading tone which contrasted the usual tone of anger typically used amongst the characters. The contrast between polarizing anger and a very human need for closeness that is conveyed by their tones contributes to the theme of dissonance.
There is also a preoccupation with the past that is evident within the written play and costume choices in the live version. For example, in the very beginning, Halie fondly remembers a horse race she attended with a breeder. She repeats the word “Wonderful” in relation to the breeder-man, the race itself, winning money and describes the entire event as “dancing with life.” This implies a past that is much more vivacious than her present life thus indicating a fascination for the past. The 1996 production really allows us to this idea of wanting things to be as they were when Halie returns from “lunch” with Father Dewis with red hair when she originally had white hair. This shows that she does what she can to bring herself back to her youth, back before she was married and the issues relating incest and infanticide plagued her life. She willfully deludes herself. Because this costume choice is so striking and odd, it is representative of the delusional and ridiculous nature of the family’s belief that they can go back to a time before their crimes were committed.
1996 Production of Buried Child
The 1996 production on Buried Child added a new dimension to Sam Shepherd’s play, in that the printed words from the dialogue were brought to life with the employment of human expression and body language. The characters were given faces, and their conversations were given voice. When the play began with the scene between Hallie and Dodge, my first thought was that their voices annoyed me. The grating yelling of Hallie accompanied by Dodge’s hoarse cough-laden speech made me grind my teeth; I did not experience such strong emotions when I was reading the script in my head. I pictured small things individually, as they were described in the stage directions, but I realized when taking in the entirety of the stage that my imaginings were not vivid enough. Little things like a hole in the blanket would catch my attention suddenly, and this served to further cement me in the moment; it drew me into the scene in a way that the script couldn’t. Intonations in the language were not something I considered very much when reading the dialogue, but when they were present in the play I understood that they added vibrancy to the story and further distinguished the characters in my mind. Their personalities were amplified through facial expressions and bodily mannerisms, and my interpretations on the personas described in the script became clearer. Tilden was the one who affected me the most with his facial expressions, I felt that out of all the other characters his eyes held the most emotion. Their distant, glazed look emphasized his muddled mental state, which I felt made his lines more powerful as he delivered them. It was also the noises on the stage that added life to the script; the banging of the doors, the sounds of Bradley’s Heavy prosthetic leg stomping about, and the movements up and down the stairs all made the fake set look lived in. The addition of all these elements filled in the spaces between the lines of the dialogue, and gave a more concrete image to the concept of “family.”
Buried Child
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.
Sam Shepard’s Buried Child
The 1996 production of Buried Child was very successful in putting Sam Shepard’s script into action. The production did a very veritable job of following and expressing Shepard’s cues in writing and the implicit motifs. One of Shepard’s goals was to show an intensely flawed American family and his play script and the production demonstrated this very lucidly. One motif observed throughout the play is disillusionment. We see this with how Dodge and Halie two sons have never stood up to their expectations, how Dodge was a farmer but he hasn’t been a successful one for decades, also Hallie’s disappointment over Ansel and what he could have been if he had not died. We understand that this family has a weak economic situation and this is portrayed well by the set and props of the production. We see a bland worn down house and props such as a damaged TV, we see Dodge’s blanket had holes in it and they clearly did not have much furniture. Disappointment is considered a very negative mood, in this play Shepard creates a dull and/or wearisome mood. This is portrayed in the production by the dreary lighting and the way their characters speak. For example when in the beginning when Dodge speaks to his wife he coughs or smokes and we can easily tell that it is draining him to scream in reply to her constant yelling. We also notice some irony here how Halie keeps yelling from upstairs for Dodge to take his pills which will reduce his coughing, but she is making him yell and strain himself which is making the coughing worse. She clearly has the option of coming downstairs and speaking to him so he doesn’t have to exhaust his health even further, but she doesn’t. The theme of a dysfunctional family is also portrayed in the play and production. The relationships in this family are frustrating and not at all ideal. We clearly see the weak relationship between Dodge and Halie from the beginning, then we see the relationship between Tilden and Dodge is also strained as Dodge wishes that his son would support himself and not depend on him. Also traditionally Dodge is expected to make the money in the house, or at least his grown children, but neither seem to step up. Dodge is sick and does not do anything to support his family and the last time he farmed anythings was decades ago. The production made him seem depressed by showing drinking and smoking and just generally doing nothing, he seems to realize his failures with his family and their economic situation. The other relationships between the family members are also abnormal as there are many secrets are hidden in this unorthodox family dynamic. There is a lot of anger and stress in these relationships and is clearly expressed in their dialogues, as many of the conversations involve yelling. Overall the production effectively encapsulated everything that Shepard’s play intended to get across and reflected on Shephard’s themes of disillusionment and nontraditional family dynamics.
