Significant Other a Solid, Sad Look at Young Gay Man's Life
Dennis Kempton
Duluth News Tribune
November 9. 2018.
There's an essential loneliness present in the lives of gay men that few outside that tribe can fathom. No matter how many of the most amazing friends gay men have, and no matter how many of the girls at work love them, single gay men, as they age and remain single, find their own personal relationships diminished by the omnipresence of heteronormative family life.
That's the weighty material laid out bare on stage in playwright Joshua Harmon's 2015 dramedy, Significant Other on stage now in the Dudley Experimental Theatre at the University of Minnesota Duluth.
The play needs an intimate theater. UMD's choice to put it in the smaller Dudley space in the Marshall Performing Arts Center may limit the seating capacity, but the emotional impact would disappear in a larger setting. The opening night performance was sold out.
The cast of seven, with Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons carrying the weight of three characters each, is tightly woven in their performances on stage. Perhaps this is due to the inevitable closeness that develops in the weeks of rehearsals before a show opens. Maybe it's because they're all pretty near the age of their characters, and the lives they lead on stage are so near in their own life cycles.
Whatever the case, director Ann Aiko Bergeron has assembled an impressive company of friends.
Whatever the case, director Ann Aiko Bergeron has assembled an impressive company of friends.
The action centers on Jordan (Liam Jeffery), a gay man in his late 20s. He's a single professional, Jewish, and insecure. Weaving in and out of his life are his three besties, Laura (Erin Hartford), Vanessa (Megan Graftaas), and Kiki (Sarah Dickson). As each of them follows the heteronormative track of dating, engagement and marriage, Jordan finds his circle tightening and his relevance diminishing in their lives. Jeffery inhabits the role with remarkable depth. From his plain, unassuming appearance in the costuming — at one point, Vanessa remarks, "Your clothes are so sad!" — to his posture and pacing, there isn't a minute on stage wasted in Jeffery's performance.
He is able to plumb the depths required for Jordan's life with moments of joy and uncomfortable rawness. Any gay man can identify with what's happening on the stage not just because the writing is good, but because the actor is fully committed to the role. The three young women in orbit around Jordan are less intense, but equally committed. Dickson's Kiki is vapid and profane, but loyal.
Hartford's Laura is that one dark but devastatingly blunt friend who knocks us off our foundations when they get traditional. And, of the three actors in Jordan's trio, Graftaas is the most memorable. Vanessa's relationship with Jordan runs deep, and the two of them powerfully convey all that entails in one of the more painful scenes on stage during Vanessa's bachelorette party. The two men in the show are, rightfully, window dressing and peripheral. But both Tabaka and Timmons faithfully provide what's needed in the telling of Jordan's fraught relationships. Tobacco shines as the unattainable Will.
Hartford's Laura is that one dark but devastatingly blunt friend who knocks us off our foundations when they get traditional. And, of the three actors in Jordan's trio, Graftaas is the most memorable. Vanessa's relationship with Jordan runs deep, and the two of them powerfully convey all that entails in one of the more painful scenes on stage during Vanessa's bachelorette party. The two men in the show are, rightfully, window dressing and peripheral. But both Tabaka and Timmons faithfully provide what's needed in the telling of Jordan's fraught relationships. Tobacco shines as the unattainable Will.
Veteran actor Ellie Martin adds a sad warmth with pops of humor as Jordan's grandmother, Helene. In her brief moments on stage, she's able to convey her worried love for her grandson. The technical crew hits every emotion credibly, and the mechanics of the scene changes are smooth. The play runs at 2 hours, 30 minutes and honestly could use some editing to reduce its run time.
Significant Other is a piece of contemporary theater performed at the college level as competently as any main stage production in the city. The student actors have executed a solid show that pulls at hearts and tear ducts alike.
Bryana Sherrick
ReplyDeleteThe 2018 production of Significant Other written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron reveals a story of loneliness of a young gay man trying to navigate through all of his close friends milestones in life.
The main actor, Liam Jeffery who played the role of Jordan did an absolute phenomenal job of his character. He was incredibly believable and pulled at the emotions of the audience. Being a young gay man and seeing all his friends move on in life without him was definitely a challenge he portrayed well to the audience. We could feel his anger, sadness and pain and that is not something easy to do. Although the entire cast was amazing, Liam was very impressive.
When first sitting down in the audience, it was hard to understand how the scenery was going to work, but quickly into the show, it was obvious how versatile the props and design was. Michaela Lochen, scenic designer for Significant Other provided such a modern set and made its uses endless. The scenes would switch from a bar setting, to a grandma’s home, to a work kitchen, to a pool and yet there was no significant changes to the set. All that was changed, was small props and costumes. It was so impressive, because it was still believable of where the story was taking place.
Later in the show, the cast introduced an older female who played the role of Jordan’s Grandmother. Ellie Martin, a community member made the show come full circle. It made the audience think seriously about how hard Jordan’s life must've been as the majority of the show takes place in laughter and fun times with friends. Martin also allowed other audience members who are not college students to connect with the show and that was extremely important as the story line is mainly about modern early adulthood issues.
Although the scenic design, script and cast was incredible, the production got to be very long. The show was very engaging with the lights and outfits, however after a while the audience began to get pretty ancy and cutting a few scenes could have held the audience’s attention until the end. Overall, Significant Other 2018 was a huge success, and definitely worth seeing. College kids to senior citizens can find a connection with the storyline and gain something from watching this production.
Libby Haggerty
ReplyDeleteA Review of Significant Other
The latest production of Significant Other was extremely depressing. There were a few relatable moments throughout the play. However, Joshua Harmon’s attempt at dark humor fell short.
Although, each actor played their role very well. Ellie Martin’s character, Helene, was the most believable. It must be noted, though, that Helene’s contemplations about suicide seem to come out of nowhere. This sequence, in particular, felt out of place for Helene.
Liam Jeffery’s performance as Jordan was remarkable. His emotions seemed to be genuine. Perhaps he truly understood Jordan’s mentality.
Also, Jordan seemed to have a nervous tick in the form of a distinct giggle. Ann Bergeron’s choice to include this mannerism most likely had good intentions. Yet, Jordan became annoying and whiny as the play continued.
Thankfully, Jeffery had wonderful chemistry with Erin Hartford. Their exchanges were realistic. Their portrayal as best friends went quite well. The changes Laura and Jordan’s relationship go through was easily perceived.
Furthermore, each of the couples had great chemistry onstage. Specifically, Sarah Dickson and Eukariah Tabaka’s characters, Kiki and Conrad, were very much in love. No other couple compared to their believability except for, perhaps, Laura and Jordan.
Another directorial choice was the use of a pink light. Whenever Jordan was fantasizing about a crush, a pink light would subtly shine on his beau. Will, played by Eukariah Tabaka, experienced this effect multiple times during the play. This symbolism was an effective addition to the production.
The prior readings were another nice touch to this play. The photos from a photobooth and Tinder profiles for each character added some depth and realism. These characters truly represented definite personas in modern society.
Significant Other does reflect the present day in its entirety. It possessed narcissistic tendencies and forced irony. This is not a production to be seen more than once.
Julianna Sellwood
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other Play Review
Extra Credit #2
11/14/18
On Tuesday November 13th there was a performance of Significant Other at the Marshall Performing Arts Center black box theatre. This performance was a smaller production with only six actors. The set was portrayed to be a loft apartment in New York City. This play was all about the dynamic between friends as they grow older and find their significant others. The main focus of this play is on the struggle the character Jordan has, because he is the last one in the group without a significant other.
The playwright perfectly cast the character of Jordan. The actor who played Jordan did an incredible job playing the insecure, lonely character. He constantly babbled on, questioned himself, and became obsessed with any sort of attention he received. This character depended on others to validate him and the actor did an amazing job conveying his pain to the audience.
The other characters, Vanessa, Kiki, and Laura, were always trying to lift Jordan up and give him hope that he would someday find Mr. Right, but they also were trying to focus on their own lives. They couldn’t be Jordan’s everything and this portrayed one of the messages in this play that a person cannot rely on other people for their happiness. Happiness has to come from within.
This play had a combination of humor and raw emotion. The playwright did an incredible job setting up situations that were relatable and triggering. For example, there was a reoccuring scene where when one of the friends got married, they were called to the dance floor with their husband for their first dance as a couple. The other single friends were left to watch the happy couple. The audience could feel the lonesome characters longing for this kind of love. This scene was very significant because it represented the end of an era for the previous friendships. Prior to marriage, the friends would always dance together during this part of the wedding but now, slowly there are less and less of them until it is just Jordan watching all of the happy couples dance.
The playwright’s purpose was to show how seasons in a person’s life can be so lonely and painful but this won’t last forever. In one of the final scenes, Jordan’s grandma tells him that life is a long book and this is just one chapter. There will be a new chapter, a better chapter, in the future. The playwright effectively conveyed the message of this play by showing that even Jordan could finally overcome his immense pain and realize that he will eventually find happiness.
The closing scene consisted of Jordan holding a book and flipping the page to “the next chapter.” Metaphorically, Jordan was flipping the page to the next chapter in his life. This was such a powerful way for the playwright to end the play. There was sort of this relief in the air that Jordan had finally found some optimism and clarity and that all of his pain and suffering would make the next chapter worth the wait.
Calvin Pevon
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other was a wonderful emotional joyride, from the actor’s chemistry to the beautifully done light design. Director Ann Bergeron gives us an intimate view on the lives of a friend group of young millennials living in the Big Apple, as one their friends struggle to find love before it’s too late.
One of the ways Bergeron shows life in the city, is by placing the actors onstage in certain positions to give off the feel of an urban, industrial setting, such as placing one of them on the large platform above the one of the other characters. An example of the way she shows heartbreak, is by having the characters recite their voicemail messages to the main character when he is need of someone to talk to but none of them pick up, leaving him alone to his emotions. Another way she shows love in the play, is when the main character thinks about a person he’s falling for, in which the character he is in love with will be speaking to him and professing their feelings, the way he wants them to in real life.
The actor’s performances were show stoppers, and they were truly able to bring out and display their characters’ lives and emotions to the audience. Liam Jeffery, who played Jordan, and Erin Hartford, who played Laura, had great chemistry. Throughout the whole play it appeared they had known one another for years, with the way they would banter and argue back and forth on stage. Patrick Timmons, who played the characters of Zach, Evan, and Rodger did a wonderful job, bringing all three characters to life, which were all very different from each other in tone of voice along with their personalities. Ellie Martin, playing the role of Helene, made a very convincing grandmother to Jordan, and showed the true fragility of life and love, along with being one the main voices of reason in the play. All the actors were able to hold their positions very well, when they had to be frozen for long periods of time during Jordan’s retelling of past events from days or hours before.
The scenery and props were on par and worked hand in hand to give the play and audience the experience of what it would be like to live in New York City. The stage was painted in faded and overlapping colors, such as different shades of red, grey, and blue, giving off the look of a weather worn, yet urban appearance. Behind the stage were multiple levels of fake windows which hung from the ceiling and were backlit, to give off the impression of different city architecture such as a museum, bar, apartment, and office building. One way the props and scenery worked hand in hand was because many of the props themselves were red helping them blend into the scenery and making the actors a more important focus for the audience. The props and scenery were also able to work hand in hand by being able to store the props onstage inside the scenery itself, making it easier for the actors to quickly take them out and use them in certain scenes.
The sound and lighting design were very well done and helped smoothly tell the story and set the scene. For certain scene transitions, noises of honking cars or glasses clinking were able to let the audience know the next location of where the characters were supposed to be in, such as outside in a park or sitting at a bar. Another way sound was used to tell the story and set the scene was by certain music and song choices that were played at three of characters weddings, helping to show the characters personalities and the reactions of the other characters to the song choices.
The lighting played a big role in showing Jordan’s love and infatuation for his crushes by having them be lit up in a pink light whenever he would think fondly about them. The lighting was also used to help set the scene in a few ways, such as lighting up the fake windows in a disco ball pattern to give off the feeling of a dance at the characters weddings, or the flicker of a TV screen in Helene’s living room.
From love to loss and back again, Significant Other tugs at your heartstrings, with all the grit of city life thrown in.
Trent Tatur
ReplyDeleteSignificant other review
11/8/2018
The opening night of significant other was truly a show to see. It showed how depressing and drama filled events can happen within a single group of friends that are really sad but yet entertaining to see. Joshua Harmon's way he showed humor in a secretive way was interesting like how he showed it with the different types of characters like Keke (Sarah Dickson), Laura (Erin Hartford), Helene (Ellie Martin), And Jordan (Liam Jeffery)
It started with Keke getting married who was played by Sarah Dickson, who played the character very well and she had the humor during the scenes she was in which was enjoyable and played pretty well for the character she was performing. Even though Keke seemed to be in some but not that many scenes within the play she was the fun one to witness when on stage.
