Watch On The Rhine Play Analysis
My classmates and I recently saw Watch on the Rhine by Lilian Hellman performed at the Arena Stage in Washington D.C. The play was directed by Jackie Maxwell. The main characters were portrayed by Marsha Mason, Thomas Keegan, Lisa Bruneau, Andrew Long, J Anthony Crane, Natalia Payne, Ethan Miller, Heidi Kaplan, and Tyler Bowman. It was my first time seeing theater-in-the-round; it was an amazing experience. Theater-in-the-round is much more engaging and realistic than a proscenium stage. Along with the staging, the actors were also incredible. I will focus on three actors in this response: Long, who played Kurt Müller; Keegan, who played David Farrelly; and Miller, who played Joshua Müller. These actors left the greatest impression on me out of all the actors. How they
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It was difficult for me to understand David at first. In the beginning, he gave off an unempathetic vibe through his expressions. The way he delivered his dialogues and his expressions in his first scene gave me the impression that he cares more about Martha than the fact that his sister is coming home after 17 years. However, his expressions changed a great deal when Sara finally arrived. As the play progressed, Keegan peeled away more and more layers of his character. The last moment of the play was when he was most vulnerable. Keegan was the only one left on stage and, just as the lights started to dim, he let out a heart-breaking sob. That moment completely changed my impression of David. It was such an unexpected and honest moment. Keegan’s expressions looked so real; he genuinely felt his character’s pain. The play would not have been as impactful if he had done that scene differently. For example, if he just sighed instead of sobbed, I would not have understood David’s emotions clearly. Was he worried or exasperated? Keegan’s sob conveyed his fear and grief perfectly. It was the perfect way to end the
It was difficult for me to understand David at first. In the beginning, he gave off an unempathetic vibe through his expressions. The way he delivered his dialogues and his expressions in his first scene gave me the impression that he cares more about Martha than the fact that his sister is coming home after 17 years. However, his expressions changed a great deal when Sara finally arrived. As the play progressed, Keegan peeled away more and more layers of his character. The last moment of the play was when he was most vulnerable. Keegan was the only one left on stage and, just as the lights started to dim, he let out a heart-breaking sob. That moment completely changed my impression of David. It was such an unexpected and honest moment. Keegan’s expressions looked so real; he genuinely felt his character’s pain. The play would not have been as impactful if he had done that scene differently. For example, if he just sighed instead of sobbed, I would not have understood David’s emotions clearly. Was he worried or exasperated? Keegan’s sob conveyed his fear and grief perfectly. It was the perfect way to end the