Write about your refections on the play, All the King's Men. What choices did the director make that worked well. Give some specific examples. What choices did the director make that didn't work quite so well. Again, give specific examples.
Also, if you attended Hansel and Gretel 6th period on Wednesday, write about what you thought of the performance. As a condensed version in English, what worked well? What didn't work quite so well?
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43 comments:
Erika Hodges per. 2
The things that I really enjoy for ATKM was the way that they had the stage set up. I love the 2 part scenes, if a character was up above and some were down below it was really effective in getting a point across. I liked the way that the singing was incorporated and the story flowed along more with the songs than it did anything else. It was as if the actors and actresses were acting out the songs more than the play itself. I didn't like the shooting cause it was so loud but that's life. I really didn't think that the house switching was very good cause you couldn't really see what a person was like cause you couldn't see their house, it was kind of upsetting to me.
I did not get the opportunity to attend ATKM but i did get the opportunity to go see H&G during 6th period on block day.
I did and did not like H&G. I did like that the play is in English because I know whats going on at all times...I didn't have to bother flipping through a book, or staring at "subscripts" (because when you, or at least when I have to read the translations of a play/movie I tend to read the whole duration as opposed to watch the performance, and I don't really get to pay attention to music change etc.).I was able to watch the whole play start to finish.
The three singers that were in the play had vocal ranges out of this world, especially for their age and "lack" of experience (They all seemed to have "just" started singing Opera within these past five to seven years).
I think the fact that all three actors were woman worked for the play really well. Even though Hansel was played by a girl she still was "masculine" but at the same time maintained an innocence that I think a older boy couldn't have captured.
I really like how the "witch" had powers and how the actors responded when a "spell was cast" upon them. I liked how they moved one accord etc.
A few things that I don't think worked include the witch being shoved into the oven, and then reappearing two seconds later as their mom? that didn't flow very well in my opinion (and I thought the oven was "too small" no offense to the actress, I just didn't see that becoming of her).
I also didn't like how "modern" the play was...like the whole Iphone and Starbucks I thought that took away from the "classiness" of the original fairytale.
But overall I did enjoy the production, and I really enjoyed the singing.
Tess Opincarne
Period 6
I really like the performance of All the King's Men. I was really surprised that it was a musical, but I thought they did that well. The songs weren't too "broadway" but they still brought an element of fun to the otherwise pretty somberly themed play. I also thought the writing was good, taking a topic that could be portrayed as a tragedy and making it a somewhat deep-hitting comedy. The accents were a little off-putting, especially Willie Starks'. It's not that it was innacurate, it's that a character who otherwise would have seemed pretty quick-witted and fast talking came across on the almost mentally challenged side.
I really didn't like Hansel and Gretel. Probably only because I thought the modern english being sung operatically was just wierd and a little full of itself. I thought the voices were great, and I actually could understand almost all of what they said, despite the acoustics. The whole modernizing part just didn't sit well with me. Because we actually live in this time, things seem very inaccurate, like they're trying to sound hip, whereas when a play is based in 1200, we don't know what they really sounded like, making it more believable.
Preston Longoni Period 4
I was not able to attend H&G during 6th period Wednesday, but I did attend ATKM and I really enjoyed it. I saw it about a week and a half before everyone else did because of SAT's on Nov. 1st so my memory of the play isn't the greatest.
Despite the length of the play I thought everything else was fantastic. The fact that it was in english made it so much more enjoyable because it was 100 times easier to follow. I liked the little stage that could turn into so many different things to accomidate for what was going on at the particular time of the play. I though it was cool how they had that second story balcony thing that the Mayor spoke on. They made it sound like there was a huge crowd of people surounding him while he was speaking. My favorite part had to be when everyone was singing on the stage, and the characters themselves played the instruments, it really added to the performance. The gunshot and the smoking were nice little adds the the play to make it more realistic. I honestly dont believe the director could improve on anything. The only thing I felt was not so good was the length, the there's no way they could shorten it even more since they already condensed a super long story into 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Chris Hong Period 6
I thought ATKM was a great play. If there was one thing that i didn't like was the the length of the play. If we take that factor out then i would have to say that the play was great. I enjoyed the story line itself and also set ups. If the director used diffrent stage settings then it would have been much more ineresting in my opinion. However, with only one stage the director did a great job creating diffrent settings and feelings by adding couple of items in the set. I was pretty impressed with that. The fact that the play was in English was a very helpful fact in my part. It was much easier to follow and understand the story which made me actually want to watch the play.