Buried Child
Buried Child was equally dark and horrifying in script and in the 1996 Broadway production. From the get-go, the play is witty; Dodge and Halie are bickering in a way that’s all too familiar. However, it was very different watching it than it was reading it. In my head, the interaction went much faster. The groans and shouts were quicker, simply humorous. While watching the film, I kept wishing that it would go faster because it was exhausting watching Dodge- almost as exhausting as it must have felt for Dodge. It was almost as if the film wanted us to feel as stuck in time as the family was. Any theme of abandonment was amplified in the film because there was a clear emptiness. From the beginning, it was strange watching Dodge sitting alone while Halie screamed from the top of the stairs. Even though I knew she was offstage, it was easier to see how alone the characters were on film. Dodge and his sons rarely were close to each other. It seemed like the closest characters got to each other (besides the affair between Father Dewis and Halie) was when Bradley stuck his fingers in Shelly’s mouth.
Which brings us to another moment- what was up with the fingers in Shelly’s mouth? It was offsetting to read, but even more uncomfortable to watch. It was more aggressive than I imagined and so slow. In that moment, Bradley is powerful and threatening, but we see that followed by him powerless after he loses his leg, dragging himself all around the living room. The shift in power is much easier to keep your eye on in the film. You see the physical decay of Vince, the gradual comfort that Shelley begins to feel, how pathetic Father Dewis is. The production plays up the dynamics of the characters or at least forces you to really take notice.
Buried Child
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.
1996 Production of Sam Shepard’s “Buried Child”
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.
Buried Child – The great Renewal
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.
Café Muller and The Rite of Spring
Cafe Muller and The Rite of Spring are seeming opposites. Cafe Muller began quietly, slowly. One may not have even realized the dance had begun, as at first, there was no bright stage lighting, only the sound of the dancer bumping into a chair brought your attention down to the floor. The piece was often very quiet, with slow movements, periodically interrupted by quick, dramatic, loud and repetitive actions. What astonished me most researching this play was the fact that Bausch made most of the dancers dance with their eyes closed. I think this speaks to the incredible amount of trust between the group, and the emotional work that goes into creating a production of the sort. I have never been to an interpretative dance performance before, and throughout the piece I was frantically searching for a meaning, a connection between the spontaneous pieces. The best connection I could relate the play to was relationships. Stumbling blindly through the darkness, moments of peace and love, but also ones of dramatic chaos.
The Rite of Spring contrasts greatly with Cafe Muller. I’d regard it as more of a traditionally choreographed dance, with a lot more, well, dance. And this is supported by David Jays’ statement, where he says, ” From Bluebeard (1977) onwards, Bausch abandoned development and progression: all her subsequent pieces are loose, unpredictable montages of scenes, strung together by free association. The Rite of Spring was set prior to her shift in development, and Cafe Muller post. I greatly enjoyed this piece, due to its set, realism, and interactions between dancers. The Rite of Spring was originally premiered in 1913 in Paris, but Bausch took said piece and transformed it into a feminist statement, where the chosen one, (the woman in the red dress), is sacrificed to the misogynistic men. And you could truly see the attitudes of the dancers on stage towards her. Once she put the red dress on, the women avoided her, seemingly disavowing her existence, while the men idolized her.
But while I’d like to say that Cafe Muller and The Rite of Spring differed in every right, that would not be correct. They both were dramatic, quick, sometimes violent displays of emotion, greatly challenging the audience in interpreting their message. And this was largely their point. Bausch herself stated, “It is almost unimportant whether a work finds an understanding audience. One has to do it because one believes that it is the right thing to do. We are not only here to please, we cannot help challenging the spectator.” Bausch tells a story with her work, and we the audience try our best to understand what she is saying. And I understand her mentality in that statement. When I am writing a script or filming, I don’t want to explicitly state my message. I try to run the audience through different emotions, clues, bits and pieces that they have to piece together. I don’t believe a message can have full impact unless the audience pieces together its meaning and conclusion themselves.
Buried Child
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.
