The set at the start of the play was minimalistic with naturalistic props which made it easy to sustain the naturalistic feeling throughout this section of the play. This part presented the ‘civilized’ society of England and the people in it. The use of realistic props such as real food and drink and cutlery created a quaint feel and definitely showed it to be a civilized upper class place. Nina however, coming from five years living in the jungle looked awkward in the café setting; she didn’t quite understand the boundaries, for example, Lorna spoke in a quiet and calm tone of voice, whereas Nina spoke more loudly and didn’t notice the awkward and uncomfortable looks that Lorna was giving her.
The set contributed to the creation of a specific mood at one particular moment that stood out for me; when Nina was stood behind Lorna’s quaint chair, and leaning over her friends shoulder showing her the pictures of her travels. The small and dainty café chair that Lorna was perched cross-legged on showed her civilized manner and the was Nina was standing over her and leaning over her shoulder, pressuring her and coming very close to her face showed the lack of knowledge of boundaries that Nina had. It created a humorous mood when it was obvious that Lorna was uncomfortable in the situation, and Nina didn’t pick up on this.
The costume of the two girls contrasted largely for their age, each had their own style that reflected their personalities. Lorna wore heeled boots, a ‘mumsy’ top, and a watch and wedding ring, with neat and shiny hair. She was completely covered up, whereas Nina had a tank top on with a long skirt and wild hair, teemed with muddy hiking boots. The contrast with the girl’s two outfits made them seem worlds apart and when the two first met up in the café, the initial surprise shown in their faces at what the other was wearing made the audience laugh.
Nina’s grey tank top was quite thin, and later in the play when she returned from offstage bringing drinks for her and Lorna, there were damp patches on her shirt where her breasts had leaked milk, she had obviously had a baby recently and not told Lorna about this crucial part of her life. This created an intensely awkward moment and an uncomfortable silence and the mood after that turned into frustration on Nina’s part as she frantically wiped at her top and tried to get rid of the marks.
Props as part of the set were used to create many different moods with the audience. At one point, Nina had left the stage, and after refusing to eat the cake whilst her friend was there, Lorna covered the chocolate cake with a napkin and lowered her face close to the table and at it very indiscreetly. This was a very humorous moment for the audience and it was prolonged by Lorna sneaking glances up to see if anybody was watching her.
The photographs being thrown at Lorna by Nina in frustration also created comedy that soon turned into being uncomfortable when we realized that she wasn’t stopping. These two examples showed the occurrence of uncivilized things happening in a supposedly civilized café.
by
gymnatxx (student)
