ht You Are' examines identities
The Daily Tar Heel Monday, April 3, 19895
A passage, almost a tunnel, stretch
ing back from the proscenium to the
dark rear wall. Three black doric
columns on the left and two white
curtains on the right create an illusion
of great distance between the front
of the stage and the end of the tunnel,
where stands the butler, immaculate
in black tie and tails, one side of his
face in shadow.
'.He walks serenely downstage, but
his strides seem to cover yards at a
time, as he bears down on the handful
of people sitting in a semicircle facing
the audience. They are discussing the
nature of truth. Things are not as they
seem.
An excellent set and imaginative
staging were among the successful
elements of the Department of
Dramatic Art's production of Luigi
Pirandello's "Right You Are (If You
Think You Are)," which played
Thursday through Sunday in Play
makers Theatre.
The play is set in a provincial town
in central Italy. The Agazzi house
hold and their neighbors are worried
sick because the newly-arrived lady
next door, Signora Frola, is being
mistreated by her son-in-law, Signor
Ponza, who prevents her from visiting
her daughter.
v In the first act Signora Frola and
Ponza offer convincing explanations
for the odd state of affairs, each
accusing the other of lunacy. The
neighbors spend the rest of the play
rigorously investigating the matter,
trying to ascertain the truth. All
hinges on the identity of Signora
Ponza.
According to Signora Frola, she is
Ponza's first wife. Ponza, on the other
hand, claims that Signora Ponza is
his second wife, and that Signora
Frola is mad in thinking his wife is
her daughter, who is in fact dead.
' . Finally, Signora Ponza comes on
stage, hidden behind a veil, and
announces that she is both daughter
and second wife. And to herself she
is nobody. Is it she who is mad? The
issue is unresolved as the curtain falls.
Pirandello's point is obvious. Every
one of us plays a variety of roles,
depending on to whom he is playing.
Does this imply deceit? Is it our duty
to condemn this multiplicity of
n
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From left, Elizabeth McDonald, Rob Vanderberry, Andrew Lazarus and Amy Nigro
Roderick Cameron
Theater
personalities?
No. Masks are essential. The very
word "personality" comes from the
Latin word for mask. Without masks
peaceful society could not function.
The only danger comes from pretend
ing they do not exist.
But theater is not an intellectual
medium; philosophical issues work
on stage only if they sit on the
shoulders of strong theatricality.
"Right You Are," Pirandello's first
play, is diluted with philosophy and
discussion.
But DD A's production, directed by
Adam Versenyi, succeeded in creating
moments of effective theater from a
dull, talky text. The most obvious
success was the set, designed by Walt
Spangler. It was good to see, for once,
a set designed to accommodate actors
rather than impress the audience.
Everything in it concentrated atten
tion on the actors, and at the same
time it was attractive in itself. The
forced perspective created an
astounding entrance (well-exploited
in the staging) and also underlined
the things-are-not-as-they-seem
theme of the play.
But set alone won't carry a show.
Most of the first act was dull. Not
only is the text insipid, but in this
section the staging seemed artificial
and the acting was at its most
monotone and undifferentiated.
There was a brief sparkle when Jeff
Untz came on as the quasi-manic
Signor Ponza. Untz captured atten
tion with a consistent performance
which excelled in specificity and
commitment.
After the intermission the show
began to come alive. Rob Vander
berry, as Lamberto Laudisi, started
things rolling with a compelling
soliloquy to his mirror and a strange
dance among the chairs. As in the
rest of his performance, Vanderberry
made excellent use of movement to
create the caustic character of Lau
disi. The scene immediately following
the soliloquy, involving Laudisi and
the butler, was perhaps the most
successful scene of the evening.
Robin Agnew came dangerously
close to stealing the show in the role
of the butler. What he did with an
apparently msigniticant role was
astounding, particularly in terms of
timing and specificity. God and the
casting director only know why he
was given such a small part.
Some of the most successful stag
ing involved the treatment of groups,
the respectable burghers who rushed
from one informant to another, or
stood together to condemn, pity or
be scandalized. Especially memorable
were the eerie, unreal appearances of
the citizens during part of Laudisi s
soliloquy and the final scene when
all were stunned by Signora Ponza's
words.
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