When we witness Helene’s personality that was played by Ellie Martin we witness of how out of the blue her suicide personality really is. When she was introduced in the first scene you would think she was just ordinary, But later she comes out with how during her wedding she tells Jordan how she wakes up to nothing but now she can wake up to her future husband which was weird to witness. She had these outbursts of depressing thoughts and actions like kissing her partner a lot and when I say a lot I mean a lot. I thought this character was kind of bold to play just because of how much actions she had to feel comfortable to do so my hats off to you Ellie.
First off I want to say well done to Liam Jeffery for playing Jordan, that character looks to be the hardest character for me to witness within a play especially with how well rehearsed you are with your lines. You can just tell how Liam has where he knows the thoughts, intentions, and emotions of Liam and due to that made the play well done. If there was one thing that I noticed was how energetic Liam was to play this character which made the play fun to watch. Jordan had where he is a character with a lot of problems in the middle toward the end of the play and ends up taking it out on one of his best friends. The play was based on Jordan and it well executed due to that reason.
Lastly, we talk about Laura who was played by Erin Hartford which was Jordans best friend in their group of friends she was played as the person that Jordan went to first if something was good or bad. Erin played this character well because of her smile for most of the play except the end sense of the fight and she was the reason why I think Jordan surpassed his issues was because of her advice before she fell in love then there was less time for Jordan.
Overall I think this play was a play that would be enjoyable to watch only once to fully embrace the feelings within it. If you were to watch this play more then once I think that you would ruin the impact that it is truly supposed to give you.
Ostin Manary
ReplyDeleteThe Significant Other brought the audience along the journey of emotions as a group of friends in their twenties start to find the love of their lives. Except one, the main character, Jordan. (Liam Jeffery). Director Ann Bergeron developed a story that contained 4 friends with different personalities and showcased the reality of how growing up can take a toll on friendship.
I really enjoyed watching the play and I think Bergeron did an excellent job in showing the emotional rollercoaster Jordan was on as his friends developed connections with others. I think his emotions hit home to a lot of people going through the same situation as him, which also helps us feel like the story is more real. I enjoyed watching how Jordan changed as each one of his friends got married. I enjoyed how all the characters felt/acted like they were twenty.
One thing that made the play not so believable is the time when Jordan is in his room and calls all of his friends in the middle of the night. He is contemplating sending the email to the guy he is interested in and when he finally calls his last friend, Keke (Sara Dickson), he mentions that he was going to kill himself. Being that this is a very serious thing to say, I was waiting to see what the response of his friends would be. When the next scene comes, nobody mentions anything about the night previous or about his voicemail that mentions him wanting to commit suicide. This is something that the writer and director should have paid more attention to. If you want to include something so dark and controversial in the script, you should not skim over this. Otherwise, don’t include it.
Another part of the play I found to be very controversial was the use of the R word. It was used twice in the play and both times it definitely was not needed to be used. This word is very touchy to a variety of people and by using it in the way the writer did It was unnecessary. We know they are in their twenties and twenty-year-old’s are thought to use inappropriate words at times, but the script definitely did not need to include that one. Also, the use of the F word was getting a bit much, especially in the scene of the fight between Jordan and Laura (Erin Hartford). I’m not against using it in any means, I actually thought it makes the story more real because of it. But writer used it so much that I felt like they just threw it in just because. There were times where it made sense, but when it came down to the fight it felt as though it was used every other word and it was too much.
The University of Minnesota Duluth School of fine arts production of Significant other was a well thought out and creative production that did not fail to impress, it was very emotionally touching although at times comedic. While the play was not necessarily dark per say it nonetheless dealt with serious emotional subject matter. The story centers on the life of a young gay man who struggles to find love as he watches his three best friends who are all women find love and get married and create lives for themselves.
ReplyDeleteThe seven actors of the production performed phenominally while trying to remain relatable to the audience. The main character Jordan is performed by actor Liam Jeffery who does an excellent job of making the audience believe that he is his character, he did well at playing his part of playing a young gay man who is struggling to find love as all of his friends get married, his character tries to remain positive throughout the play except for during his arguement with his best friend Laura who is performed by actress Erin Hartford. this one arguement being the emotional climax of the story. Actress Sarah Dickson provides the comic relief of the production as Kiki, the first of Jordan's friends to get married, who is the most fun loving of the group of friends and most optimistic.
A powerful convention of the play is when the actors would look towards the audience as they were watching the wedding dances, which help to fell the growing loneliness that Jordan begins to feel as each of his friends get married, as well as when Jordan and his friend Vanessa, performed by actress Megan Graftaas contemplate a painting in a museum. And in a later scene where they are joined in there observing of the painting by Vanessa's fiance performed by actor Patrick Timmons.
The play is a powerful reminder that all people are going through the same problems and that hope is never gone.
Abigail Van Watermeulen
ReplyDeleteThe play Significant Other was a success because of the lighting, stage setup, and costumes. These three techniques played a huge role in the production and could not have done a better job. The play was very entertaining because of the comedy factor that was included in the play. Also, the fact that it was relatable to many people helped make the play even more successful.
Lighting Designer, Mags Scanlon, did an incredible job with lighting techniques. Her job as a lighting director was a huge part of the production of Significant Other. The lighting techniques she used really helped the audience figure out where they were located on the scene. For instance, when they were doing scenes at the bar with, Jordan and his dates, the lighting was a warmer color to represent warmer more intimate moments. Then, when it would come to a wedding the lights were all over the place and had a disco ball sort of lighting to represent a dance floor that the characters were looking at. Also, lighting techniques were used for the bed/couch seating area when Jordan and Vanessa were talking about the picture on the wall. The lighting they used for those scenes was a yellowish tint of a white light to represent a spotlight on the picture on the wall.
Scenic Designer, Michaela Lochen, set up a beautiful stage for the production of Significant Other. Her stage setup represented present day New York City with a very modern loft style apartment that they used in so many different ways. They had wooden floorboards painted red with streaks of white and blue. Also to enhance the modern New York City style they had a whole wall of windows that really made the setup of the stage come together. The setup she had was very versatile as well. For instance the table in the front left side of the stage was used as a an break room for the office, a bar and a kitchen counter. She also incorporated a bench for seating on the right side of the stage that converted into a bed. The versatility factor was a necessary part in making this play successful.
Costume Designer, Tascha Balsaitis, also did an incredible job with choosing the right costumes based on the personality of the characters. Kiki was a very bubbly and ditsy girl that wore clothes that represented her personality. She wore short skirts and tight dresses to give the feeling that she is proud of how she looks and that everything is about her. Jordan on the other hand basically always wore the same clothes until he went on a date. He just added a sweater to show when he was at work and when he wasn't. The clothing that Laura wore was very casual and showed that she is an easy-going person and definitely has a different personality than Kiki. Then, there is this rugged rebel that does what she wants and that would be Vanessa. She tended to wear more dark clothing like what her personality showed.
Significant Other was a very entertaining production and was a success all the way around. The stage setup, costumes and lighting were the main techniques that were noticed but there were so many more that played a role in the success of this play as well like the sound and props.
Significant Other Review
ReplyDeleteCameron Fields
The University of Minnesota-Duluth production of Significant Other portrayed the upsetting and frightningly common feelings of loneliness and depression through the life of a young gay man.
Director Ann Bergeron casted an incredibly talented, and obviously seasoned, ensemble of actors. The main protagonist Jordan, played by freshman Liam Jeffery, gave an outstanding performance! He truly fell into his role, so much that his sadness, anger, and all around awkwardness made the play seem extremely realistic, so much that it was almost as if his life was truly being displayed on stage. Another great display of talent was Erin Hartford, who played Jordan's best friend Laura. Hartford’s performance, while slightly overshadowed by Jefferys, was still an incredible sight to see. Her positivity, reassurance, and attempts to help her friend where outstandingly practiced and executed, and her argument with Jeffrey brought tears to not only her eyes, but also the audiences, due to the raw, emotional exchanges, that many people have had with their friends and loved ones.
The play, while a drama at its core, had moments of surprisingly hilarious comedy. From Vanessa, played by Megan Graftass, making out with her husband while Jordan is sitting right next to her, to Eukariah Tabaka’s performance as the flashy and flamboyant gay coworker, the well timed, albeit sometimes crude, jokes made the entire performence a tad less dark, and gave the audience and sometimes the charactes a much needed breath of fresh air to drown out the sorrow and overall depression that would soon come back in full force.
An interesting aspect was the use of the scenery. The stage was simple, with the only set pieces being a desk, a bench that could be turned into a bed, and a loft area in the back. While the scenes change from apartments, to bars, even to reception areas, the combination of sound effects and the actors themselves made each scene extremely unique, and gave a very clear picture of what was being portrayed. Not only that, but the use of lighting was extremely prevalent, and added a great deal of dramatic effect. A prime example being at the end of Act I, when Jordan and his friends are all talking about their husbands, and the lights shine primarily on jordan, and get darker and darker as it becomes clear he is becoming more depressed and anxious. Both the use of lighting and the scenery made the production entertaining, and it was clear these aspects where extremely well rehearsed.
Overall, Significant Other was downright gorgeous and an incredible play, with incredible lighting, interesting scenery, raw and emotional acting, and a message that an abundant amount of people experience the feelings of loneliness and sadness, and many find a way to work through it in the end.
Isabelle Orke
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other 2018
Dark humor did not fall short from a play that explored the modern technology of dating or the lack of it. The intensity of emotion with all characters defined relationships and drama. Ann Bergeron’s choice of actors were precise with the personalities shown through the individuals for their chosen parts. Since the play was on a smaller stage, Bergeron’s direction of how she wanted the lighting to be used was simple, yet understandable to the adaptable scenes. The use of one prop in particular showed great emphasis on Jordan’s longing for love that results in a loss of belonging to live on.
The leading character Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery used intense emotion and connections with co-actors and his own sense of representation of the lonely gay character. Jeffery’s acting ability did not restrain from the rollercoaster of emotions his character displayed as the signs of loneliness and depression became apparent. Going from energetic and hopeful to find love to ending the play in a turmoil of sadness. Applause for Jeffery’s acting by himself, but also with costars. His relationship with his best friend Laura, played by Erin Harford, was inseparable and synchronized. The chemistry between the two allowed for the audience to become ingrained in the pain of their friendship break up as Laura found her significant other. The strength of the two actors voices during their argument scene was powerful, and relatable for those in the audience that have experienced the all too common loss of a friendship for love. The pain and frustration between the two was done quite well.
Mags Scanlon, the lighting designer created specific locations for the audience's eyes to lay upon to ensure the limit of wandering eyes with the lack of stage space to create multiple sets. There were times during the play that there would be a scene change while an actor was performing, so the lighting crew strategically circled the actor(s) to keep some magic of surprise to the change. During club scenes, the lighting done was energetic and effectively acknowledged that the scenic design did not change but helped to create the illusion.
A prop that was subtly used to showcase Jordan’s depression and how it was becoming serious enough for him to question living, was the pill bottle. Jeffery’s interaction with the pill bottle was no more than a few glances. Contemplating the idea of going through with the action was visible in his eyes. Bergeron’s decision for him to be subtle about it was appropriate and respectful for a serious action that those in the audience could relate to.
Applause to University of Minnesota-Duluth’s theatre production of Significant Other. Bergeron did a impressive job in showcasing her actors and allowing the Duluth audience to experience a production that many can relate to.
Review of significant other by Decker Whyle
ReplyDeleteThe one group of people in modern day society who have the hardest time dealing with loneliness are single gay men. It is very difficult for most people to understand this, due to the fact that gay men make up only a small percentage of the population. Significant other, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron captured this concept and displayed it to the public extremely well, and even though it had its flaws, the play was definitely worth seeing.
The actor that was the glue that held this play together was Liam Jeffery who played the role of Jordan. Jeffery was able to portray an extremely wide range of emotions very effectively, from joy, to anger, to loneliness, to vulnerability. Just his mood could set the precedent for what was happening.
However, even though this drastic change of emotions was something to be marveled at, there were times when it was too drastic; not only with Jordan, but also with the other characters. At certain points in the play, both Jordan and Helene (played by Ellie Martin) contemplated suicide. When Jordan did this, it was usually after lots of heartbreak and loneliness so it felt like a natural step. But when Helene contemplated suicide, it seemed to come as if out of nowhere, and was very off-putting.
