In Elephant’s Graveyard put on by Washington University’s theater company, there were numerous instances of incredible acting and very few noticeable mistakes made during the play. Although many of the scenes were very intriguing, the before and after affects that the elephant’s death had on the actors really made the play. How the actors behaved as a group also was impressive, as they dictated the tonal shifts and mood switches throughout the play, making it very effective and believable. At first, all of the actors seemed to agree that because of Mary’s actions there has to be something done about it. Most of the actors seemed quite disturbed and uneasy about the death of one of their fellow circus members. There was this sense of concern, showing how all of the circus members realized that it really could’ve been anyone of them, making the characters seem unnerved and bothered by the event. …show more content…
Most of the actors took on a somber, and melancholy tone as they started to realize that they would have to kill this elephant. I truly believed that these characters embodied people that finally realized that they had to hang this elephant. The character that sold it the most, for me, was Shortie’s performance. Because of his background with Mary, Shortie had the most emotional attachment with the elephant. His comforting last words to Mary before the elephant’s death were very moving and emotional, coming from someone who doesn’t usually get emotional over plays or movies. His emotion also carried through to his heated argument with Lou, showcasing his angrier, more accusing side. This blending of emotions that the actor pulled off really sold the character for me. I really believed that Shortie was a short-tempered, passionate character, one who gets annoyed easily and one who can be a soft, sweet person deep