Tings Dey Happen, the Dan Hoyle Show
I walk into the theater, take my seat and wait for the performance to begin. It begins. Yet, there is only one person on stage and he starts to act out the numerous characters of the play. It turns out to be a one-man show. This was discouraging at first, but as the play progressed one became more captivated and allured by Dan Hoyle’s performance. It turned out to be an excellent play. The idea of having one man portray and illustrate about 15 unique characters sounds challenging and borderline impossible, but Dan Hoyle successfully pulled if off. Hoyle had a specific pose for every character complemented by a specific voice tone. Thus, it was easy to know when Hoyle was switching character and whom he was switching to. The only challenge for the audience was remembering who each character was, so one’s memory had to be acute. Moreover, the plot was luminous enough to keep the audience engaged and attentive.
An audience of educated individuals was easily able to understand the circumstances that Dan Hoyle was portraying: oil politics and the abuse of oil companies in Nigeria. The play was as much entertaining as educational, through the play the audience learned about the hostilities in Nigeria due to oil politics. Furthermore, the audience plays somewhat of an active role in the play because they are Dan Hoyle, the student scholar who is going to Nigeria. Therefore, the plot was engaging and witty, especially the diction and syntax of the play; it makes one feel as if they were actually in Nigeria for the two hours that Dan Hoyle performed.
Dan Hoyle’s ability to perform for two hours illustrates his amazing memory and craft. An impressive two hours to say the least, he memorized every line and did not need to second-guess himself. What’s more, he also memorized each character he would turn into and the pose that belonged to that character, an accomplishment in and of itself. Consequently, one leaves the play satisfied with having witnessed superb acting.
Hoyle’s surroundings also complemented his performance. The stage was all black and he was also dressed in black. The correct choice, because it took attention away from the stage and put it on him, the person the audience needed to watch and listen to.
In all, the play was a success and anyone would enjoy it; just watching one man display so many characters and unravel a story to an audience is appealing enough. Even though one might be surprised to find out that it’s a one-man show, in the end one would appreciate the play more because of this. The performance that Dan Hoyle supplied was better than any performance a group of actors could have done. Overall, “Tings Dey Happen” is a must see in order to broaden one’s view of what a play is as well as learn about what is occurring in the world outside the United States and one’s sphere of life.