The chemistry between the actors, especially Jeffery and Laura, was absolutely astounding. Whenever there was a dialogue between the two, it seemed as if they have known each other for their entire lives. As they empathized with each other the pain in their eyes was real. This connection was not just limited to Jeffery and Laura, the whole group of four seemed to know each other inside and out, partly due to the script, but mainly due to the great group dynamic they so clearly had.
When initially looking at the stage, it seemed pretty bare. However, it soon became clear just how versatile everything was. The setting was constantly changing from an office, to a house, to a museum, and even to a swimming pool, and with it, all of the props changed as well. The genius design of the bench, bed hybrid was simple, yet effective; and the table changed purposes as fluidly as the setting.
Despite having a slightly depressing overtone, Significant Other was a success. Bergeron was able to give people a peek into what the life of a young gay man is realy like. From the amazing group chemistry, to the outstanding scenery, the play was absolutely worth the price of admission.
Significant Other 2018
ReplyDeleteRiley Schaeffer
The play, Significant Other, was performed at The Marshall Performing Arts Center Black Box Theatre in Duluth over the past few weeks. Significant Other revolves around Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, a single gay man, who is depressed as he watches all of his closest friends move apart from him on their way to marriage. Ann Bergeron, director of Significant Other, used the Black Box Theatre to perfection. The play itself had a depressing feel with talks of suicide, loneliness, and broken friendships, so the black walls of the theatre helped bring those ideas out even more.
The play had a very modern feeling and a large part of that is due to scenic designer Michaela Lochen. The background of the play was made of large windows which brought an inner city feel and the busy life that comes with it. Significant Other followed this busy life as the lives of the actors changed quickly throughout the play. This busy feel also corresponds well to the scene changes in Significant Other. Each scene change is very quick, and there were even times when there would be multiple scenes happening at once. The props used in Significant Other also added to the play’s design as it helped tell what was happening at that scene of the play. Stella Vatnsdal, the props master, made the props easily accessible and for multiple purposes. This fits the busy city feel as it allowed the play to move from scene to scene quite easily.
Tascha Balsaitis, the costume/makeup designer, was able to make each character be their own person even though the same cast members played different roles. Tascha was able to do this by making certain features stand out for each character played. Tascha had cast members Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons each play three different roles throughout the play. They were able to play multiple characters by using different hairstyles and different clothing outfits.
The biggest knocks on Significant Other were the sound quality and the length of the play. Although Andrew Hienz, the Sound Designer, did a pretty good job, there were times when it was hard to hear the actors. Many of these instances were when there was music in the background that drowned out the actors. The play seemed to drag on and become repetitive at times. Since all three of Jordan’s friends got married the weddings began to drag along and become too repetitive. This allowed the play to lengthen when the wedding scenes could have been avoided or at least cut down all together.
Significant Other Review
ReplyDeleteJessica Citron
Significant Other, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron, brings to light the struggles of people with depression and the intense societal pressure to find love and get married in modern day America. The actor who played the main character, Liam Jeffery, was challenged with the role of playing a gay young adult with severe and worsening depression.
Overall, Jeffery did a phenomenal job portraying how hard it is for young LGBT+ people to find love and how it can be discouraging to see all your straight friends get married and have seemingly perfect lives. However, Jeffery missed the mark by portraying the depressed character as completely incompetent at feeling joy for others. Jeffery’s ability to portray even half of what depression is like is an incredible skill and caused the show to be a huge success.
The scene where Jordan, played by Jeffery, and Laura, played by Erin Hartford, had a huge falling out outside of Laura’s bachelorette party seemed forced and disingenuous at times but was also showed real emotion in both of the characters. The chemistry between Jeffery and Hartford seemed almost too real to be acting. The two actors could have easily been best friends in real life and had fights like this in real life.
The cast was very small which meant that some actors had to play more than one character which could be both a positive or negative in any show. Having two actors play many different love interests at times became confusing and caused the audience to lose focus and be unable to follow the story. This confusion was worsened by the fact that the two actors changed their looks very minimally in order to play different characters.
The use of sound and lighting through the cell phone helped to connect the audience to the time period of the show. The phone ringing and the phone lighting up at times allowed the audience to connect the scenes with times in their lives and familiar sounds. If this play were to be done in ten years the use of a cell phone would have to be replaced with something current, this would be the same case if the play had been put on ten years ago.
The play was worth seeing and despite its few flaws the actors came together to put on an outstanding performance illustrating the struggles of people with depression, the intense social pressure to find love and get married, and the struggle of people in the LGBT+ community to find people to date in comparison to that of a heterosexual person.
UMD’s theater program did an amazing job of producing Significant Others written by Joshua Harmon with the direction of Ann Bergeron.
ReplyDeleteThroughout this play we see the evolution of some characters, while others remain the same. Liam Jeffery did a marvelous job of portraying the various emotional states that Jordan goes through all the while maintaining a level of consistency throughout the play. As for Erin Hartford, Megan Graftaas, and Sarah Dickson who portrayed Jordans three best friends, Vanessa, Kiki, and Laura, did an amazing job of accurately displaying the changes young adults go through. Both Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons had the task of playing three very different men in this production. Their ability to change personas at the blink of an eye was evident. Special guest Ellie Martin also proved to be an important piece in the production. The level of chemistry between Jordan and his grandmother Helene, Ellie Martin, was astonishing.
Micheala Lochen, the creator of the stunningly modern and industrial set, had to overcome a couple obstacles when designing the set. She mentioned that the overall budget was a large influence when thinking about the set, along with the fact that the set had to be made easy to transport for the upcoming theater competition. Lochen spoke about how she wanted the set to reflect the fact that these are young adults living in New York, and her first though and main inspiration was a New York studio apartment. Through the use of paint and staining, they were able to convert a wooden set into an industrial looking studio. Another obstacle she faced was the need for the set to be versatile. With the stairs and balcony and different levels allowed for the cast to be in different locations with the use of minimal props.
Costume designer Tascha Balsaitis did an exceptional job of illustrating the personality of the whole cast. Laura’s wardrobe was made up of many peaches and more modest clothing whereas Vanessa had a darker color scheme. Basaitis did a tremendous job of distinguishing Patrick and Eukariah’s multiple characters. For example; Will and Conrad, two of the characters Eukariah played, had wardrobes that matched the characters personality. Will had a more business feel to his look whereas Conrad was portrayed more as a Ken doll.
The lighting, done by Mags Scanlon, was an essential element in many scenes throughout the play. When Jordan is explaining the work pool party to Vanessa, the use of spotlights created the Effect of two different places. Another way Scanlon used light to change the mood was through color. When Jordan is at his grandma’s house she used a warm white light whereas in the clubs she used darker blues and purples.
Andrew Hienz did a great job with the sound design. His placement of speakers and subs allowed him to create effects that you hear in film. When the play was in the office environment, we heard the sounds of typing and muffled voices which helped transport us to the office. Same went for Helene’s house, we heard Frank Sanatra.
Grace Wolgemuth
DeleteBrennen St. John
ReplyDeleteThe play Significant other is about the character Jordan (played by Liam Jeffery) and his three friends getting married and there is a lot of drama that goes on throughout the play. The play was definitely worth attending because it told a story about social norms that actually happen in society today. Jeffery played a gay friend to three bachelorettes and has a tough time dealing with it because of fear of being alone. Many people also suffer from this and refuse to put themselves out there for the same reason. Jeffery’s character wants so much to go his way but feels like every time he tries, he never feels happy about himself even though he tries so very hard. He also must watch his friends succeed and have great lives as he is left behind to catch up which devastates him because he is being the supportive friend and wants to be happy because his friends are happy. The play itself relates to so much on the world today coming from happiness, sadness, homosexuality, marriage, struggles, friends, and the conflicts that come with all of these. The director really put some time and thought into creating a play where the audience can relate to a play which was intended to be a comedy.
From the artistic view of acting, the actors played believable parts. The characters that all the cast played showed raw emotion through every scene from beginning to end. The attitudes that characters showed to each other were so real because every time there was a conversation, the actors made that mood come true. When there was a party going on, the actors danced and smiled, when there was a conflict, the actors cried and screamed at one another. The scenes of intimacy were also very believable having actors kiss and make out with each other for many minutes. The actors must have really gotten to know each other before knowing they had to do this. Every character played their part with the correct emotions and tone every time they had part because of how much practice and time to took to make it seem perfect to themselves.
From a theatrical perspective, the directors approach to the script was in fact appropriate. Since the play was based today, it was very accurate. Even though how much profanity was used throughout the play along with the sexual references, that is how society is today. We all use profanity and use sexual references when having a good time along with when we are getting into some conflicts with others. I personally cannot relate to being twenty one and over but based on others I know, the characters in Significant Other were very accurate to being that age in the play.
By: Lindsay Boge
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other was a hilarious play. Every little thing was done extremely well. From the lighting and sound, to the acting and directing. The fact that the actors can memorize the amount of lines in this play and make sure their timing is right with every little thing is crazy! I’ve never seen a play done so well.
The spotlights done by the lighting designers played a huge part in the play. It helped display when Jordan was in his head and having thoughts about his friends and other flashbacks. The lighting on the disco ball during the weddings were also an interesting touch. The way the disco ball reflected on the friends as they watched the bride dance helped set the mood.
The sound designers did a good job as well! They made the music super loud when the friends were at the bachelorette party dancing, and then made it fade out to almost nothing when the actors left the room. The tone they had the announcer at, when they bride and groom were dancing, made it feel like it was happening right at the back of the theater.
The costumes also matched each character’s personality perfectly. Kiki, played by Sarah Dickson, had a personality that was very outgoing and confident, so they made her clothes tighter and more flashy than the other actors so she stood out more. Laura, played by Erin Hartford, was dressed pretty neutrally. She wasn’t a character that wanted to stick out or be original so she just wore simple clothes. Vanessa, played by Megan Graftaas, was a darker character. She always wore black or dark gray to show that she wasn’t exactly a happy, outgoing character. Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, was a sad character that seemed depressed throughout almost the entire play. He was always dressed nicely. He would mostly wear a maroon shirt with jeans. No matter what he color he was wearing, it was always a nice button up shirt.
Jordan did an outstanding job. He was constantly on the stage and constantly talking. The fact that he remembered everything he had to do is incredible. Kiki was a very outgoing character and made the play even more funny. She fit the role perfectly.
This play was all together, amazing. The actors did the performance perfectly and no one made any mistakes. The way they performed flashbacks so well, mid-sentence, was something that made the play even more put together. It was set in the present day time period and they did an excellent job and letting the audience know that.
Kailee Johnson
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other Review
Attempting to showcase the emotional story of a homosexual man while he struggles to accept an ever-changing life, Significant Other took a modern stance on what it means to be human. Directed by Ann Bergeron, the production ran for two weeks, allowing as many people as possible to experience its talented actors and terrific design team.
Sarah Dickson sparkled on stage as Kiki, one of the four main characters in the play. Kiki’s flamboyant personality accompanied with Dickson’s undeniably strong presence made the character ooze flair. Meghan Graftaas as Vanessa was also an incredible addition to the performance. Graftaas portrayed her character with relaxed confidence that made her easy to relate to. Eukarika Tabaka and Patrick Timmons shone equally as bright, each playing three distinct, convincing characters. Ellie Martin added a warm, innocent presence on stage as Jordan’s grandmother, Helene. Martin shows a wonderfully loving chemistry with Liam Jeffery, who plays Jordan, that is simply pleasant to watch. Both Jeffery and Erin Harford, Laura in the show, are very talented actors; however, their chemistry was nonexistent until their big fight. Hartford and Jeffery’s interactions before then, which happened about three quarters into the play, felt forced and somewhat awkward. Unfortunately, they are the two most prominent characters, so their lack of chemistry was difficult to look past.
Tascha Balsaitis, costume designer, fantastically outfitted each character to match his or her personality. Balsaitis especially excelled at differentiating Tabaka’s and Timmons’s several characters with distinct looks.
Michaela Lochen’s scene design was fairly simple and was able to portray a wide variety of locations. A red theme connected the props to the rest of the set, making it easy to focus on the actors and the message of the play. A background of back lit window panels gave the show a modern vibe, an important theme to the production.
Andrew Hienz helped clarify each location with subtle sound transitions throughout the play. Hienz also presented a soundtrack of hits from a variety of generations, giving audience members of all ages a song to smile at.