I am in 6th period so i did attend to H&G on wednsday. I thought it was pretty funny. It was probably becuase the modernized story line. I was very impressed by how loud they could sing! It really gave me the chance to experience how loud these singers are actually singing. Overall i thought it was great.
Gabe Gonzalez - Period 2
I thought All the Kings Men was very enjoyable and easy to follow as it was well directed, and presented in English. I especially enjoyed the fluency of the performance, where settings, characters and furniture could shift around from scene to scene without pauses or breaks in between. The directors use of lighting and music worked to reflect the tone of the play and followed the lives of the characters based on the different scenes. In my opinion this was the best performance of the year so far, even though it has been the longest.
Rebecca Taicz period 6
I found All the Kings Men to be surprisingly entertaining. I came in expecting it to be boring and a form of political humor that I wouldn't find very funy, but I genuinely enjoyed the play, for the most part. I liked the incorperation of music, and the lighting as well that both flowed into the piece. Something that was a little startling to me was the rapid scene changes. Sometimes it was unclear whether it was a scene change or a new character simply stepped in. And sometimes scene changes took place over years, without any true indication from the actors, leaving you to figure it out for yourself. Then again, that may be just a play thing, since I havent seen too many. But overall, except for a few slower parts, the play was really good. I also saw Hansel and Gretel, which I thought was performed excellently vocally, but the performance itself left a little to be desired. I was impressed by how well the actors portrayed their voices but didnt really like the presentation or modern interpretation.
Shae Hurst PEriod 6
I thought that All the Kings Men worked really well on stage. The musical numbers added gave the play an outline and moral direction. All in all I thought the play fit together really nicely. Everything seemed to flow from scene to scene. Also the directors’ choice to have the stage set up as an unfinished capitol building was in my opinion beneficial to the story. The setting gave me as a viewer a chance to understand the story because it showed me where the characters were coming from. It also worked as a metaphor for Willie Stark’s rise to power. The building that was being constructed in the background showed his rise. The one thing I didn’t really like about the play however was some of the language in the songs. I don’t really think that racism was that big of a theme in the play which I thought was more focused on the corruption of power and the ability to do good even if you are doing it in a bad way. I just thought that it was unnecessary and didn’t add anything to the story.
I thought that Hansel and Gretel was really weird and I didn’t like it. The adaption of the story into present day did not work for me. The classic Hansel and Gretel in the woods would have been better just because I thought that this adaptation went away from the classic story. Also I was surprised that even though it was in English I still couldn’t understand everything. Hansel and Gretel just didn’t work in modern times because the original story had a moral but this one just seemed to run together. The one thing that did work well I thought was the acting. When Hansel and Gretel were trapped by the Witches spell they used their body language really well to portray what was happening. They moved in accordance with the witches hand gestures and the whole thing was very well done.
Jessica Karr, Period 4
In All The King's Men, I enjoyed the artistic additions the director added, such as in the very first scene, where everyone in Willie Stark's life is standing around, taking turns talking, like they were his subconscience. The musical scenes were also unexpected and extremely enjoyable, as they broke up any monotony and pulled your interest back in. I did not like the quick changes in relationships between people as it simulated jumps in time. It was hard to keep track of who was in league with who, etc. etc.
