Analysis Of A Behanding In Spokane

Going into A Behanding in Spokane, I anticipated not liking the show. My horizon of expectations had been built up by numerous warnings that there would be excess violence and crass language (not for nothing, because plenty of rude language was indeed present), so I was prepared not enjoy the show at all. I was not nearly as shocked by the language A Behanding in Spokane as I though I was going to be. It was a key aspect of the production, and something important would have been missing if it had been less severe. The only thing that I can’t fully accept is the use of “Jesus Christ” as an expletive. I think it’s extremely disrespectful, and although the characters were disrespectful people, I don’t like the use of that phrase. I also found …show more content…
The intimacy provided by the cellar theatre made the set all the more real; the audience was just as involved with the show as the actors were. Since the audience was so close to the stage, the actors had to be completely engaged the entire time (which they were). If there were any restrictions caused by the tight space, I couldn’t tell; the set was everything it should have been. The costumes were nice as well. I think that they matched the characters, which doesn’t surprise me since the cast told us in class that they had a hand in picking out their outfits. I actually imagined Carmichael in something similar to what he actually wore on stage, and I was again impressed by the details on Mervyn’s hotel …show more content…
The girl who played Marilyn is a fantastic actress, but I didn’t like how ditzy her character was; I prefer stronger female leads. Carmichael, in my opinion, was outshone by his fellow cast-mates because he isn’t as funny of a character; his seriousness serves to anchor the show, and he was nevertheless an important character. Both projection and comedic timing were handled perfectly by the cast. Because the actors (with the exception of Carmichael) were students, I don’t think that they necessarily had all of the life experience necessary to truly relate to their characters, but that didn’t take away from their portrayal. Most of the characters were fairly young and the script didn’t focus a lot on life events; instead, it focused on comedy, which the young actors pulled off perfectly. I think that a college student playing Carmichael would have detracted from the character, so I’m very glad that the director chose to cast a more mature actor who was able to handle the corporeality of he character’s missing hand better than an inexperienced