Mags Scanlon, lighting designer, also helped to distinguish locations within the show. Scanlon brilliantly shrouded Jordan’s fantasy world with purple light. The use of the disco ball at each of the weddings was also a clever way to provide a setting. Spotlights in the play, especially when there was portrayal of more than one conversation happening at the same time, was very helpful.
Despite the fantastic design team and actors, Significant Other was not overly entertaining, largely due to the lack of a plot. A repetitive sequence of one of the characters getting married after another gets tiring and predictable. Additionally, the play never directly addressed Jordan’s problem, which made it confusing as to what problem was supposedly resolved at the end of the play.
Overall, Significant Other was a great production of a mediocre play. Its overlying theme of accepting change and growing up is very relatable and makes it worth watching.
We All Have Bumps in the Road, but the Journey is Worth It
ReplyDeleteHanna Schmitt
Joshua Harmon's Significant Other was in good hands under Ann Bergeron’s direction. Each cast member embodied their character—sometimes even three characters—with conviction.
Liam Jeffery and Erin Hartford were very compelling as the emotionally dynamic duo of Jordan and Laura; their closeness at Kiki’s bachelorette party when they were picking out their possible wedding song was comically sweet. Jeffery and Hartford were also able to portray the venomous fight just as realistically at Laura’s bachelorette party.
Tascha Balsaitis, the costume and makeup designer of Significant Other, did a wonderful job distinguishing Eukariah Tabaka’s characters, Tony, Will, and Conrad through their dress and hair. However, it was difficult to distinguish Patrick Timmon’s characters, Zach and Evan, apart—although the characters and their costumes were completely different, their hair styles were too similar.
Another clever addition to Significant Other was Mags Scanlon’s lighting theme for Jordan. Whenever he was nervous or anxious, there was always a very bright, cold white spotlight on him to help intensify the emotion. On the other hand, whenever Jordan was with or on the phone with someone, Scanlon had a warm, inviting white light shining on the characters to symbolize Jordan’s comfort.
One scene in particular that really stuck out was during Vanessa’s bachelorette party when Jordan started reading his email to the three girl friends. Sound designer, Andrew Heinz, cut off the club music while Scanlon abruptly switched from colorful strobe lights in a dark setting to the whole stage flooded in a saturated orange light in a bright setting. The transition came out of nowhere and paralleled the scene well.
The really interesting part though, began once Jordan finished reading and the girls moved on to talk about their futures. This is where Bergeron’s blocking directions and Scanlon’s timing began to visibly work together to portray Jordan’s panic attack. The girls began to speak over each other, their voices crescendoing as they closed in on Jordan, then decrescendoing as they backed away from him. Jordan’s heavy breathing when the girls moved away, then again right before his outburst and exit. At the same time, Scanlon switched to the cold white spotlight theme on Jordan, but still kept a blue undertone so the girls could be seen. The scene was surreal, and produced an amazing tunnel vision affect.
Something that was a little confusing was the ending. The comfort and hope Jordan felt in the final scene of Significant Other was understood through the warm, white spotlight—but the purpose of the book was never clearly conveyed, almost as if the ending was to be a cliffhanger.
All in all, every show has its bumps, and Significant Other was definitely worth seeing despite them.
Nathan Lusty
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other review
Significant Other, a play that was written for the Marshell Performing Arts centers black box. The performance with a cast of six actors was a play to remember. Taking place in a loft in New York city about a group of friends that are growing older and starting to find new priorities with other new “Significant Others.” The focus of the play was that three of the four friends start to find their significant other and start the next chapter of their lives without having their college friends by their sides through everything, Jordan is the last friend that happens to be a guy, that has yet to find his significant other and is wondering if he ever will.
Liam Jeffery, the actor that played the character of Jordan did an amazing job with his part. The playwright was written perfectly for this character because Liam fit this role and knew all of his parts without hesitation. You could tell that the cast had a great connection with one another because they acted so comfortable with one another. Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons did a amazing job being able to both play three different characters and not have a problem doing so. Every time they came on stage as a different character it was not a problem telling who they were playing because each character was so different.
The Light Designer, Mags Scanlon, did a great job with the lighting of this production. There where many times when light played a big role in telling a story and setting the scene of where they were such as at the dance parties. Having strobing lights and a disco ball helped set the scene. Setting the loft setting helped with all of the window pains in the background being lit up helped the audience think it was happening in a loft in New York City.
Overall with the chemistry that the cast had together and the lighting along with all of the other people that were involved in helping make Significant Other the production that it was a amazing play to see. It told a great story that as a college student can relate to with some of my own friends. It is a play and a story that takes place in the present time and has a strong connection with college students today.
Alexis Lein
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other Review
11/21/18
The production Significant Other, despite a few minor flaws, was overall entertaining and successful in conveying the message that although loneliness may hinder a person’s hope or happiness, their story has many more pages to turn. The Blackbox theatre was an ideal location for this personal and emotional story, since the close proximity captured subtle changes in mood, expression, lighting, and sound.
The playwright, Joshua Harmon did a wonderful job making the dialogue realistic to the modern day setting of the story. While his choice of dialect included a deal of vulgar language, it was appropriate in capturing the great deal of emotion and frustration that specifically Jordan (Liam Jeffery) and Laura (Erin Harford) experienced during their high-tension blowout. Although Harmon had intentions of wrapping up the story in a symbolic final image of Jordan, this message was not incredibly clear. His depiction of beginning a new chapter, and the following of his grandmother’s advice could have been displayed in a much clearer manner.
Actor, Sarah Dickson rocked the role of confident and flamboyant Kiki, and her undeniably strong presence made her character seem effortless. Her sarcasm and effortless sassy remarks added to the humor of the show and came across as natural for her role. On the other hand, while Liam Jeffery and Erin Hartford, did excellent jobs in their individual roles, the chemistry between the two seemed unnatural. From the beginning scene at Kiki’s wedding, their hugs and other normal best friend interactions seemed uncomfortable and forced. Because of this, the high emotion scenes near the end of the play, were not as powerful as they would have been, given a more believable buildup.
The lighting of the stage was an integrative element, in the ways Mags Scanlon used different intensities to focus on certain scenes and the changing of color throughout the play. There were multiple instances in the production in which the characters would discuss a past event that occurred that would simultaneously be performed on stage. The contrast in the lighting of the stage helped to seamlessly swap back and forth between these two aspects and help to focus the attention on the intended subjects. Scanlon also used the color of light to his advantage in order to address an overall mood that become continuously gloomier and darker as the play continued. In the beginning scenes, the colors he used were quite bright, which mirrored the carefree attitudes of the actors at the time. However, as the play went on, the colors became darker, and more reds and blues were incorporated to address the tension that was occurring inside Jordan as he experienced an internal conflict of feeling lonely, but also wanting to be happy for his best friends' happiness. In particular, Jordan's room scenes had significantly darker hues than other scenes, in order to mirror a suicidal and depressive state, that depicted his hopeless attitude.
The sound designer Andrew Hienz used environmental and musical underscoring to creatively communicate the events that were occurring on stage. Environmental underscoring could be seen in the flashback scenes, since two events were simultaneously happening, however the sound of one was hushed in order to focus on the other. In addition, musical underscoring was used in the wedding party scenes in order to create the right environment and the feeling as if the entire theatre was a dance floor with the actors. The combination of these two elements contributed greatly to the environments of the scenes and added a unique touch to the play.
Overall, Significant Other was well very produced and the choices made were successful in creating a meaningful and humorous show.
Significant Other Review
ReplyDeleteEric Schmitz
The production of Significant Other, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron, told the story of a young man navigating life, love, and the evolution of friendship. The believability of the story’s characters was crucial to the production through the portrayal of the main character, the supporting characters, and the overall environment of the play.
The actor who plays the main character, Liam Jeffrey, provided what felt like an incredibly authentic performance as Jordan. There were multiple scenes where the emotions portrayed by Jeffrey filled up the room; his acting performance was the best with respect to the other actors. The big argument between Jordan and Laura provided the audience with a great amount of tension and subsequently, the best full revelation of Jeffrey’s talent. Not many plays center around a homosexual character, so the ability of Bergeron and Jeffrey to come together and represent Harmon’s Jordan in a very believable way was the most important aspect the production accomplished.
Significant Other’s minor characters were a little all over the board when it came to good and bad chemistry among each other. As mentioned earlier, the big Jordan and Laura argument scene, was masterfully done and showed outstanding chemistry. The actor playing Laura, Erin Hartford, showed a very impressive range throughout the story, going from the very nice and supportive best friend to someone who also isn’t afraid to stick up for herself and say how it is to Jordan. Poor chemistry was seen in Jordan’s other relationship with Kiki, played by Sarah Dickson. There wasn’t whole lot there to believe; it felt very fake and forced. This could maybe be due to the lack of dialogue between the two characters compared to Jordan’s other talks with characters.
The environment of Significant Other tried to present a very natural and believable story of early adulthood and how individuals that age talk to one another. The environment was reflected accurately in the music choices and their relationships with one another. The aspect that seemed forced and less believable, was the use of expletives. It seemed like Bergeron really tried to force certain words into dialogue to portray the character’s immaturity and crudeness as younger adults. The word choice didn’t always match the situation and sometimes was too over-the-top to be even considered realistic. This seemed like maybe a written issue by Harmon, who may not be totally in touch with how today’s adults use expletives in certain situations.
The acting of those involved in Significant Other was one that impressed, but also was one that needed some improvement. The talent of Liam Jeffrey really allowed Jordan’s feelings to be felt and his chemistry with Laura made for a great climax. The lack of chemistry between other characters and the use of language brought down the play’s overall believability, but it certainly did not detract from the story so much that the overall message was distorted.
The UMD Theater’s most recent production of Significant Other written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron shares the journey of a group of friends as they navigate through life’s milestones on their own time.
ReplyDeleteThe play follows a group of 4 friends, however focuses mainly on Liam Jeffrey’s character Jordan. Throughout the play, Jordan struggles with watching his 3 closest girlfriends move into serious relationships and eventually marriage while he struggles to find a relationship at all. Jeffrey did a fantastic job with his character, he embodied the emotions in such a realistic, relatable. Scenes that particularly stood out were while he talked to his grandmother and really opened up. Each time he saw her, the tone of his voice became lower, his speech slowed, he lacked enthusiasm, all of these emotions went along with his reactions to the events in the play. Although Jeffrey’s character became more repetitive and clearly somewhat of an annoyance to the other characters towards the end of the play, Jeffrey portrayed the emotional state of his character genuinely.
The versatility of the small stage and use of props was very impressive. With one prop switching from a bed to a couch changing the setting multiple times was a great decision made by the scenic designer Michaela Lochen.
The versatility of this production was also made evident by the actors Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons, each playing 3 separate characters. Not only did the two actors use physical traits to distinguish between the characters, they both portrayed each character so differently, there were no doubts as to who was in the scene by use of body language and voicing.
The chemistry between Jeffrey’s character and one of his closest friends played by Erin Hartford was undeniable. Showcasing a genuine friendship full of everything from love and laughter to anger and pain. Their fighting scene was especially impressive by the amount of emotion that was displayed through each character.
Overall, this production was very enjoyable for the audience, full of college students and senior citizens. There was genuine situations with friends, great humor, and a touching plot relatable for all in some way.
Toni Seppi
ReplyDeleteSignifican Other
The production of “Significant Other,” by UMD theater, was a successful and entertaining performance. All the elements of the production came together in a beautiful manner allowing this production to be worth the time, energy, and resources put into the production.
Not only was this play entertaining, it also brought light to current social tendencies such as the pressures and norms of growing up with the expectation of getting married and having children. However, this is not an easy task for many people, including the character Jordan. This production also didn’t shy away from current social issues such as instances of suicidal thoughts. I appreciate how this production talked of issues that are prevalent in our society yet are rarely talked about. The director, Ann Bergeron, did a good job of connecting these current social instances with the character profiles and the set-up of the production as a whole.
The four main actors; Liam Jeffery, Erin Hartford, Megan Graftaas, and Sarah Dickson carried themselves in a manner that closely represented the unique and contrasting characters they each played. Kiki, played by Dickson, was extravagant in the way she carried herself and how she acted creating a comedic element to the play. Laura, played by Hartford, was genuine, down to earth and relatable. Vanessa, played by Graftaas, was a nihilistic and pessimistic character in a comedic yet thought provoking way. Last of all, Jordan, played by Jeffery, was struggling to grow up as a 21st century gay man who is watching his closest friends grow up and get married and leave him behind in a sense. His thoughts and emotions were exposed through his interactions with his friends and grandmother, and through his phone calls and text messages. His profile was very relatable, to people both struggling with similar issues, as well as to people learning to come into their own and find a significant other to share life’s moments with.
