Discuss the performance of two actors in any live production that you have seen.
You should also compare these with the performances of two actors from another live production you have seen. In your answer you should include;
• Names of productions, dates viewed, venues
• Actors’ interpretations of roles
• Acting styles
• Vocal characterisation
• Physical characterisation
• Interaction of characters
• Personal reaction
• Audience responses
• Critical opinions
• Comparison with other performances Ivo Van Hove’s interesting adaptation of Arthur Miller’s ‘A View from the Bridge’, which I went to see on 23rd February 2015 at the Wyndham theatre London, made effective use of simplistic set and costume so that the audience focused on the talented acting and fascinating interpretation. This play, set in 1950s Brooklyn, follows Italian immigrants and the ultimate downfall of Eddie Carbone- the protagonist- as he develops inappropriate feelings towards his niece, Katherine. The play was enjoyed by audience members and critics alike describe by David Alan as ‘the production of a lifetime’.
Personally, I felt that Phoebe Fox’s interpretation of Catherine was incredibly effective. An integral theme to the play is her character’s innocence and ignorant attitude towards the relationship between her and Eddie, as she is utterly unaware of his developing feelings towards her. A particular moment where she successfully portrayed Catherine’s naivety was on her first entrance. The actress ran onto stage shouting her line “Hi Eddie” with glee and enthusiasm. She adopted a high pitch, fast pace and loud volume. This vocal characterisation of Fox’s character immediately suggested to the audience how little experience of the ‘real world’ Catherine has and her immaturity as it mimicked that of a young child with no inhibitions or responsibilities. In addition she greeted Eddie by running up to him and leaping into his arms- clung to her uncle with legs tightly wrapped around his waist and her arms, his neck with a wide grin and raised eyebrows. Not only did this physical characterisation show Katherine’s youth and her desire and need to be protected by those older than her, it presented her lack of awareness of Eddie’s feelings towards her as she grows up to become a young woman.
However, as the play progresses so does her awareness of the relationship between her and her uncle being unconventionally intimate with, as Charles Spencer described it, “the blossoming sexuality of a teenage girl”. During the progression of the play Fox portrays Catherine to become more mature and responsible as a result of her experiences throughout the production as her pitch becomes low and measured and her gait controlled rather than erratic and in some ways naïve. This is shown towards the end of the play when Eddie calls her, “Katie, wait a minute” and he goes to touch her. However, Fox subtly shrugs him off without looking at him and takes a forceful step away. This physical characterisation of the broken bonds of their relationship reinforces Catherine’s matured feelings as a result of her “blossoming sexuality”.
This contrasted with Paul Beech’s interpretation of the 9th Juror in Christopher Haydon’s production of Reginald Rose’s ‘Twelve Angry Men’ which was performed entirely naturalistically, set in the 1950s, like ‘A View from the Bridge’, on a hot summer’s day in New York. A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the other jurors that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. Although Sheila Connor described the performance as ‘totally riveting’ and ‘a triumph’ I have to disagree as, although the detailed set was thought through thoroughly, the acting was somewhat lacking. Beech, in my opinion did not effectively portray the age of his character, around 80 years old, unlike Fox. For example, when he says the line “He didn’t change his vote. I did. Would you like me to tell you why?”, Beech stood up from his chair suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table. He shouted the line with a low pitch, emphasising the pronoun “he”. Then he placed his hand firmly on his chest on “I did” in a strong and youthful manner. For me, this characterisation suggested that the character was less mature and more agile- perhaps somewhat lacking in experience. Whereas Rose clearly wrote the older character to be the voice of reason and wisdom within the play, guiding the jurors and the audience, alongside juror 8, to find the boy innocent.
Another actor that effectively portrayed his character in AVFTB was Mark Strong, interpreting the role of Eddie Carbone. By using vocal and physical characterisation he was able to convey an authoritative and controlling character. This was integral for his character portrayal as it showed the extent of effect that his feelings had on him and how he felt the need to use his male dominance to overcome or at least hide them. A particular moment when he showed this was on his line “I know that neighbourhood, B, I don’t like it”, which he said stood up as Beatrice and Katherine sat down, physically elevating his status and power. Strong stood with a wide stance, feet hip width apart, hands on his hips, chest pushed out and chin raised up with a stern facial expression of stiff jaw and furrowed brow. Furthermore he adopted a low yet loud vocal quality which was slow and measured, pacing emphasis on the pronouns “I”, effectively portraying his assertive nature and expectation to be obeyed, asserting his authority.
However, as the story unravels so does the illusion of Eddie’s powerful status as his feelings towards Catherine unwillingly develop and grow. Beatrice calls him out on these emotions in the finals scene and he cries back “That’s what you think of me-that I would have such thoughts?” Strong effectively conveyed the underlying subtext to this line; that of course he does want Catherine and he can’t stop himself. To do this, Strong first turned back to Beatrice, pivoting violently on his heel and marched towards her with finger outstretched, but then cowered back- almost stumbling over himself- and looking erratically in every direction other than at Beatrice and Catherine, looking for a way to escape the situation and of course his feelings. He placed emphasis on “think” and “such”, randomly varying his vocal pace and pitch. By adopting this physical and vocal characterisation, Strong presented an unstable and far from controlled Eddie Carbone- effectively showing the deteriation of his status due to emotions.
Like Arthur Miller, Reginald Rose’s central character, Juror 8, is powerful and assertive. However, although his performance was described as “towering” and “impressive” I do not feel Tom Conti effectively made use of vocal and physical characterisation to reveal this. A particularly weak moment for the actor, in my opinion, was whilst he explained his reasons for voting not guilty in the murder case, “I haven’t got anything brilliant”. Here, although he stood up focusing the attention on him and offering some element of control, he limply placed his hands in his pockets and looked down at the floor with sunken shoulders whilst pacing erratically around the stage. The lack of eye contact meant that Conti neither held authority over the audience nor the other members of the cast. Furthermore, the unmotivated movement suggested a lack of conviction in his actions and thus his words, weakening his overall effect in convincing the other jurors.
Overall, I think that Fox and Strong far outshone Beech and Conti as they showed a real affinity with the text and demonstrated an intense and thoughtful characterisation, nothing like the unrefined performances of the Yvonne Arnaud Production which, in my opinion, was hardly a ‘triumph’ at all.