Selena Swaim, per. 2
The director of All the Kings Men definitely did a great job working with the actors. I liked how instead of the character going to where the scene takes place, it was almost as if the scene came to the character. For example when Jack Burden would start off talking to Willie Stark at one place, he would turn around and be in another place talking to Judge Irwin. The only problem with that was it meant a one unit set. Although the way it was put together was clever and it worked well for the play, I thought the giant elevated thing in the middle looked like a terrible piece of construction. I also thought the director did a great job with time progression. The play took course over a long period of time, so obviously they couldn't dwell on the small details. Sometimes it was a little hard to follow, but nothing that couldn't be solved by asking my neighbor. The clothing made a huge difference in showing the progression of Willie Stark's success. In the beginning he was wearing a ragged, wrinkled suit, but once he became more accepted, he changed into one that was more sharp and expensive. Another thing that was done well was the lighting in the background. The director used it for multiple purposes. It changed from a darker blue, to represent the night time, to an orange sun color to represent the morning/day. Another clever way the director used background lighting was when the lights reflected an American flag. They used this whenever Willie gave a political speech.
Jordan Adam - Per. 4
I thoroughly enjoyed All the King’s Men. The performance was smooth, well acted, and professional-looking from start to finish. The set was especially impressive, using images of the US’s parliamentary buildings and flag subtly enough to create a theme without distracting from the various scene locations occupying the same stage space. The idea of using different sections of the stage with minimalistic props was, I thought, a wonderful director’s choice. With so many scene changes in the show, an entire blackout and set change with increased changes of props at every one would become tiresome. It wasn’t confusing at all, and it kept the action nicely continuous. By just standing in a different section of the stage, the same effect was captured just as well. No directorial choices stuck out to me as bad either. On the whole it was a very good show.
Megan Lowry Period 2
I thought what was really effectively done were the transitions. The book is very complex, and I thought the director came up with some very creative ways to make the transitions less confusing. For example, the use of lighting and the two levels of the stage to show the difference between flashbacks and the present. I also thought the onstage instrumentation was effective. It really brought you into the time period and the sentiments of the state of Louisiana. I can't really think of anything the director did that was dtrimental to the story iteslf. Unfortumnately I did not go to Hansel and Gretel.
Nathan Zimmerman, Per. 6
I thought that the performance of All the Kings men was done very well. There were a lot of things I liked but also a lot that I didn’t. In particular, the thing that I thought they executed the best was the staging of the performance. To never have to change any of the set pieces made for a fluid experience and made it easier to understand. Another thing that I liked about the play was the way that the American flag in the background changed color to match the feeling of the play at the time. It got brighter when Stark was making speeches and it was an interesting aspect to the staging. The things that I thought the play may have needed or could have changed were, for one, the accents used. They felt a little over the top and it was hard to understand for the first section of the play.
I saw Hansel and Gretel during sixth period and I thought that it was alright. Being in English didn’t help me understand the play frankly. The singers were too loud and the syllables were pronounced for too long for a lot of the play to be understood. I thought there take on the storyline was interesting but over the top. I also didn’t like how the stage hands sat next to the coffee cart, it just didn’t seem necessary.
Kaiti Staup Period 4
The performance of All the Kings Men was directed very well and demonstrated some interesting techniques to show the difference in present and past tense. I agree with a lot of the other students who struggled through the lengthy 3 hours of the play, but the content and the stage work was impressive. I also thought that the creative lighting strategies were utilized effectively and helped the audience to understand the time changes.
I thought that the performance of Hansel and Gretel was entertaining and well done. Without proper stage equipment and faulty lights the performance was everything that it could have been in a high school theater.
Kyle Glaser Period 2
I thought that All the King’s Men was good and super confusing in the first half of the play but I liked the play a lot more when I saw the second half of the play since it less confusing as the story started to unfold. I thought all the instruments through out the play helped convey the mood of that particular mood. But I didn’t think the songs with singing were necessary for the play and that they were distracting. I thought the set design worked very well since you could clearly see all the levels of the play. But I didn’t think the man with the stutter didn’t work very well because his fake stutter was not very good and a little annoying. Overall, I really liked the play and the use of horns and piano in the play.
I did see Hansel and Gretel and I was very surprised in how different the opera was then the other opera’s that we had heard. I personally would have liked to see the original version of the opera then the opera that we saw. The singing and music was good but the words were awkward and not really needed to be in slang. I also thought it was very distracting to see all the people walk across the stage once randomly and then having the sit around the cart for most of the play.