The costume designer, Tascha Balsaitis, was faced with the difficult task of creating costumes changes for a character that never left the stage. The costume changes were creative and worked out well. Other characters had brought clothing on stage for this character or some clothing was behind the couch that allowed Jordan to be properly dressed for the different scenes in a subtle way. The lighting designer, Mags Scanlon, created a interesting visual composition on stage; for example, at the Bachelorette parties, the lights were extravagant with bright colors that changed quickly resembling a club. In this scene specifically, Scanlon conveyed a mood upon stage that was meant to be funny, light-hearted, and fun allowing the audience to relate to the mood being portrayed as well. Also, the sound designer, Andre Hienz, helped to communicate specific moments of the play with sound effects such as the car alarm going off and the cell phone ringing. It created a sense of realism in the production and added to what was happening during each scene in a subtle yet necessary way.
All elements of the production came together in a well thought out manner and was executed in a successful way. Overall, this play was worth seeing. The actors, designers, and directors created a unique, entertaining, and thought provoking performance.
Heather Herbranson
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other preformed at the Marshall Performing Arts Center, in the Dudley Experimental Theatre was wildly disappointing. The technical portions of the performance were all great, unfortunately the storyline was horrible. Even with great efforts from the cast and crew this is not a show worth seeing.
Director Ann Aiko Bergeron did a magnificent job of combining all elements with her cast to create some amazing moments. One such moment when she created a moment of loneliness almost immediately for Jeffery followed seamlessly by a club/bachelorette party.
Costume designer Tascha Balsaitis, created eleven different characters by the costume. Having several actors who plated multiple characters, costumes informed the audience who was on stage before the actor had said a word. The costumes were distinctly different. Each costume fit the characters personality. Jordan played by Liam Jeffery only ever left the stage for a split second. This worked out though, as he wore the same outfit throughout the show. His costume didn’t change similarly to how he felt stuck in the same spot while others changed. The one time he did change was when he saw hope for a relationship.
The playwright Joshua Harmon created a good plot. However, the details and structure of the show didn’t support what could have been a fantastic show. Jordan came across as “oh poor me” and quite whiny, instead invoking a sense of depression or heartbreak among the audience. The excessive whining made the show drag on as the whining increased. Jordan was negative from the very beginning, and the negativity increased through the end. It would have been more believable in a way, if he was shown enjoying something at the beginning. At the beginning of the show he was already isolated, when things are still relatively “normal”. When Jordan attempted to call each of his friends and no one picked up, there were a few issues. Most phones have a limit on how long a message can be, while Jordan talked for quite a long time with Laura. When he called Kiki, he claimed he is going to kill himself. However, in the next scene there is no mention of his claim and there was never an attempt made. Even if his friends were growing apart from him, there most likely would have been some discussion or attempt to contact him shortly after his threat. This suggests that his claim was more for attention than a legitimate suicidal thought.
Laura played by Erin Hartford had an unbelievable moment as well. At Laura’s wedding, she played Jordan and her fake wedding song as her husband and her actual wedding song. Laura did not seem to be the type of person to do something hurtful or petty towards her best friend, even if she were upset with him. This seemed to support the “oh poor Jordan” mentality even though it felt out of character for Laura.
Significant Other Review By: Kennedy Buck
ReplyDeleteUMD theatre’s Significant Other took a look at the lonely life of a gay man and was portrayed very well by the cast and crew. With the story being written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron it was a telling story of Jordan’s life.
Liam Jeffery gave an outstanding performance of Jordan who is a man in New York City struggling to find love, while all of his girlfriends are finding their “significant others” right in front of him. He truly portrayed the emotion of loneliness and how hard it is to lose someone you were on so close with.
Erin Hartford (Laura), Megan Graftaas (Vanessa), and Sarah Dickinson (KiKi) played the friends of Jordan. They all had their own personalities that Jordan needed a little bit of each in his life. They all brought something to the stage with their performances.
The Scenic Designer, Michaela Lochen, did a wonderful job of portraying a vision of a rustic New York City feel. With such limited space she did great making it so versatile and flowy, it made it so much easier to follow the storyline. With help from prop master, Stella Vatnsdal adding to the stage with each simple prop. She managed to make a bar and office, out of the same place with just a few props.
Lighting and Sound also did a great job. With the subtle decline of light every time Jordan was going through a hard time, and just the light focusing on him. It showed the dark time he was going through, and the dark thoughts he was having. Sound Designer, Andrew Hienz, did very well in making each scene more realistic with environmental noises from clacking at the office, to conversations at the bar. It made the story come to life.
Ellie Martin, who played Jordan’s grandmother gave an outstanding performance. She added so much to the story with the few scenes she was in. Every line made a difference with the wisdom the she had with Jordan. It was beautiful how she saved Jordan by simply talking about how life is like a book and he was just going through a rough chapter in his life.
Significant Other is a heartfelt, depressing, eye opening show. Even with the great performances by the cast and astounding work by the crew I wouldn’t see it again. It’s so deep and pulls on the heartstrings that if you see it again you will become picky and not be there for the story they are telling. It’s a beautiful performance and it has great characteristics, so I do recommend seeing it at least once.
Significant Other
ReplyDeleteCyril Xiong
The play Significant Other, performed by the University of Minnesota Duluth Theater Department, was a play about four friends, three girls and one guy who is homosexual. The play shows the reality and the consequences of growing up and falling in love. The play focuses on the main character, Jordan, and focuses on his relationships not only with love interests but with friends as well.
The actors in the play were great as the characters felt as if they actually had connections between them. There was one connection that could be felt the most during the play and that was relationship between Laura (Erin Hartford) and Jordan (Liam Jeffery) as it felt like it was portraying how an actual friendship feels like. The play followed Jordan’s perspective and followed the relationships between him, his three friends, Laura, Kiki (Sarah Dickson), and Vanessa (Megan Graftaas), and his potential love interests. The relationship between the characters and Jordan felt heartbreaking and emotional as many could sympathize with losing a friend’s attention over the friend’s “significant other” or the feeling of being rejected.
One scene that did not go noticed, was a scene where Jordan is calling to receive help, comfort, and advice about sending an email to his love interest, Will, who is a coworker from work. As Jordan is calling his friends, none of them pick up the phone due to them being busy with their own lives. He firsts calls Laura but gets no answer, so he decides to leave a voice mail asking to call back when she can. He then calls Vanessa but gets no answer from her, so he leaves a voice mail for her to call back as well. Lastly, he calls Kiki and she doesn’t answer as well, but instead of leaving a friendly voice mail he leaves a voice mail stating that he is probably going to kill himself in the next couple of minutes. As he is sitting next to his bedside contemplating wheatear to send the email, there is a bottle of pills which can be refer to the previous scene where Jordan and his grandmother have a friendly conversation that takes a dark turn. In that scene the grandmother starts to admire suicide in a jokingly matter by admitting if she could take pills then die in her sleep. Jordan then asks his grandmother to stop joking about it as it made him feel uncomfortable, but Jordan sends the email and does not take the pills. This scene was very eye opening as it shows the struggles of losing friends due to friends becoming so busy with their lives that they may not have time for others.
Significant Other, by the UMD Theater Department was a great play with realistic acting, relatable problems, and comedic vibes. The play was a great play that could be relatable to many and really tugged on the heart strings of the audience. This play would be an amazing play to watch again as there is so many things that could be worked around this topic to make it more innovating than the previous play.
Andrew Prokott
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other Review
Significant Other, put-on by the UMD Dudley Theatre, was an excellent production. The play was all around enjoyable to watch through the atmosphere and dialogue especially. Playwright Joshua Harmon, succeeded in creating an extremely relatable play. Harmon was able to bring light to the struggles of modern day relationships. His choice for a gay man as the lead character was very interesting. It took the stereotypical, heterosexual theme and gave it a new perspective by making the audience see through the eyes of a lonely homosexual man. The dialogue was very good. The conversations between characters was very similar to nowaday conversations between real life, everyday friends. Harmon used very up-to-date words and phrases, but some word choices were questionable. Throughout the course of the play, unnecessary cursing/swearing was present. For example, a random and repeating “fuck you” made it almost unpleasant to watch at times. Overall, it was very relatable.
The cast choice was very well done. Director Ann Bergeron was very careful and picky with the actors she chose for each individual part. All of the actors displayed a very strong chemistry through their characters. While watching the play, it was easy to forget that they are just actors. For example, When Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, sat down with Vanessa, played by Megan Graftaas, and they both described how they were feeling through a painting, it gave a very touching and real sense to their friendship. The relationships they and atmosphere provided portrayed made it very enjoyable to watch.
The lighting, done by Mags Scanlon, was VERY impressive. There were many scenes where lighting helped draw attention to a specific area or character. For example, there was a scene where Jordan was sleeping in his bed and his phone lit up and rang due to a phone call. Another scene depicted one of Jordan's flashbacks in a bar. Most of the lighting focused in the flashback while the rest of the stage was dimmed. Within the bar scene, clinking of glasses and mumbling of other people could be heard in the background. Scanlon also did a great job in setting a specific mood. When Jordan was feeling alone and sad, Scanlon provided dimmed blue lights to visually represent the feeling of sadness.
Andrew Heinz did a brilliant job with sound. There were scenes where the characters would be in a club and it felt as if you were there too. Heinz provided the production with very up-to-date songs while in certain scenes like the ones just mentioned. Along with the phone call example, the sound didn't come from the stage as a whole. It was specifically focussed in the area of the stage that the phone was in. Heinz also succeeded in not taking away from mood. He chose specific sounds and songs for specific times. For example, when Jordan throws the shoes out of his window, Heinz could’ve made a more comedic sound effect when the shoes hit the ground, but that would’ve taken away from the fact that he threw away the shoes.
Overall, the production of Significant Other was a smashing success. It is very enjoyable to watch, but is more focused towards an adult crowd. It’s a fun and unique story that could be enjoyed with friends and family on a weekend.
Anthony Kovacovich
ReplyDeleteThe production of Significant Other presented by UMD Theatre at the Dudley Experimental Theatre, and written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron, depicts the struggles and challenges of a young gay man wanting to find his significant other.
Liam Jefferey takes on the strong and emotional role of playing the lonely main character, Jordan. This role really requires an actor to show a great deal of emphasis on emotion, and Jefferey did just that. From scenes of depression to partying at a bachelorette party, Jefferey nailed it. He really could make the audience feel for Jordan and stand in his corner to root for him, even though they’ve never met him. Jefferey was clearly fully committed to his role.
Another excellent performance came from Sarah Dickson, who played the flashy and sassy role of Kiki. Kiki became an instant fan favorite with her “loud and proud” attitude and her narcissistic-like comments that would make the entire Dudley crowd erupt with laughter. Even the older people in the audience seemed to take a liking to her.
The costume design team for this performance nailed the dresses that Kiki chose for her friends to wear at her wedding as her bridesmaids. The silky and shiny slim pink dresses just screamed “Kiki”. The audience had a ball watching the girls walk down the stairs in these flamboyant outfits. They almost looked like clothing out of a Lady Gaga performance/music video, but they still fit the scene perfectly.
It was noted before that this performance took place at the Dudley Experimental Theatre, which is a black box theatre. The scenic design team utilized this small space extraordinarily well. The small space consisted of multiple different settings ranging from a bar to the inside of Jordan’s grandma’s house. One piece that really stuck out was the apartment window setting that was lined up with multi-color lights along the panels to make it appear that Jordan’s place is located in the city, because bright, neon-looking lights can be seen seeping in.
The only negative of this play is that it gets very repetitive and can drag on with the same material, with little change. For example, the weddings were almost the same, other than who the wedding was for. One of Jordan’s friends gets married and he becomes sad about it instead of being happy for them. It even gets to a point where it’s predictable and can make one lose focus or disengage with the performance. The audience was even getting a little restless, as this performance lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes (including intermission).
Overall, aside from the negative critique about the playwright’s part, the actors and the director and the production crew executed a decent performance that was executed creatively inside the black box theatre at UMD. This play is worth seeing, as both college students and even older adults can experience both empathy and support for a young gay man struggling to find a partner.
