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'Tis Pity She's a Whore

“I hate thee and thy lust; you have been too foul” Act 2 Scene 2

“Incest and murder have so strangely met” Act 5, Scene 6

“tis Annabella’s heart” Act 5, Scene 6

After reading ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore by John Ford, all I could think about was how the female characters in the play were treated. The men in the play talk about revenge and justice interchangeably. Meanwhile, the female characters take cautious steps through deceit to ensure that they stay alive, regardless of what they desire most. Also, every female character dies or is sent to a convent. After my brief outrage, I reminded myself not only what time period the play was written in, but also that the play exists in a world of its own. However, this observation illuminated some interesting images in the play. I found that the through line was passion, and more specifically, the steps each character takes to protect his/her passion. Because of this, and the setting and societal standing of the characters, I would recommend that the posters use a jewel tone color palette.

The image of Annabella’s letter written in her own blood is a strong choice for a poster because it reflects her passion to warn her lover, Giovanni. Another interesting choice is Hippolita’s raised glass at Annabella and Soranzo’s wedding ceremony, the toast she thought would bring her justice; the glass that would poison and kill her. The glass could appear golden and the liquid glowing in an illustration. A final bold image for a poster would be the image of Lady Justice. The figure is extremely recognizable, drawing in an audience, while simultaneously implying the play’s theme of the plight of women within this society.

Topdog/ Underdog

Suzan-Lori Parks uses two distinct theatrical mirrors within the Topdog/Underdog text. Both of these theatrical mirrors are fairly well known and clear references. The first, Abraham Lincoln’s assassination by John Wilkes Booth, and the second is the game of Three-Card-Monte. The Three-Card-Monte is a street hustle in which at least 2 people target a mark, draw them into the game by making them think they can win, when in fact, the game is rigged and the mark can never win. And, of course, we all know that John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln while he watched a production of Our American Cousin unsuspectingly.

It’s clear that these theatrical mirrors are being used to explore, not only power, but also how possession of power shifts. In the play, Lincoln teaches Booth to play TCM. In some moments it seems as if he has lost his touch, and Booth begins to win. But we see eventually that he was only letting Booth win.

            In the end though, Lincoln looses all his power. He assumes, like a mark, that he still posses all the power. He never suspected that he was about to loose the game of life and get shot.

Next to Normal

Next to Normal uses music and lyrics to enhance the paths of each character. This can be seen from the moment the musical begins. In the opening song, Just Another Day, Gabe sings the same melody as the other characters, but he has a clearly different perspective than the rest of the family. This distinction separates him from the other characters immediately.

Hornby’s elements can be found throughout the text and the music. Irony, reality being different from what is portrayed, can be found throughout the musical. One instance that stood out to me was during the number, “It’s Gonna be Good”. Dan sings a happy tune. The music suggests that there is hope for the characters, while Dan’s lyrics demand that there is; all the while the audience knows that the family is in dire straights.

Another interesting moment occurs during “My Psychopharmacologist and I.” The music is jazzy, while there is instrumental dissonance in the strings. The song expresses Diana’s frustration with being treated with a drug cocktail that is “not a very exact science.” The number is sung while Natalie discusses jazz music with Henry. She complains “it’s just making shit up.”  In this scene, the playwright is using the placement of  jazz next to psychopharmacology to reflect the two on each other.