Rosie Polaschek, Period 4
I thought the way the director put together All The King's Men worked really well. I loved his choice of set, especially as it had to stay static throughout the show (with only a few props changing), so it was really good to see the director make use of a multi-levelled stage. I thought all the actors did amazing jobs in showing the way they evolved over the course of the 5 or 6 years the play covered. One of the director's choices that I might have altered were the songs. The sporadic songs were okay, but they seemed a little disjointed and out of touch with the rest of the play. I didn't feel like they added anything to the production, and the transitions into song seemed clunky.
Hansel and Gretel, I felt just didn't quite work. The idea of what they were trying to do was good, and I thought all the performers were really really talented, but the modernisation was a bit obvious in it's attempt to "connect" with the younger generation (with the iphone thing, for example).
Andrew Kemis Period 6
All the Kings Men was the best show I have ever seen. Absolutely loved it. PArt of the reason I loved it so mush is my fascination with Huey P. Long. However, that being said the show was great and my favorite parts were the speeches and also the songs incorporated into the dialog. Most people thought the set was weird however it really was not. The set served so many purposes and served as many different places there seems no other way of accomplishing the task. If there was a more typical set in my minds it would not work effectively because it would require breaks during the time of scene changes. This would brake the role of the play and stop the momentum. In all that set was by far the coolest and most effective set I have ever seen. The actors were excellent however some of the time their acents would fall out. That didn't really bother me that much rather the fact that in three different times the actors had their backs to the audience did. The scene where jack confronts Stark's assistant is really awkward. The way she pushed towards Jack when Jack would counter by falling back and pushing forward was really weird looking. That was my least favroite parto fthe show but I can get over it. Another thing that was a little funny was the fact that6 the lighting put some of the people in the dark. The forshadowing at the beginning was really cool and scard me half to death. Those speeches really shot through the heart. I loved them.
The other show we just saw Hansel and Gretel was hard to understand in comparison but it was good for the calibar of show it was. The Woodinville students in the show were absolutely weird and in my opinion unnecessary but what do I know. I enjoyed it, it was just hard to understand and really not my favorite type of singing
Alex Garcia PEriod 6
Between the two shows we saw recently I by far prefered All the Kings Men. Hansel and Gretel although good was hard to understand and I don't know if it was the actors voices or the theater. I found that All the Kings Men was exceptional due to many things such as the musical concepts of it and the fully finctional set. I agree with Andrew with the fact that any other set would be ineffective in portraying all the different scenes. Stopping that play to change scenes would be out of the question. In comparison Hansel and Gretel was strange in enterpretation. I can appreciate how it was preformed however its not my favorite in terms of style and story
Kenna Campbell
Period 6
I really enjoyed all the kings men even though i thought it would be the longest 3 hours of my life. I enjoyed the scene transitions, i thought they were done very smoothly. Also, i liked that you really had to pay attention to know what was going on. If you looked away for 3 minutes they would have gone 2 more scenes and you wouldnt know where he was or what he was doing. For that whole 3 hours i could feel my mind working to get everything straight. Once you got a hold on how the play worked it was actually really cool and i really enjoyed it.
Hansel and Gretel i liked because it was a twist on the one we know. They modernized it and that was neat. I liked how they went into the crowd and continued singing. The only thing i didn't like very much was they weren't very clear in their annunciation.
Mike Smolkowski Per 4
I personally thought that All the Kings Men was actually a good play. Even from the very beginning with the gun shots got me into the play. Some things thhat the director did well were what he did with the set and the characters. There were no set changes so the director had to find a way to make the whole set look like many different places and he did that very well by having the chacacters bring the new set to them. One thign that i thought the director didn't do quite so well is make the play really interseting for th whole play. There were parts that i just didn't feel into it. Like it was a good play and all, but there were soem parts like early on after the first gun shot.
