Review: Hardly trivial, but a bit short of divine
Ambitious production splices works of Thornton Wilder with intriguing results
Eric Shapiro
Issue date: 3/12/10 Section: Arts & Entertainment
"Thornton Wilder: The Trivial and the Divine," opens in a manner far more in line with the latter adjective in its title, as a young boy-poet is confronted with nothing less than the lighter and darker elements of human nature.
One could not be blamed for feeling as if he or she has been dropped into the climactic scene of some obscure Greek drama; you know, the one where the hero finds out his destiny from a prophet with an overly dramatic voice. His life, in the words of two mysterious women clad in devilish attire, will be both a blessing and a curse. The same can be said of this production and its odd format.
"The Trivial and the Design" splices together six of Thornton Wilder's short plays over the course of an hour-and-a-half production. Meredith Hackman '10 and Katherine Sommer '10 deserve to be commended for attempting such an ambitious approach. Sampling a diverse array of Thornton Wilder's dramatic dishes - from theological "reenactments" to lighthearted family moments - side-by-side shed new light on each one.
Roughly half of the plays incorporated into the production revolve around the Bayard family, a decidedly ordinary bunch hailing from Newark, New Jersey, which consists of a raging, pious southern momma, a stoic husband of few words, a bratty daughter and an insecure, momma's boy son. It soon becomes apparent that they are preparing to embark on a family road trip to visit their daughter and sister Beulah, who's been married off to some generic rich guy.
It would be disingenuous to say that any of the aforementioned characters, with the possible exception of the mother, reveal any significant level of depth. But, psychological complexity is hardly the name of the game here.
Rather, the production is intended as a juxtaposition of the trivial and divine. It seems gimmicky at first, with ostensibly "serious" material interspersed with mindless comedy to keep the audience hooked. However, there is in fact very little in Thornton Wilder's ouvre that is actually trivial.
One could not be blamed for feeling as if he or she has been dropped into the climactic scene of some obscure Greek drama; you know, the one where the hero finds out his destiny from a prophet with an overly dramatic voice. His life, in the words of two mysterious women clad in devilish attire, will be both a blessing and a curse. The same can be said of this production and its odd format.
"The Trivial and the Design" splices together six of Thornton Wilder's short plays over the course of an hour-and-a-half production. Meredith Hackman '10 and Katherine Sommer '10 deserve to be commended for attempting such an ambitious approach. Sampling a diverse array of Thornton Wilder's dramatic dishes - from theological "reenactments" to lighthearted family moments - side-by-side shed new light on each one.
Roughly half of the plays incorporated into the production revolve around the Bayard family, a decidedly ordinary bunch hailing from Newark, New Jersey, which consists of a raging, pious southern momma, a stoic husband of few words, a bratty daughter and an insecure, momma's boy son. It soon becomes apparent that they are preparing to embark on a family road trip to visit their daughter and sister Beulah, who's been married off to some generic rich guy.
It would be disingenuous to say that any of the aforementioned characters, with the possible exception of the mother, reveal any significant level of depth. But, psychological complexity is hardly the name of the game here.
Rather, the production is intended as a juxtaposition of the trivial and divine. It seems gimmicky at first, with ostensibly "serious" material interspersed with mindless comedy to keep the audience hooked. However, there is in fact very little in Thornton Wilder's ouvre that is actually trivial.
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