Greenwich Theatre: Be My Baby Essay -- Drama

Greenwich Theatre: Be My Baby Staging ======= The audience was seated in a "square u" shape around the square stage, which faced the audience at a right angle. There were two exits, one at right back and one at left back stage with room to walk between them. There was a curtain in the style of a hospital ward, which was pulled around one of the exits; the exact one depended on the scene, which worked well when it was pulled across the whole stage when Mary was giving birth. The stage was set out with all the scenery incorporated into one set, this included the laundry, Matron's office and Mary and Queenie's Bedroom. When extra scenery was needed, for example, laundry baskets, they had wheels fixed to the bottom so they could be wheeled in and out with ease as needed. The lighting was very effective in that it made the set look like a hospital ward. It also showed the different times of day, as there were different colours behind the window, orange for daybreak, and to set the time of year and temperature. Theatre The theatre was quite small making the audience feel more intimate with the play. Also, the size of the theatre meant that all of the audiences' attention was focused on the actors. There was a tension between the girls when Mary first enters the home. They build the audience up to a climax when Mary Gives birth, using the curtain as a screen as if in a hospital. The play highlighted the problems faced by pregnant girls in the 60's. The theatre, itself was different to those I am used to, it felt more welcoming to walk down a warmly lit narrow staircase. Towards an intimate seating area where the staff showed the audience to their seats in a similar way to that used in a cinema. Characters Mary Mary was portrayed as a bright girl with more confidence than I imagined her to have when I read the script. She walked with her chin up and her back straight. She seemed to be less friendly with Queenie than I thought she should. She also seemed to be a bit too snobbish and "above" everyone else. She spoke with a predominantly English accent, which abruptly changed to northern when she first entered the home, however, after the interval, it changed back again. Mary seemed very set in her ways and to the point in the way that she was portrayed. If Mary were an animal, she would be a peacock as they ar... ... directing the play, I would make her less confident and more eager to fit in. Also, if Mary was seven months pregnant, her father would've noticed so she would dress in baggy clothes or clothes that were too big for her, however, she entered the home wearing a fairly tight skirt and jacket set. The play highlights the problems and flaws in 1960's society, what pregnant girls had to go through and their feelings. They used the stereotypical northern teenager and divided it into four, adding feelings and history. Setting the play in northern England, using northern accents makes the girls sound "backwards" and poor. Audience Reactions The audience laughed mainly at Dolores. Norma made the audience nervous and made them pity her. Mary made the audience feel as if they could relate to her. Queenie was the leader of the girls, and so led the audience into the home and into the other girls' lives. Matron made the audience look up to her, as she was responsible for running the home. Mrs. Adams made the audience feel sorry for her to have to give up her own daughter, but at the same time hated for being so obsessed by her status and what others would think of her.