Monologues and Mayhem
James K Smith
DRAM 1310
TTh 9:30- 11 am
Professor: Mr.Muth
Monologues and Mayhem
In movies, it’s all about perfection, even the lowest of low budget movies still have a team to go back and edit whatever mistakes that are made. In theatre, you can improvise and make mistakes it’s ok were all human. Over the course of this class I have gain a new-found love for theater and acting. All my life I’ve been told that I’m animated and I should be on television. If I had the right resources as a child I’m sure by now I would be a household name. In this short two-part play, life situations were covered and you were given a seat at the table, with their own personal monologues. Sonny and his mother will make you laugh and cry, as they show the more complicated relationship between Mother and son. In this observation, I will discuss the characters, content, and the structure of play this is.
The characters within this play were clearly defined from the very first scene. Sonny and his mother, Emma, were my favorite but Mick I did not like so much. Sonny’s character displayed a person that didn’t have much in his life and lived day to day with so many past regrets and unresolved love. His character was so intense and believable. He knew how to transfer his different emotions to the audience. Emma, my favorite of them all, embodied her character so well it seemed effortlessly. She plays a mother that has plenty of love for her son but never receives that same love in return. In my opinion she was the star of the play. Within every second of the play I would anxiously wait for her to speak. She was the yang to the ying. Mick embodied the hit man. I initially thought his character would be much more relevant and that he would provide me with much more energy. After watching the play, I don’t believe his character was supposed to be major but his acting skills made him a minor character to myself.
The content in this play brought more life and a certain twist to the title of the play. The title of the play made me think it would solely center around Sonny’s need for money and that his mother would come in at the last minute and save the day. It focuses more on Sonny and his relationship with his mother. Throughout the play you will learn more and more unfolding events that point back to Sonny’s life. The author seems to be neutral within this play. Sonny can either come up with the money or die. The lost or distant love between Sonny and Emma was constantly displayed in the play. I like how the author portrayed this using the drawing, the 9000 dollars, language and child-hood song. This form of art was very simple to follow and the use of climatic scenes provided more enjoyment to the play. The monologues were a bit different for me. I have always heard of such on TV but never in person. I must say many of these guys and ladies have talent and some pretty tough experiences. My two favorites were High School Memories and Quietly Strong by Tanya Terry. Not only were her monologues powerful but she also spoke personable and relatable; it felt genuine and from the heart instead of acting to put on a show.