Karin Ochsner Period 4
I really enjoyed the play "all the kings men". I loved all of the scenes especially when he made his speeches. You really felt like you were there. The surround sound was amazing. I also liked how the director had the characters smoke. The smell really made it feel like you were part of it. But the only thing i did not like about it was it felt like it went on forever. It got kinda of boring. If you missed one part of the performace you were pretty much lost for the rest of the play.
Kenny Exelby Period 4
I HAVE WRITTEN THIS BLOG THROUGH KARIN'S ACCOUNT BECAUSE I FORGOT MY PASSWORD.
"All the Kings Men" was a long but excellent performance. The gun shots scared me so much that i JUMPED out of my seat. The smoking sucked because it smelled really bad. I have terrible allergies. Willie Stark was a fun character and i began to like him by the end of the play. I was on the long side but overall enjoyable. I didnt understand that willie was shot by the doctor until after the play which would have helped me understand during the play.
Mandi DeLaVergne
Period 6
The play all the kings men suprised me in a good way. It was very interesting and kept my attention all the way through. I liked that they could use the actual piano to create the music it made it fun. The gun shots were a nice suprise too and im sure it woke up anyone that was drifting off! Even though there were no set changes, the set fit the play very well, just by the way they used the area. It was an enjoyable play and i would actually recomment people to go see it.
Hanzel and Grettel i didnt enjoy very much. I like the old version a lot better. They did modernize it very well though. I liked how they came into the audience and made you follow them to continue what was going on.
Overall they were two well performed plays.
Tanner Low Per. 4
I really enjoyed All the Kings Men. I especially enjoyed the music by Randy Newman and I thought that all of the actors made really good character choices. I also thought that the way the director set up the stage and had the actors coming in and out of each scene was very creative and enjoyable. I thought that the way they made the set as scaffolding with the American flag in the back personified the rest of the play, and what Willie Stark was trying to do, to rebuild Louisana. I thought that the flashbacks were kind of confusing but in the end it all came together and I really enjoyed the show.
Stephanie Bateman period 2
Overall I thought that All the Kings Men was a fantastic performance. The acting was simply phenomonal. I felt like I was actually watching history take place. The flash backs were rather confusing at first but after a few I began to catch on. When I first walked in I was suprised at how small the stage was and didn't know how that would play out, but it was perfect. The upper balcony was especially effective during Willie Starks speech. The characters relationships were a little confusing too even though we went over it during class, but everything came together very nicely and it was a good show.
Matt MacDougall
per 4
Mr schindler,
I thought that all the kings men was a okay play. Dispite the fact that it was an extrememly LONG play i believed that it had some good messages. One of which was that polotics can not be trusted. Although this message was a good message, i believe the way in which it was portrayed was not the best way possible. All in all i enjoyed the plasy and thought it bettered myself in the long run.
sincerily, matt
I was not a huge fan of the condensed opera, it seemed a little bit too "up to date" with the allusions to cell phones and coffee, and this made it corny, not endearing like the original. The acting was pretty good, and it was only three characters which carried the entire show which was impressive. I liked Gretel's voice the best, it was cool being so close because you could see the strain on her vocals to be as loud as she was. I think that i would describe the opera as "cute" which they may or may not have been going for, and isn't usually what I look for in an opera so it came up short for me. I also really do not like the sound of the english language sung in an opera, I just think that it lacks the beauty and flow of italian, german, or french. It was also still hard to understand in english, and the words were corny and seemed meant for a much younger audience. I am glad that this was not my first opera, because it was for a few students in younger grades, because it lacks the same quality we've seen at the Opera House.
Andrew Song Period 6
Some of the things i really enjoyed about All the Kings Men was the scenery. The "double set" was very well done i thought. The usage of space was also very thought out and well used. I also liked the use of music and singing in this play. The story was very well played out and the singing allowed for transitions and told lots of information.
About the Hansel and Gretel play, i thought the play was well done for only 3 people. The acting was pretty well done and i thought the songs were pretty funny. I liked how the songs were changed to present times. The only part i thought was lacking was the ending, i just dont think those kids would be so understanding.