“Love is not all: it is not meat nor drink… Yet many a man is making friends with death. Even as I speak, for lack of love alone” (lines 1, 7-8). This excerpt from Love is Not All (Sonnet XXX) by American poet and playwright, Edna St. Vincent Millay, highlights the damning fascination humans have with love. Significant Other, written by Joshua Harmon, did a fantastic job at describing the turmoil's of love, but left some disappointing holes in the plotline. The crew and cast, directed by Ann Bergeron, provided an excellent night of entertainment despite those plot holes.
ReplyDeleteHarmon wrote a wonderful contemporary play filled with relatable twists and hilarious comedy, however the glossed over suicide note was distasteful considering the social opprobrium surrounding the touchy subject. Perhaps the audience is to assume that time has passed and the suicide note was taken care of, but with the already sad notion of the play it probably would have been best to have one of the characters address it with Jordan.
Another disappointment with the playwright was the cliché ending of turning to the next chapter of the book called life. Especially since the suicide note was never addressed, it just made Jordan’s situation more hopeless, which in turn made the realism of his situation hopeless.
Liam Jeffery, who played Jordan, was incredible. Even though he was a little awkward at first, he warmed up to the performance as the night went on. Discussing loneliness in a play such as this can quickly become overly dramatic, but Jeffery kept it relatable- which is what the play needed for success. Him and Erin Hartford, who played Laura, had the best chemistry on stage. They both made it seem as though they had been friends for years.
Sarah Dickson, who played Kiki, was definitely comedic relief for this deceivingly dark play. She played the full-of-herself character extravagantly- and rightfully so. She drew in the most laughs and gasps from the audience, especially when she was talking about how she met her fiancé.
Megan Graftaas, who played Vanessa, and Patrick Timmons, who played (among his three characters) Roger, had some jaw dropping chemistry. Their passionate make out sessions on stage took a couple seconds to get used to, but unfortunately did a superb job at realistically describing what a new couple does in their spare time. Bravo to them for being so bold and brave with their on stage attraction.
Sound Designer, Andrew Hienz, did a fantastic job with the music and sound effects. The more recent music found in the bachelorette party scenes made the play very relatable, and the phone uses on the stage was interesting to watch.
Significant Other is a must see for people of all ages. Despite some holes in the plot, the cast and crew did a wonderful job of acting out the different aspects of love and it’s effects on all people involved.
Significant Other Review
ReplyDeleteSara Hildreth
As people go through life with close friends, it is never expected to prepare for the day they will be gone. People move on and away from friends as they find new people that they want to spend their life with. As others become significant, friends become less noticed. In Significant Other by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron, it portrays the realistic pain of Jordan grieving the loss of his friends that are still alive.
Jordan, played by Liam Jeffrey, was a gay guy who struggled with his social life. As his friends moved on and got married he found himself getting lonelier as time progressed. Jeffrey did a great job portraying this struggling young adult and his acting only improved as the play went on. There were certain moments in the play where the audience was able to feel the pain Jordan felt by just his facial expressions. As the lights hit him at Laura’s wedding, his best friend, Jordan was now aware that he was the last of his friends to get married. Every feeling he had of being alone hits him in this moment. Jordan struggled the whole play, but the wave of sadness finally rushed over his soul and the whole audience felt it. Jeffrey was able to portray this all to real depression in a very believable way.
Jordans three friends Kiki, Laura, and Vanessa were all very different and that made the play more interesting. They did a great job contrasting one another and keeping each wedding interesting. The friend Kiki played by Sarah Dickson was the character that kept the play bright and gave some aspects to giggle about. Every word Dickson spoke the audience was waiting to laugh at her. She was able to take every serious, or not serious moment, and say something dirty or rude in order to make everyone laugh. Dickson was perfectly cast for her role of Kiki and did a great job making the audience believe her drunk talk.
Laura, Jordan’s best friend, played by Erin Hartford, did a great job having chemistry with Jordan. The pair made everyone believe they had actually been best friends forever. The caring aspect to Hartford’s character was very believable and comforting when she was there, especially during emotional scenes.
The lighting, done by Mags scanlon, was a huge aspect of the play, especially during the emotional scenes. It needed to range from the depressing scenes at Jordan’s grandmother's house, to upbeat weddings and bachelorette parties. There was a wide range of lights used including a disco ball to make the dances at weddings very realistic. The lighting was key to helping us feel the same emotions the characters were feeling. Using warm lighting when Jordan spoke with his grandmother Helene helped the audience to feel the comfort of being with someone who cares. The drastic switch to colorful party lights, or the white lights of the office, helped to signify emotion and location.
The set design, by Michaela Lochen, was practical and easily transferable to the many different scene changes the play had. Because it was such an intimate play, the black box style that the play used was very effective in including the audience. The small multipurpose platforms were efficient in creating the plethora of locations the play took place in.
Overall this play was worth the watch for the new perspective it gave that not everyone may be aware of. Watching someone become more significant then they once were, is a feeling most people will experience. There was relatable aspects for everyone and the emotions were something the whole audience needed to feel.
Significant Other Review
ReplyDeleteMaisie Wingert
Significant Other, written by Joshua Harmon, produced by the UMD Theatre Department, and directed by Ann Bergeron was artfully done and very relatable to many post-college students and their struggles with both friendships and romantic relationships. Society is constantly pressuring individuals to be and act a certain way and this play skillfully highlighted that idea.
The playwright, Joshua Harmon did an excellent job of making the characters feel relatable to today’s millennials. The majority of the relationships between characters didn’t feel forced, only strained when they began to grow apart. However, some of the character relationships fell short. For example, when Jordan leaves a message for Kiki telling her he’s going to kill himself, Kiki fails to address his message when they are together later on. If Harmon had chosen to show Kiki’s response to Jordan’s message it not only would have deepened the relationship between Jordan and Kiki, but it also would have put more emphasis on the importance of getting help when depressed. Horman was consistent throughout the play in ignoring Jordan’s depression and suicidal thoughts. By doing this it caused the relationships between the characters to appear more shallow than they should’ve been, especially between Jordan and Laura, and it took away from the realism of the play. Harmon did do a good job contrasting the four main characters while also making them relatable enough to one another that their friendship didn’t feel forced. They all had things in common with Jordan and all spent time with him one-on-one throughout the play and just generally meshed well as a group.
Director Ann Bergeron did a good job overall making choices for how she wanted the play to be presented. The choice to cast Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons each as three different characters was an interesting one and was successful for the most part. Where it fell short was in Bergeron’s decision to cast Tabaka as both Will and Tony. In one scene Jordan is seen acting shy around Will and in another chummy with Tony. While they are different characters, the fact that they are played by the same actor makes each of their separate relationships with Jordan less significant. Bergeron did do an excellent job with song choices, costumes, and decisions for props. Each song played, with help from the sound designer Andrew Hienz, fit well into the play and the atmosphere of the different scenes. The costumes, designed by Tascha Balsaitis, allowed characters being played by the same actors such as Tabaka and Timmons to be recognizable and set apart from one another. The choice of props, particularly the color, enhanced the idea that the play revolves around an angsty adult still trying to find his way in the world. All of Bergeron’s choices contributed to the outcome of the show and its success.
Overall Significant Other showed the struggles of friendships as well as romantic relationships in today’s society. It’s realism rarely fell short and it succeeded in its attempt to highlight the pressure society places on everyone.
Significant Other, performed in the Dudley Experimental Theatre at UMD, vividly explored the challenges of love and loss for four millennial best friends, and examined what “growing up” really means. Between the emotional and engaging actors, the focused sound design, the multifunctional scenery, and the heavy but hopeful narrative, Significant Other was nothing short of extraordinary.
ReplyDeletePerhaps one of director Ann Aiko Bergeron’s biggest strengths in this production was her casting choices. Each actor carried their character with such authenticity and emotion, each aspect of their being clearly thought out and applied seamlessly to the production. As scene partners, Liam Jeffery (Jordan) and Erin Hartford (Laura) were throughly convincing best friends. Megan Graftaas’s Vanessa and Sarah Dickson’s Kiki were constantly engaging, as well as bluntly humorous in every scene together, mostly due to their stark differences. Both Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons had the challenge of playing three characters each, sometimes switching between them seemingly instantaneously. They carried these transitions out incredibly well, making every character so different from the last that it was almost unnoticeable that they were played by the same actor. Perhaps the most notable performance was given by Jeffery, as Jordan never leaves the stage. As the backbone of the entire show, Jeffery performed with grace and confidence, never faltering in the emotional presentation of Jordan’s struggles. Overall, each actor was astonishingly well cast, and allowed their characters to be very three dimensional and authentic.
The sound, scene, and costume design for Significant Other are all also worthy of mention. Sound designer Andrew Hienz manipulated each sound effect and song to seem as though it were coming from a particular part of the stage, an especially great feat because of the black box theatre. When a phone rang, it seemed to come directly from the phone, and when shoes were thrown out the window, the commotion they caused truly seemed to come from the street below. For club scenes, the bass of songs vibrated throughout the entire space. Scene designer Michaela Lochen embraced the challenge of creating multiple locations by using multifunctional set pieces, such as a couch that turned to a bed and a bar that turned into a break room counter. The very urban and modern apartment loft style scenery heavily featured the color red, which assisted in storytelling and character development. Costumes were used to both define location and reflected many character traits. Tascha Balsaitis, costume and makeup designer, was able to portray important elements of character through each costume. Jordan, for example, wore a tightly buttoned shirt everywhere he went, even parties, dates, and clubs to show how rigid and unrelaxed he felt. When he became especially distressed, his clothes also became more and more disheveled. Kiki was dressed in sparkly, tight, revealing clothes to reflect her loud personality, while Vanessa wore dark, conservative clothes to reflect her artistic style. Each of these technical aspects allowed the story and characters to develop more fully, adding incredible value to the production.
Overall, Significant Other is an extremely compelling story and well put together production.
Significant Other
ReplyDeleteWritten by Abigail Trenholm
Significant Other was very well done. Following the life of a gay man through his emotional roller coaster is a strange topic. But with each scene you dig deeper into his mind. Each time you dig deeper the play becomes darker. The dark theme of death and a dark take on love was used throughout the play by Joshua Harmon beautifully and with the insert of intermission was a nice break from all the emotional turmoil the main character was going through.
The theme of death follows the main character Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, around throughout the whole play. Jeffery did an amazing job up on stage. His performance was exceptional and the emotion he conved came across clear and intense. Death in this play wasn’t literal, but the end of important relationships to Jordan. At one point in the play Jordan said he was going to kill himself, but the playwright, Harmon, never got more into that and non of the other characters showed any sign of concern for him after that.
With the idea of a dark love Harmon wrote not about how great love is but how terrible it could affect another person. Love was the main reason Jordan struggled throughout the play. It took a dark truth about the saying “when one door closes another one opens” and shows the life of the person that was left behind that closed door.
In the midst of the escalating darkness intermission was a great sigh of relief. It was a perfect break in the show before all the heavier events occured. It allowed the audience to get up and disconnect for a few minutes and to just get a break before diving in deeper in the mind and life of Jordan.
The costumes in this play were really fun. Each character had their own kind of color scheme and pattern that fit their personality. Each time a character showed back up they were wearing something different, showing how their time is changing and flowing. Whereas Jordan had the same clothes the whole play, representing that he is stuck and lost in time. The only time Jordan got a change in clothes he went out on a date but it didn’t work out well. After that he went right back to the same shirt he was wearing before as to symbolize that he didn’t grow or change as a character.
The soundtrack was also on point. From the wedding songs to the bachelorette parties, the music was great and relatable. All the songs seemed to be directed towards a college and older aged audience. One song in particular was super impactful, the wedding dance at Laura’s wedding. Earlier in the play when her and Jordan were talking about the wedding song it had come up and she mentioned whitney, but Jordan shot her down. Then at the wedding when Jordan feels the most distant the artist he said wasn’t suitable came on. It was almost symbolizing how much he wasn’t in Laura’s life anymore.
In all the play was a great hit. The feeling of helplessness rolls off of each word and the characters were all very well done. In the future this play would do very well. The soundtrack and the costumes would need updating, but the message and the struggles of life would still be relevant. As future generations would come to see this play they would still feel the play talks to them as mental health will never not be a problem for someone.
Anna Troyna
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other was not another romantic comedic play. It was a play about love, heartbreak, loneliness, mental illness, and so many things in between that are relevant to today’s society. The director of this play for UMD, Ann Bergeron, had a marvelous take on the production written by Joshua Harmon. Her choice of cast was wonderful and each actor did a great job playing their respective parts. The chemistry between characters was phenomenal and you can tell it was a huge factor in the casting process.
