Labyrinth Play Analysis

Labyrinth is a play written by Beth Steel. It was shown at the Hampstead Theatre in London. The first thing I encountered when I entered the theatre was the stage. It was in the center of the theater, which makes it entertaining for the audience to enjoy it at any side. This stage design is defined as traverse. Another aspect I encountered in the performance were the props and how limited it was. Props that they used include nation’s flags, the trap and steel doors, and the lighting. The traverse stage and the design of the set allowed for a more engaging and intimate performance. Physical wise, the stage was not big which makes it a challenge for the performers to not block anything for the audience. Overall, the traverse stage and the design …show more content…
A type of lighting that they used a lot was flickering, it helped give the audience an understanding about the mental disintegration of John’s mind. The flickering scene was used when John was opening the cubicle door and a six-foot seal and penguin are attempting to have sex. They were staring at John and John was staring back so he closed the door. This showed that his mind is falling apart. Another form of lighting that was used in the play was darkness. Whenever the play was changing from one scene to the other, they turned off the lights for a few seconds and when they turned them on again a new scene started. A scene where they do this is at the beginning of the play after the interview John has with Howard, the tech crew turns off the lights and within a few seconds John is in the office with …show more content…
By reading the play, the narrator’s text basically gives you an opportunity to pinpoint the conflicts. On the other hand, I actually understand the non- italicized text when I was watching the live production. This is because the scene change within the scene gave me a clear organization on what is occurring throughout the play. Simply reading the play, it gave me the opportunity to interpret it on my own, which is difficult because you can encounter several interpretations which can make you easily confused. On the other hand, by watching the play in the front row, I was able to encounter how John work and what was on his mind throughout the play. Overall, I think that the playbook was better than the production, there were points in the play where the actors and actresses did not have a strong American accent which made it difficult for the audience to comprehend with. There were numerous of light changes that made me get a headache just like what John Anderson was dealing