Jinny KIm period 4
I really liked 'All the Kin's Men' but only things that I did not like was length of play and when they used a lot of swear words. The example of language that I did not like was when they call black people to Negro. I really don't like that kind of things. That made me sick. But I really like the songs that they sing. It is reason that I can stay that long play. Also I really liked they presented with English. When I watched Opera, I know the what is story about but I don't understand what they sang about so I have to watched subtitles. That made me tired, but this play was in English! Sometimes it was hard to understand but it was way better than other languages.
I really liked Hansel and Gretel. I think the main character, she has amazing voice. She is young but she had really powerful and nice voice. without microphone performance always made me surprise. Also I think this play was very funny. I think it because it is moderizedand that is why I could understand easily. I think it was great.
stephanie morgan
period 6
I really liked All the Kings Men. My favorite part was the acting, I thought all of the actors and actresses did a really good job, especially Jack who really seemed to fit his role. Another thing I liked was the singing, it made the play more interesting and easier to sit though, because sitting for that long and just watching people talk and walk around for a couple hours can get boring not matter how good the acting is.
Hansel and Gretel was pretty good. I thought the words were really good for a translation and fitting for the twenty first century. Also I thought the opera was sung and acted out very well for only having three people. I’m really glad I got the chance to see it.
Zoe Thiemann Period 6
ATKM was a very entertaining play. I enjoyed most the music. i thought the voices were all very pretty together, and overall just very fun to listen to. I also really enojyed th fact that it was a comedy. Considering the fact that we are all young, i think it made the play go by much faster and made it more enjoyable. Finally i really liked the scenery. It was fairly simple and it didn't change much throughout the play but it worked and was still very pretty. The only things i would have to say that I didn't like about the play was there were some very boring and slow parts, and some of the accents were a little off and hard to understand. Other than that i really liked the play.
Hansel and Gretel was not as enjoyable for me. I think i would have liked it much more if they would have just sticked to the original story, but with the modern version it made it much more stupid. The voices were good and it had a little humor but other than that is wasn't my favorite.
Kayla Aldridge
Period 6
Overall I thought The Kings Men was a good performance and was something different than the other performances we have been too. At first I was a little lost, but as the performance went on I began to understand it more. I found it interesting how there were no set changes during the play. I thought the use of the lighting was very effective and went along with the scenes well. I did however think the play was way to long and after a while I got very bored. Hansel and Gretel wasn't like I thought it would be. I was interesting in the fact that it was twist to the normal story line however I thought it could have been much more entertaining.
Sam Bellefeuille P-6
Although i missed ATKM when our classes went, i did attend the show with my mom on Saturday. The only bad thing i have to say about the play was its length. i felt like the story line dragged on a bit. other than that it was really good. i thought the voices meshed together very well and i thought it was really unique how there was no set change the whole time! i really liked how it was in english because unlike in Elektra, it was way easier to pay attention to the actual acting and not having to look at the translator board. I really like when the actors started playing the instruments, that was a fun twist!
Going into Hansel and Gretel i had a totally different vision of what it would be like. I think that the set could have been more exciting but they used what they could. It was really interesting and it was unique how they modernized it with the cell phone and coffee. also they had really good voices, the english sometimes got a little slurred and it was confusing to hear.
Overall both of the plays were a good experience. Even though i would have liked to attend ATKM with my classmates.
Phillip Foshee
period 6
All the kings men was just amazing. I loved all the singing and danceing that they did in this great musical piece. One of the unique things that i enjoyed about this play was the stage set up. Most playes have set changes, and in this play they had one stage setup and the actors used the set acordingly to play there parts. Changeing topics i thought that hansel and gretal was great too. Being in such a small auditorium the sound that the singers projected were lound and easy to understand. One thing that i liked about this opera was that it was easy to understand what the actors were trying to tell us.
