The real thrill happened March 7th at the B. Iden Payne Theater with the production of Gondal, written by Kimberly Belflower and produced by the University of Texas New Theatre. With three different worlds and time periods being presented at once, there was no time to blink. The play overall is a ride to darkness. The lights, costumes, and background music do a great job of portraying its wildness; however, the script itself needs polishing to reach the potential it has. There needs to be more background of each world and a smoother connection between them in order to make the ride more intriguing.
Quick Summary of Play: Escaping from their current realities, Lainey (Adriana Scamardi), Emily (Annemarie Alaniz), and Kimberly (Lina Chambers) …show more content…
Gondal, the imaginary-dark character, is a key element of the play. The work done to bring Gondal to live should be noted, as it adds obscurity to the character and the play. Visually, it helps the audience see the darkness within the main characters’ imaginations. For the historical perspective, Gondal does a great job in portraying the different time periods with costumes. From the moment the Bronte family takes the stage, the audience makes the connection that they must be from a different time period from that of Lainey and Kimberly’s. There, however, should be a more visual element added to Emily’s costume that characterizes her as the outsider of her family. The costume designer, Lirit Pendell, does a great job at doing this with Kimberly and Lainey. Lainey’s boyish look and Kimberly’s unique choice of patterns in her outfit allow for the audience to connect each their characters to their looks.
Lights and background music:
As any suspenseful play could tell you, lights and background music are very important. The choice of lighting and music in Gondal helped set the tone throught the entire play. The obscure lighting used when Kimberly, Lainey, and Emily connect shows the sensibility being portrayed. Also, the music used in the scene shift where Lainey is with her friends at the roller-skating rink is very important. The playlist evokes positive feelings in the audience and makes them feel as if they …show more content…
Kimberly Belflower is an original playwright as she shows her dark thoughts through her two main characters. With its great use of imagination, the lights, costumes, and background music do a great job of portraying its wildness; however, the script itself needs more background and smoother transitions. As an audience member it was great seeing the great work and thought that was put into the play. Overall, the play has the potential to be something great, it just needs works.
Works
Quick Summary of Play: Escaping from their current realities, Lainey (Adriana Scamardi), Emily (Annemarie Alaniz), and Kimberly (Lina Chambers) …show more content…
Gondal, the imaginary-dark character, is a key element of the play. The work done to bring Gondal to live should be noted, as it adds obscurity to the character and the play. Visually, it helps the audience see the darkness within the main characters’ imaginations. For the historical perspective, Gondal does a great job in portraying the different time periods with costumes. From the moment the Bronte family takes the stage, the audience makes the connection that they must be from a different time period from that of Lainey and Kimberly’s. There, however, should be a more visual element added to Emily’s costume that characterizes her as the outsider of her family. The costume designer, Lirit Pendell, does a great job at doing this with Kimberly and Lainey. Lainey’s boyish look and Kimberly’s unique choice of patterns in her outfit allow for the audience to connect each their characters to their looks.
Lights and background music:
As any suspenseful play could tell you, lights and background music are very important. The choice of lighting and music in Gondal helped set the tone throught the entire play. The obscure lighting used when Kimberly, Lainey, and Emily connect shows the sensibility being portrayed. Also, the music used in the scene shift where Lainey is with her friends at the roller-skating rink is very important. The playlist evokes positive feelings in the audience and makes them feel as if they …show more content…
Kimberly Belflower is an original playwright as she shows her dark thoughts through her two main characters. With its great use of imagination, the lights, costumes, and background music do a great job of portraying its wildness; however, the script itself needs more background and smoother transitions. As an audience member it was great seeing the great work and thought that was put into the play. Overall, the play has the potential to be something great, it just needs works.
Works