Response to Live Performance Essay Example For Students

Response to Live Performance Essay The performance I have chosen to discuss is called Be My Baby written by Amanda Whittington and directed by Anna Newell for Lyric Theatre Offsite Productions.  Be My Baby is set in St.Saviours Church of England mother and baby home in the North of England which takes in unmarried mothers during their pregnancy and accommodates them until their child is born and given up for adoption. The play takes part over 2 months in 1964. The play is an ensemble production that is a mixture of naturalism and brechtan, as the cast managed to create a really dramatic, serious scene and then they would break into acapella singing groups and perform girl band hits from the 1960s such as: De do run run, Be My Baby, Going to the chapel etc. They would do this as they moved the set which was a 360? rotating set with 3 locations which were the matrons office, the dormitory and the laundry. The plays main character is Mary played by Roisin Gallagher who is brought into St.Saviours by her mother played by Libby Smith when she is 7 months pregnant at 19 years of age. Mary is shown to her dormitory which she shares with Queenie played by Susan Crothers who is an aspiring singer. The 2 other girls we meet in the play are Norma played by Cat Barter and Dolores played by Julie Maxwell, Norma and Dolores are also pregnant and staying in St.Saviours, they both dont seem to know a lot about what child birth entails. I have chosen to discuss the part of Queenie played by Susan Crothers. In the play Queenie seems to be the supportive element for the rest of the girls. However, she shows her soft side when her dreams of becoming a famous singer just like all the girls on the records she listened to were shattered when Mary told her she wasnt a good singer. At first, Mary didnt want to tell Queenie this but when Queenie kept insisting on Mary giving her a truthful answer, Mary gave in and told Queenie she couldnt sing upon hearing this Queenie turns around in her bed and wont face Mary and we get the impression she is crying when she answers Mary in a broken voice that she was fine after Mary asks is she alright. This happens after Mary and Queenie have been listening to a song on the record player and are singing along, Queenie then stops and gives Mary a shocked expression and says to Mary youve got good pipes. The scene then ends with Queenie lying with her back to Mary in a bad mood.  Ã‚  In this scene Queenie (Susan Crothers) uses a wide range of facial expressions such as shock- open mouthed when she hears Mary sing and sadness- face drops when she finds out she cant sing, but, earlier in the scene when they are singing together Queenie is pulling faces along to the music and comes across as a very funny character. Although throughout the play Queenie portrays many different emotions and seems to really understand the other girls and help them come to terms with what they are going through, this comes across as though she interacts really well with the other actors on stage. However, we later find out that her knowledge of what the girls are all going through comes from the fact that she has had a baby before when she was just 16, which is what she confesses to Mary as Mary goes into labour in the dormitory. Queenie seems very humble when the matron played by Sharon Coade commends her on the way she safely delivers Marys baby girl in the dormitory alone during the night. .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 , .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .postImageUrl , .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 , .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:hover , .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:visited , .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:active { border:0!important; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:active , .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9 .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u8b3b53297da7965b0d36e182c9dce5d9:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: "Goblin Market" and "The Lady of Shallot" EssayThe play is very moving and is not based on a true story but based on situations which were likely to happen in the 1960s i.e. mother and baby homes run by the church. I think all actors gave an excellent performance throughout the play, but, I thought Susan Crothers playing Queenie was exceptional and really portrayed a very interesting character who came across as rough and bossy but knew how to look after the girls in St.Saviours and really help them before, during and after child birth.