By Breanna Prater and Hailey Trimmer
April 27, 2018
Southwest Baptist University Theatre concluded the second performance of The Bald Soprano by Inoesco this evening. The final performance will take place tomorrow night (April 28) at 7:00 PM.
Ionesco wrote the Bald Soprano based on inspiration from his failed attempt to learn English via the Assimil method, copying down stock English phrases from a primer, and his disparity over how people will communicate in a war-torn world dominated by machines. After World War II and the Industrial Revolution, many contemporaries believed that meaningful language was being replaced by bare automatisms and stock phrases. Because of this disparity, Ionesco wrote The Bald Soprano to confront people speaking without saying anything. It remains an excellent example of anti-theatre - refusing to use character or plot - expressing the frenzy of the nuclear age and a society driven mad.
The technical aspects of the show were well thought out and gracefully executed. Scene designer Sophia Marsh created a minimalist design that complimented the vibrant colors used in costuming by Bethany Vermillion and lighting by Kristopher Husley. The cast, including Kierstan Harper, Brittany Davis, Maximillian Stoner, Daniel Stucky, Joel Walley, and Haley Gill, made great use of physical comedy and overstated facial expressions, which added to the erratic hilarity of the show. Sound designer Christina Foltz contributed well-timed clock chimes to the choreographed chaos on stage.
The SBU theatre department did a phenomenal job with their final production of the 2017-2018 season. Be sure to make it out to see the final performance of The Bald Soprano. Keep an eye out for future announcements of the 2018-2019 theatre season, which is sure to continue to demonstrate the same outstanding quality of performance that we have come to expect from the SBU Theatre department.
The opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Infuse Student Media or Southwest Baptist University.
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