Theater Today Matthew King
How to See a Play 6/4/07

Fusion I have to say that overall I really enjoyed Performance Fusion. The physical theater was small, but much larger than the last show that we saw at Impact. After our first tour of the small theater, I didn’t know what to expect of a play there. My first impression of the small theater was that it was very bare, dark and small, so it was interesting to see the stage with sets and actors illuminated by the lights. Since the theater was small, the actors were easy to see. I also want to comment on the sound. I thought the acoustics in this theater were just mediocre. Although the theater is small and about the same size as the Ashby Stage, the actors were a bit more difficult to hear, although the microphones did help quite a bit. I thought most of the performances were great; however I enjoyed some of them better than others. My favorites were The Boogeyman, Rhythms in the Veins, and Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson. I really enjoyed the way Boogeyman began. First off, the play opened with the heavy sounds of hard rock/metal band Godsmack, and then followed by a scary story by from the older brother to his little brother Timmy. During his scary story, I really liked the effect that the flashlight gave along with the strobe flashes that simulated lightning. I also liked the sound effects that were used in the play. For example I thought the creaky door was a good effect. I thought the set was great. I not only liked the fact that you can see Timmy’s bedroom and the living room at the same time, I also liked that the set was very functional. For example I liked that the Boogeyman was able to disappear in and out of the closet and under the bed. This was a great effect. I also thought the costumes and props were good and appropriate. I think that the clothes of every actor fit the character very well. I thought the Boogeyman’s costume was great. He looked like a giant green booger; it was pretty funny when he came out for the first time. I also liked that the older brother was reading a Bevis and Butthead comic book. This was fitting of his personality, which was sort of immature but funny. The major themes of this performance were youth, fear, and brotherly love. The set of the Boogeyman was quickly removed for the next piece which was a dance performance called Rhythms in the Veins. The lighting for this performance was excellent. I thought the lighting on the backdrop, contrasted with the images that were projected was a great effect. The costumes for this performance were good as well as appropriate. This piece was very unique and delivered a strong message. “Those who do not understand where they come from cannot arrive at their destination”. This performance was mostly about heritage and struggles of their ancestors. It was about struggles and death in the past, but life and success today. Although the dancing was off rhythm at times, it was very unique and full of emotion and energy. Speaking of emotion, the spoken words were very powerful and translated well to the audience. This was without question my favorite performance. The transition from this performance to Playwriting 101: The rooftop Lesson was also very smooth. I really liked this play from the very beginning. I liked the way that the initial narrator used the button as a remote control and the rewind motion demonstrated by the two actresses. I also liked the costumes that were used. For example the narrators costume was very fitting and appropriate as well as the costume of the suicidal girl. She looked like a girl that was confused or has some problems due to her costume and make-up. I thought the sound effects for this play were also very good. Overall I really enjoyed the Performance Fusion. Although I enjoyed some of the performances better than others, I really enjoyed The Boogeyman, Rhythms in the Veins, and Playwriting 101: The Rooftop Lesson, Rhythms in the Veins being my favorite. The theater enhanced my experience due to the size but the sound could have had better. The acting overall was believable and most of it was very funny. The dancing was also very good. Those dancers displayed a great deal of physical endurance and strength. I also really enjoyed that fact that the performance was combination of the short plays and dancing performances, hence the name Fusion.