Although the three sons were played by the same performer, each had a different voice which did a lot to help the audience’s understanding and told us something about each clone’s character.
The two performers also used stance to enhance our understanding of the piece. Their stance helped to show the audience how the characters were feeling. B1 was constantly slouched which showed aggression which he was usually feeling. The slouching also showed primitiveness and this was reflected in his desire to kill his clone, B2. B2 had a very different stance to B1 which helped to show the audience that he was a different character, with different emotions. B2 sat and leant forward which showed the audience that he is open. This openness is reinforced when he tells the truth about his feelings to Salter. B2 was probably so open with Salter because he had brought him up, and they knew each other, and he did not have the same feelings of hate that B1 obviously had. Michael Black stood loosely and he had a very welcoming and open stance. He used a lot of gesticulation because he wanted to openly discuss things with Salter. Salter, on the other hand, stood and sat very hunched up. This showed the audience his age and his weakness; he is very worn out with life altogether. The fact that he was so hunched up also shows that he is hiding things and is not an honest character. He used sharp, tense and rigid hand movements to get his point across.
The use of stance by the performers definitely enhanced my understanding of the play. It effectively highlighted the emotions and personalities of the characters and otherwise the identities of the three clones may have become confused.
The facial expressions used by the performers also had a clear part in my understanding of ‘A Number’. Clear facial expressions helped the audience to understand what each character was thinking and feeling. B1 had a constant frown when he was on stage. He also had a clenched jaw which shows that he is a very angry character. In the second section he had sadistic and numb emotions. This portrayed to the audience that he is a sadistic character and this forebodes the ending when he kills B2. B1 resists any physical contact with Salter which helps the audience to understand that he does not trust Salter and is very angry with him. B2 had a furrowed brow, which showed that he was both confused and curious when he was being told about the clones. Michael Black smiled a lot and had a very open face which reinforces that he is a happy, and also a naïve character. Salter’s facial expressions did not show his emotions because he is a deep, hidden character, and he was lying a lot throughout the play.
The performers used these various facial expressions to convey to the audience the feelings of the characters and help them to understand, whether the characters are angry, open, naive or anything else.
Another skill used by the performers to enhance my understanding of the piece was eye contact. This helped the audience to understand the relationship between the characters and how they feel about one another. B1 did not have a lot of eye contact with Salter. This shows that he does not want anything to do with him, and there are no bonds between them. B2, however, held close eye contact with Salter which gave an intimate atmosphere and showed that there is an intense relationship between B2 and Salter. Finally, Michael Black tried to make eye contact with Salter because he is an open and interested character. However, Salter is untrustworthy and so he avoided this eye-contact. The use of eye contact helped me to understand how different the relationships were between Salter, and each of the three clones featured in the play.
In conclusion, all of these performing skills helped me to understand the play, even though it is a very contemporary piece. If any one of these skills was lacking, it would be a lot more difficult to understand the piece.