Liam Jeffrey who played the lead role of Jordan did a wonderful job embodying a person who deals with loneliness, mental health, and finding love. He does a wonderful job of portraying the emotions and feelings of someone who is losing their best friend(s).
Erin Hartford gave a wonderful performance as the loving best friend Laura. Her use of endearing emotions towards her portrayal of Laura made her performance top notch. Megan Graftaas who played Vanessa, a darker and even somewhat dismal character did a wonderful job. Her progression from a person who thinks morbidly into a person who is more positive was wonderful and very entertaining to watch. Sarah Dickson who plays the vivacious and bubbly Kiki also gave a wonderful performance. She did a great job of playing a very lively and loveable person who loves to party and have a good time.
The two men who played three characters each did a particularly great job switching between scenes. Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons took the difficult task of switching characters making it seem effortless. Though at times it was confusing who they were supposed to be at that juncture in time, the costumes helped to distinguish each character.
The costume designer Tascha Balsaitis did a wonderful job portraying each characters personality through the costume choices in Significant Other. She gave each character a very unique style that fit them each individually as a person.
Scenic design done by Michaela Lochen was very versatile and each piece of the set was used for multiple different things. When in class Michaela talked about how they had to be able to move the set and therefore they had limited amount of space, but it was done very well and very professionally.
Lighting Designer Mags Scanlon did a wonderful job during the performance. The lighting was very profound and specific to each scene and the mood of each scene. When Jordan was having a bad night and called all of his friends but no one answered, there was a single spotlight on Jordan as if to signify his feeling of loneliness.
The sound designer Andrew Heinz had a very important job during the performance and did wonderfully with it. Many aspects of the play had to be considered when doing the sound design. For example, a cell phone has to go off at exactly the right moment or the music has to play at a certain time. Another important piece of the play were the environmental sounds of New York City. The sounds of the sirens, the birds, and sounds of cars gave it a very New York feel. It was very well executed and the different sounds throughout the play made it very enjoyable.
The play and performance from each actor overall was phenomenal. Each aspect of the production was very important and played a large role in the performance.
Sonni Eib
ReplyDeleteThe show "Significant Other" at University of Minnesota Duluth’s Dudley theatre was very well done. Director, Ann Aiko Bergeron had a string set of characters to work with and provided a story that was relatable while also giving the audience something different than the average play.
Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, did a very good job at portraying a post college man trying to find love. He had a very moving performance and provided the audience with a character that was having troubles. Jefferey did very good when coming to facial expressions and movements to show how his character was feeling. He was able to have the audience be moved by the way he looked and acted throughout the show.
Alongside Jordan was his best friends. The first being Laura, played by Erin Hartford. Erin did a good job at having her character grow throughout the performance. Towards the beginning of the show she was very close to Jordan but gradually moved apart from him. AS the show progressed the audience was able to see that she cared for Jordan but was unable to be with him as much as she had in the past. Erin gave a moving performance towards the end of the show when she and Jordan got into a fight. She shed tears while saying things that would hurt her character which gave the audience a deeper view into how she was feeling in the moment. The second being Kiki, played by Sarah Dickson. Sarah had a good performance by giving the comic relief of the show. She provided a laugh to the audience by portraying someone that is seen as annoying and random. She did very good when interacting with Jordan by showing that she cared for him but was more involved in her life than helping others. The third friend, Vanessa, played by Megan Graftaas, was edgy yet cared for Jordan in a different way. Throughout the show the audience was able to see her character get more prominent and give Jordan advice about dating and care for the way he felt in situations.
Besides the acting within the show the set, made by designer Lauren Lochen, was very modern and gave an imaginative side to it. In instances where the characters were in places other than the apartment a prop would be placed in order to show the setting and the audience felt the transition. The set was very well put together and had many different side to it without being to flashy. The lighting designer, Mags Scanlon, did a very good job in having the lights be subtle. The lighting throughout the show was natural and went with the storyline very well. In the wedding scenes a disco ball was used to portray a dance floor which was well thought and realistic to make the audience feel as if they were really there.
Overall, this show was very well put together and gave a different view on a story that is pretty basic. The cast and crew did well by giving the audience a relatable yet comedic show that covers a topic that was not easy to portray.
Throughout the performance Jordan was always searching for love from the opposite gender, but never found the one. His acting for this role was full of mixed emotions and outrages towards his friends, misunderstanding his situation.
ReplyDeleteIn the performance of Significant Other Jordan the main character played by Liam Jeffery wore grey suit pants and a red shirt that interchanged throughout the play to look like other outfits with the help of accessories, which was an aspect Tascha Balsaitis communicated very well throughout the whole show. These accessories helped not only Jordan fit into the scene that he was playing, the status he had at each individual place he traveled to, and his emotions. Tascha Balsaitis not only mastered Jordan’s costumes, but showcased the other actors emotions, status, and characteristics to tailor to their needs to perform with comfort and to showcase the personality of the character.
Critiquing Liam Jeffery’s acting, his attitude was precise with his character’s style and he set moods for different scenes based on his attitude and words said, which helped the audience understand Jordan’s emotions. I do think Jordan’s script could have been more transparent with meanings of what he meant, especially with a voicemail that he sent to Kiki saying he was going to kill himself. Some of the audience members said in silence, “why didn’t Kiki call him back?”. That was a concerning point most of the audience members had an issue with. Another issue the audience had was why did the grandmother think and say out loud what different ways she could kill herself. That in one's opinion was absurd and shouldn’t of been shared, especially if Jordan was dealing with underlying depression, which just gave him gateways to death.
The lighting designer, Mags Scanlon, did a tremendous job with accurate light cues when the phone would ring and when Jordan opened his laptop to check his emails. These lighting cues helped the audience understand what was going on and helped the performance with its flow and plot line. The lighting also fit the mood for each setting to make the small black box theatre feel like multiple stages.The stage manager, Lauren Lochen, created a stage that was able to have one performance, but multiple purposes for each individual character and scene, which was very well done and creative.
The black box stage created an intimate space for the audience and actor relationship, which worked well as this performance was very modernized to fit today’s society. Which the director, Ann Aniko Bergeron, wanted to make the performance feel more like a reality TV show because the audience could of picked out a character who they most resemble and or related to in some special way. This made the ending confusing and relatable to many as a metaphor was shared to Laura by Jordan that her wedding was going to be the death of him. The ending scene was Jordan in a tux reading a book most likely resembling his funeral. Which made clear that throughout the entire performance there were many underlying questions and misunderstood meanings that arose, which should of been made clear to understand the plot and conclusion correctly to expand on the plot’s flow to enhance the story.
Overall the performance met the expectations most guests had and made the theatre a more enjoyable place to center attention on certain aspects of life, while laughing and having some fun along the way. Which brought a new awareness to the audience and how they responded to the play. But mainly the whole outline of this performance was about finding your significant other, but being aware that not everyone finds there's and instead searchs for meaning and purpose in the world.
-Lindsey Kauffman
The performance of “Significant Other” at UMD was well performed and a story that many could relate to, but it was not as good as it could have been due to how the play was designed. The sounds and lighting were at times distracting from the play. Lighting didn’t seem to be used enough to add to the emotion of scenes and was placed in a distracting way on stage. Sounds seemed to be misplaced throughout the play and changed the intended impact of scenes.The play has a lot of potential, but this variation was disappointing.
ReplyDeleteAlthough the play wasn’t the best it could have been, something that redeemed it was the actors performances. Ellie Martin, an experienced actor who played the role of Helena, was especially enjoyable to watch. Martin played her role more realistically than the other characters and for that reason she stood out. The other characters were written by the playwright, Joshua Harmon, to be more exaggerated for comedic purposes. One actor that was particularly good at being exaggerated was Patrick Timmons who played the part of Evan in the play. The way Timmons played the character was hilarious because he exaggerated his presence on stage which not only allowed the audience to differentiate Evan from the other characters Timmons played, but also allowed him to say ridiculous things written in the script without making it seem out of place or unlike his character.
The lighting for this play was kind of disappointing. There seemed to be a lot of potential to use lighting to add to the story, but this wasn’t taken advantage of. Certain lighting could have been used to add even more of an effect to moments in the play like when Jordan and Laura were fighting, when Jordan threw the shoes, when Laura had to go to the hospital, or even Jordan’s visits with Helena. There were so many emotional moments in the play that not having the right lighting to compliment what was happening on stage deprived the scene of the impact it could of had.
The placement of lights was not very good either. In the play there were LED lights behind a piece of scenery that was supposed to look like a window, but because of the lights placement, it didn’t. This is just one example of the many places on stage where lights could have been placed more discreetly to make them less distracting.
The sounds used in the play were most of the time distracting from what was happening on stage. The sound designer, Andrew Hienz, could have made the sounds less distracting by changing their location in the play. Sometimes they were misplaced, when this happened funny sounds would play over sad moments and sad sounds play over funny moments. One example of this is when Evan was talking to Jordan which although seemed like a funny scene, had sad instrumentals in the background that clashed with what was happening on stage. An example of when the opposite happened might have been when the shoes were thrown. The scene was emotional and supposed to be intense, but the car sounds that followed did not match the mood of that moment. Sounds really seemed to wreck the intended impact of the play at times and confuse the audience.
This play is a good example of how theater is a cumulative art form. Even though the acting was well done and the story was enjoyable because of the lighting and the sound this play was overall not the most best one. Although this play has potential there is still a lot of improvement needed.
Matt Friesen
ReplyDeleteReview of Significant Other
Significant Other was produced by UMD Theatre. This play follows a young man as he watches all of his friends get married. The play starts on a happy note but it becomes more depressing as it continues on.
The playwright is Joshua Harmon. The script is full of sexual reference, and my swear words. The words that came from the actors seemed very realistic but at the same time, it was very uncomfortable to listen to some of there lines. One of the lines, in particular, that bought a feeling of discomfort was a line that Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, said about masturbating to another man. Language like that should not be said on stage. This play had some comedic parts but as a whole was not very funny. This script was not great and felt very long.
The director is Ann Bergeron. She was able to put on a good show. She picked the characters pretty well. Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, and Laura, played by Erin Hartford, had some of the best on stage chemistry. In the scene where they discuss how they should marry each other at the beginning of the play seems so natural that it made it seem like those two had been friends for years. The others seemed to fit their roles pretty well. No one seemed out of place.
The actors are Liam Jeffery who plays Jordan, Erin Hartford played Laura, Megan Graftaas Played Vanessa, Sarah Dickson Played Kiki, Ellie Martin played Helene, Eukariah Tabaka plays Will, Conrad, and Tony, and Patrick Timmons plays Zach, Evan, and Roger. The actors were average at best. It felt like they were overacting sometimes, especially Ellie’s character, Helene. In the scene when Jordan and Helene were sitting a talking on her couch, she continuously says the same thing. This gives the effect that she is getting old and is forgetting what she said the last time they talked. This scenes seemed very unnatural and kind of awkward to watch. Liam seemed very immersed in his character going as far as kissing another man. Patrick and Eukariah did a nice job switching characters very quickly and being able to have very different personalities. Patrick went from a very flamboyant gay man to a goth straight man to a more conservative gay man very seamlessly. The actors were often not super convincing about there character and came short of having a great performance.
The Designer for this play did an excellent job. They were able to have a park bench be a bed and couch depending on the scene. The backdrop really made it feel like it was set in a New York apartment. The lighting designer was also able to light the stage very well to not have any shadows on stage. The wood on stage under the platforms was lit and had a metal like look to it which made it very cool to look at.
Significant Other was a overall decent play. Its downfalls were that it was very long, the acting was amazing and the script was not the most entertaining to listen too.
Kevin Thao
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other
Love can be difficult to find and sometimes impossible, this idea of love only becomes worse with the passage of time. Significant Other reveals the struggles of Jordan, a gay man who slowly watches his friends find love, only to wonder if he will ever find love himself.
The production of the play was set in the Dudley Experimental Theatre within UMD. This space is much smaller, and the entire room is painted black to drown out the light. The space choice allowed for some interesting lighting and sound ques to be utilized. One amazing way the lighting and sound design played major roles in immersing the audience into the setting was during a scene where Jordan (Liam Jeffery) is thinking about his crush Will (Eukariah Tabaka). As he is fantasizing about his crush the entire room is pitch black leaving only a spotlight on Will. This scene highlights perfectly what it feels like to be inside of Jordan’s mind, entering a new depth of immersion to the performance.
The setting was at first confusing being very minimal, but as the play went on it became fascinating, the way they would maneuver each setpiece around to fit the various locations created an illusion that everything was always connected. Each setting from the office to Jordan's apartment, to his grandmother's house, and even the bar were all identified by a designated prop. This choice of identification made each scene feel very similar since the spacing was exactly the same, and yet each scene had a unique feel.
