TrulyGrace

Grapes of Wrath, Carnegie Mellon School of Drama

Karina and I drove through the driving rain to Carnegie Mellon to experience Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath as adapted by Frank Galati. We saw Natalie before the pre-show entertainment, and she described that she had coached the students in the play. The pre-show entertainment included folk tunes (W. Guthrie, etc.) sung and performed by the players (in front of two homemade quilts), who played everything from fiddle, to guitar, to banjo, to accordian, to spoons. Music was an integral part of setting the mood throughout the production. The director (Barbara McKenzie-Wood) whilst casting required those auditioning to play a modern-day instrument.

The performers were talented, and the team worked well together. A particularly outstanding performance was by Ma (Caitlyn Kimball), who seemed to be as nurturing to the other players off the set as on. The stage was sparse, with a bas relief wall hanging which appeared to be mountains, clouds, and hard-baked earth in different lighting moods. The truck for traveling was built of ramshackle parts of a barn and kitchen. The changing moods as we travel through the book and travel from Oklahoma to California with the performers were captured brilliantly, and rang out from the set.

A wonderfully emotion-laden play that makes our hearts sing as well as weep.

Labels: Carnegie, Pittsburgh, school, theater, voice

posted by Grace @ 10/02/2009 10:57:00 PM