The Last Night Of Ballyhoo - Production Critique Essay...

This paper is a critique of a production of The Last Night of Ballyhoo, a play written by Alfred Uhry, which was performed and produced by the Ball State University Theatre. Gilbert L. Bloom directed the production and was very successful with producing a truly entertaining, comedic play with an important message about the personal dilemmas that we as individuals with different beliefs and values must encounter in our daily lives. All elements of the production were wonderfully implemented making The Last Night of Ballyhoo quite a success. The performers were perfect for the roles in which they were cast. For example, Lala’s (Erin Rae Lengkeek) character is supposed to be a romantic dreamer and very childlike. The actress who portrayed†¦show more content†¦Not only did it help to aid in giving the viewer an idea of the setting of the play, but also aided in the over feel and mood of the production. The technical aspects of the production such as scenery, properties and costumes also played a keynote in the productions success. The scenery was fabulous it truly made the play. It was very realistic and extremely vibrant. Almost the entire play was performed in one setting, except for the railcar and dance scenes. The house, the main setting, was magnificent with painstakingly placed detail in every corner. All elements in the house matched wonderfully, for example the furniture, the photos on the wall, the telephone and even the trash can. Little bits of detail were everywhere adding to the beautification of the set, for example the lace decorations on the chairs, the etched glass above the front door and even the Christmas tree. The properties also were wonderfully used, for example Lala’s photograph of Scarlet O’Hara, which she proudly displayed upon her arrival home from the movies. Many other properties were used though out the play such as the luggage in the boxcar, the candles on the dinner table and the umbrella given back to Reba (Lynn Downey) from their previous cook. There were a lot of properties used in the production, all which aided in the success of the production. The costumes were also quite beautiful and wonderfully tailored to each character. The many different