The small cast of Significant Other performed marvelously, Megan Graftaas’s portrayal of Vanessa was enjoyable, her humor was some of the best throughout the play. Her scenes inside the museum were the highlight of her character bringing some comedy to the performance.
Sarah Dickson’s portrayal of the loud, hot but dumb friend of Kiki was spot on. She brought a strong positive energy that always helped lighten up the mood and many laughs with her out there personality.
Ellie Martin’s portrayal of Helene, Jordan’s grandmother was a small gem within the play. While her character didn’t play a major role in the play, each scene with her always seemed to carry some emotional weight.
But Liam Jeffery’s portrayal of Jordan and Erin Hartford’s portrayal of Laura was the highlight of the show. The chemistry between the two actors was solid. Their dialogue with one another was always a joy to watch, and the realism of how they would talk with one another really allowed the audience to relate to both their characters.
Significant Other by Joshua Harmon, directed by Ann Aiko Bergeron, and produced by the Dudley Experimental Theatre is a production that takes the struggle of today's world and places them into a compelling story that allows the audience to watch the characters grow through their experience. This production is one that you should go out and see but does seem to be lacking in the rewatch value.
Significant Other Review
ReplyDeleteDanielle Lo
Significant Other performed by the University of Minnesota Duluth in the Dudley theatre was an overall great show. It highlighted a real world, relatable struggle of the distancing of four close friends. Realistically portraying the conflict that happens when friends are separated by their own significant others. Because this theme is so widely relatable to modern society, Significant Other should be recognized and applauded.
The director, Ann Bergeron, made excellent calls for this show. Though Bergeron’s blocking choices for this show must have been difficult, she clearly situated each scene so that there was no conflict and little confusion. This aspect also greatly helped the flow of this show. Bergeron’s choice in using the color rouge as a motif went swimmingly throughout the show from Jordan’s burgundy button-up to the red Keurig. However, the shade of red used to paint the set came off as too bright and not as rustic as could have been achieved.
The Playwright, Joshua Harmon, did a wonderful job in telling Jordan’s story. Having successfully shown how each friendship changed as new significant others joined the story. The most admirable part of the show was the very end. Seeing Jordan open his book to a new chapter, just as Helene said, allowed for a sense of hope to fill the auditorium. Another great part of Significant Other was the reveal of Laura’s first bride and groom dance. This perfectly tied back to their friendship from years before and was the most touching moment in the show.
The actors of the show performed very well as every actor played their part seamlessly. Liam Jeffery captured so well who Jordan was and his change of emotions throughout the show. Ellie Martin who played Helene was phenomenal. Martin was a great mix of wise and crazy, clearly showing how perfected her craft is. Erin Hartford did an excellent job of playing the down to earth Laura. Megan Graftaas, Vanessa, was very good at playing a dark soul. Lastly, Sarah Dickson was a laugh with her portrayal of the sassy valley girl Kiki.
Similarly, the supporting actors who played multiple characters were great as well. Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Timmons had the challenge of performing three different characters. As confusing as it sounds, both Tabaka and Timmons’s portrayals of their characters were so individual that one could never mistake one of their characters for another.
Michaela Lochen, the scenic designer for Significant Other did a very good job at creating a malleable set. This design, though limited by the space of the Dudley theatre, managed to benefit and complement a lot of the show.
Significant Other really brought something good to the table this past November. As seen through the director, playwright, actors, and scenic designer. All components of this show did a great job in telling this truly relatable story, making Significant Other a very meaningful show.
In this ever changing world of technology and romance, a young gay man named Jordan struggles not only to find himself but to find love in a place where everyone, especially his closest friends, seem to be doing just that. Though the performance was slightly choppy, Significant Other, directed by Ann Bergeron, was quite an entertaining show about love and the heartache that comes with it in this modern age.
ReplyDeleteThere were few problems with the show, but they were significant (no pun intended) nonetheless. The beginning of the show was, for lack of a better term, uncomfortable. Something about Nicki Manaj blaring overhead and 4 people drunkenly dancing on stage was just awkward to look at. In fact, every bachelorette party thrown in the show felt uneasy and out of place. And it wasn’t just the parties that had some trouble getting started. The actors all acted a bit like a guy who felt confident to do karaoke but once he got on stage immediately regretted his decision. None of the actors had chemistry and the show looked bleak, but this was only the beginning.
Once the actors hit their stride, there was no holding back. One performance that was particularly shocking was that of UMD freshman Liam Jeffery who played the role of Jordan. The scene at Laura’s bachelorette party between Laura and Jordan was absolutely electric. The emotions felt real, as if this anger inside of Jordan really had been building all these years only to explode on this happy night. And Liam didn’t stop here. Jordan’s chemistry with his friends was unforgettable, making it hard to see the folks on stage as only actors and not actual life long friends. Jordan’s connection with his grandmother felt like a real relationship, not something manufactured for stage. It was really something else to see this guy shine as bright as he did.
From less of an acting aspect, other regions of the show generally flourished. Sound designer Andrew Hienz did a wonderful job of both setting the scene and using songs relatable to a modern public. Scenic designer Michaela Lochen somehow portrayed multiple locations including a wedding, an apartment, and grandmas house all in the confined spaces of the Dudley experimental theatre.
Overall, Significant Other was a must see performance for anyone of any age. It was a beautiful representation of love in the modern era and despite few errors, it still managed to capture the hearts of anyone who saw it.
Shalane Lee
ReplyDeleteSignificant Other Review
Significant Other is a play acted out by the University of Minnesota Duluth Theater Department. This play was on four friends: three girls and one guy, the guy is homosexual. However, the main focus of this play was on the male character whose name is, Jordan. The play shows the challenges that Jordan goes through with his relationship between his friends and his love interest.
The actors and actresses did a magnificent job at expressing the connection that the four friends had. The acting felt real and portrayed how an actual friendship would be between two people, but the acting also showed how heartbreaking it can be when a person begins to lose their friends. The friendship between Jordan (Liam Jeffrey) and Laura (Erin Hartford) felt very realistic.
One scene that was meaningful would be the scene where Jordan is having a conversation with his grandmother, Helene. This scene showed the difficulty of losing friends because they are so busy with their own lives, that they have no time with one another. How this happens is, after Jordan calls his friends and gets no answer from all of them, he leaves a voicemail saying that he was probably going to kill himself in the next few minutes, then later wonders whether or not he should send the email. he thinks back to his conversation with his grandmother. She jokes around with him saying that she would take the pills and die in her sleep which caused Jordan to feel uncomfortable, resulting in telling her to stop. In the end, Jordan sends the email and does not take the pill.
Although the play was two hours, it was a very well acted out play by the cast and crew. It was a plot that the audience could relate to, empathize with, and sympathize with. The acting was acted out very well and seemed real. It’s a play that’s worth watching twice.
Significant Other Play Review
ReplyDeleteBrock Penton
Significant Other is comical play produced by the UMD Theatre. This play is about a young man who watches all of his friends start their new lives while he is still single. As the play goes on, the story starts to go down a dark path.
The play takes a bigger look on the ways that loneliness is like a monster and how it can affect someone. Significant Other was written by Josh Harmon. The play had it’s funny moments, but as a whole, it was not as amusing as it could be. The script was full of many curse words and uncomfortable sexual references. Kiki, played by Sarah Dickson, had a couple of remarks about her husband and their sexual life. Some of sexual references and curse words did not need to be in the play. The play could have been shorter than it needed to be.
The play was directed by Ann Bergeron. The casting was very well done by her and the actors fit their roles nicely. The transitions were very swift too. UMD Theatre produced Significant Other. The play was in a black box theater, which was the perfect amount of space for this type of play. UMD Theatre did an outstanding job of using the limited amount of space in the black box theater to their advantage.
The story stars Jordan, played by Liam Jeffery, is a homosexual man in his 20s. He is constantly battling this depression that keeps creeping up on him throughout the play. Liam did an astonishing job by being able to show Jordan’s cheerful side but also his gloomy side as the story goes on. The gloomy side of Jordan starts to come out when he finds out Kiki is getting married. Eurkariah Tabaka, played Will, Conrad, and Tony, and Patrick Timmons, played Zach, Evan, and Roger, were very impressive considering they each had to play three characters in the play. As the years go on, Laura, played by Erin Hartford, and Vanessa, played by Megan Graftaas, start to find people. This leaves Jordan at his peak of loneliness when he realizes all of his friends are either married or about to be. The scene showing Jordan’s true emotions is at Vanessa’s bachelorette party. Jordan’s negativity in the scene is consistently shown and Laura confronts him about it. This scene was very well done by the actors, creating an intense, very dramatic moment.
Stella Vatnsdal was the Props Master for Significant Other, she did an excellent job by making most of the props versatile. They had a bench which could turn into a couch or bed. Also, they had a bar which could be used as a table. a unique feature of symbolism they threw into the play was the amount of red-colored props in the play. The red is supposed to symbolize the color of love.
Overall, Significant Other was very stretched out and it would’ve been more enjoyable for the viewer if the play reduced the runtime. The actors did an excellent job with their roles and proved even in the smallest theaters, talent is still there.
Significant Other
ReplyDeleteIzzy Bursey
The play Significant Other was performed in the Dudley Experimental Theatre by the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Department of Theatre.
The play was written by Josh Harmon. The play was quite repetitive as it felt like there was a bachelorette party or wedding every two minutes. It was notable how Jordan, played by Liam Jeffrey, got more sad as each event happened, but it felt like a never ending cycle.
The director was Ann Aiko Bergeron. She put on an impressive production as she had to work with a small stage and had actors playing multiple characters. Even though it was impressive, it was also confusing at times. Knowing where the characters were or telling which characters Eukariah Tabaka and Patrick Thomas were playing at the time had me question their roles.
The scenic designer was Michaela Lochen. She was smart with how she set up the scenes, as she had to make the few amounts of furniture in the play multipurpose. The way she was able to make the table part of the office, the bar and Jordan’s island in his apartment was innovative. She also made the wooden bench a couch and bed.
The lighting designer, Mags Scanlon was able to use lighting to change the mood of the play. The spotlight was used to make romance or to look back on a memory.
The costume and makeup designer was Tascha Balsaitis. The costumes she chose for the different characters was used to show their different personalities. It also helped distinguish who Tabaka and Thomas’ characters were.
Overall, Significant Other was an entertaining play. The director, scenic designer, lighting designer and costume designer did a wonderful job collaborating, but the playwright fell a little short.
The feeling of growing apart, one of the hardest things to fathom when it is between someone who was once called a best friend. Significant other, written by Joshua Harmon and directed by Ann Bergeron showed the emotional struggle a Gay man in his twenties faces while he watches his friends drift away from him. The production opened Tuesday night at the University of Minnesota Duluth Dudley Experimental Theatre.
ReplyDeleteLiam Jeffrey portrayed Jordan very well with how believable his emotions felt. Jeffrey was able to embody a gay character with depressive and impulsive qualities and make it come to life on stage. His performance was very interesting to watch because of the close friendship he has with the other characters. Erin Hartford, Jeffrey’s onstage best friend shared beautiful chemistry with him that grew as the play goes on. Their intense interactions were raw and relatable that helped the audience connect as well.
Patrick Timmons who played three separate characters made each stand out with their contrasting personalities. It made for an enjoyable performance on his part to see how quick his gestures and mannerisms could change from Jordans frilly gay coworker to a punk rock hipster to a man who was not quite ready for love. He was able to change the mood from exciting to serious in an instance with each character he portrayed.
It seemed as the play continued on the audience lost interest because of unnecessary scenes. Jordans encounters with his Grandma were sweet however repetitive. Perhaps Jordans character was far too dependent on others which made his time spent with his grandma seem more depressing than meaningful.
The lighting design by Mags Scanlon made Significant Other more appealing to the eye. With the open dark space that the black box theatre has and little props the lighting created depth and dimension. From dim a spotlight to bright colored strobe lights these effects made one stage become various locations.
An interesting directorial decision was for Jordan to remain in the same clothing throughout the play while his friends are constantly changing outfits for each occasion. It was a smart move on Bergeron’s part because it subconsciously showed the audience how Jordan is stuck at a point in his life while his friends are moving forward without him.
This adaptation of modern day emotions and coping mechanisms that people have are accurately represented through the few characters Significant Other depicted. Realistic yet enjoyable, you are left with a longing for more of what is to come for these vibrant characters.
-Mireya Valadez