Helen Wiltsey Period 4
In the play All the King's Men, there were many witty and theatrical elements which made it a really exceptional piece of theatre. Using the scafolding, and a stagnant set were intriguing ideas and were used well to create many different settings. Especially when Willie Stark went up to do his speeches with the American Flag behind him was very visually appealing. Also the actual play itself was more enjoyable and witty than I was excpeting, even though it was a bit of a political overload with that play and the elections and everything going on at the same time. As for the length, it didn't seem 3 hourse at all, the time flew by with the excellent characters, especially the reporter. His accent was spot on the entire time, and his character was refreshing and dreary at the same exact time. He excuded wit, yet also with the situations he was meddling around in sort of dragged you down his immoral hole as well. Also the live musical pieces were great. Some choices that didn't work quite so well was everyonce and a while the actors were facing their backs to the audience or too upfront to really be accurately seen.
Bryttany Enge, Period 6
I really enjoyed All The King’s Men. It almost felt like a movie. However, the one thing that I thought didn’t work very well were the accents. I didn’t feel like the accents matched the setting of the play. For example, Jack Burden’s accent reminded me of someone from the east coast rather than from the south. I was also bothered by the fact that Jack Burden married Anne Stanton. She seemed like a shallow, money-loving girl who didn’t deserve Jack. After Willie Stark died, I thought Jack should have kicked her to the curb instead of marrying her. Besides those two aspects of the play everything else was enjoyable. I enjoyed the songs, the transitions of scenes, and the way the setting was portrayed. I thought the actors did very well in portraying their character (besides the accents). Such as Willie Stark. In the beginning, I felt really sorry for Willie because of the way he was treated and how he ran for governor futilely. But the actor did well in portraying Willie’s conceited and cruel behavior towards the end of the play that I was actually somewhat happy that he was killed, (but only happy for a moment; when I realized how many people loved him regardless his behavior I soon was sad that he was killed).
I enjoyed Hansel and Gretel as well. I thought the singers were very good, especially Gretel. She hit really high notes that didn’t even seem to phase her singing. The silly characters the singers took on made the opera more enjoyable as well. I think Hansel was the silliest, with his fetish for shiny technology, and the way he outsmarted the witch/mother. One thing that I didn’t enjoy about the play was the fact that the opera was sung in English. It might be that I am used to opera’s in some foreign language, but an opera in English sounded strange. Even though the opera was in English, it was difficult to understand the words. Regardless, I enjoyed the experience of watching the Hansel and Gretel opera, even more so with the performance in our own theatre.
Alyssa De Hoop Period 4
I really enjoyed All the Kings Men. The first act was really confusing and hard to understand, but i felt that the second act brought it home. It went by much faster and was very interesting. I thought that the actors did really well. I felt all of the emotion and they did well switching scenes and making you believe they were in different scenes, places and times. The accents however were poorly executed. I think they really ruined the show for me. The set was different but really added to the production. I liked that it had that presidential feel to it.
I did not get to watch Hansel and Gretel, but I did get to help out with the production. It was very interesting being behind the scenes! All of the "acting" tasks I had to perform consisted of picking up books, walking across the stage in a straight line, and rolling out the drink and candy cart. I did see "Trouble in Tahiti" last year by the Seattle Opera House and it was interesting to see, this time, what the actors did while they weren't on stage. From what I saw I felt that the singers did a great job. However I did feel that it was a poor directors choise by having the same women playing the mother and the witch was a little confusing. Overall I enjoyed what I saw of the prodcution.
Lacey Helmuth 4
I went to see All the King's Men like a month ago so it's kind of hard to remember all the details. The first thing I really liked was the actors and actresses, it seemed like they really worked together. The songs they sang were cool too, expecially because the people on stage played the instruments. I didn't like how the set never changed, and was kind of boring, but that's ok.
I really liked the play of All the King's Men. The plot was really interesting to me. Preparing with the family tree before helped ALOT! The set of the play was interesting but very plain I thought. It really brought out the time the play was but I would of liked some color. Also, I lOVED the gunshots! It was a great touch to the play. The smoking as well. It made the play more realistic. Overall, my favorite was how everything resolved around the main character. Where ever he went, the story followed.
SCHINDLER! On Monday night, I was watching Gossip Girl with some of my friends and in the show there was a man who had a building burned down where one person died and they made a reference to "All the President's Men" which I connected to All the Kings Men with the school house that burned down! I believe that should be extra credit!!!!
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