The Space
The space was a typical theatre proscenium arch stage. This was the best choice as the set was very simplistic and natural, so a simple space worked very effectively and was appropriate to the production.
The Actors
There were eight actors in the company, so it was a relatively small cast. The strongest performance in my opinion was from Greta Scacchi, playing the lead role of Hester Collyer. Her performance was something extraordinary. Her understanding of the character was spot on, her body language very carefully picked to reflect her moods and her performance was for me, very inspirational.
The performance style was naturalistic. This worked well with the play, as the entire theme is the real life issue of suicide. So a naturalistic style really emphasises the fact that suicide is very real and happens every day.
The cast worked extremely well together. Each making their character believable and real. There were no weak members of the cast at all. Everyone was fantastic in their roles, and perfectly cast.
Dialogue
The dialogue and vocabulary used reflected the time that the play was set in (1940’s) very well. Most of the characters had an upper class British accent, apart from the housekeeper, Mrs Elton, who had a cockney accent. I though the contrast between the two accents effectively showed the division of lower and upper class in London.
At many points in the play, there were choices of vocabulary that related back to the title, and the main theme of ‘The Deep Blue Sea’. Examples of theses are: ‘when you are between any kind of devil and the deep blue sea, the deep blue sea sometimes looks very inviting.’ ‘a great tidal wave of emotions’ ‘I’m drowning in my misery Bill’ and ‘… sinking in this great ocean that is life.’ These types of phrases are only delivered by the main character Hester. I really noticed this and I thought it was extremely effective, because it puts emphasis on the metaphor of the deep blue sea which represents Hester’s loss of hope and her ever growing longing to commit suicide. It also emphasises the fact that Hester is the only one in this state of depression.
Lighting
The lighting in the piece was again naturalistic for the most part. Light and warm colours for the day time, dark and cold colours for the night. The lighting was supposed to be mainly unnoticeable, but used to make the scene much more realistic, For example. Light shining through the windows.
When Hester was at the height of her depression (When Freddie leaves her after hearing the news of her suicide) the lighting changed to a deep blue. It also had a rippling effect. This gave a very dramatic change of atmosphere from the very naturalistic atmosphere before hand, and again, emphasised the metaphor of the title ‘the deep blue sea’ effectively.
Another example of effective lighting was at the end of the play when Hester has finally realised that her relationship with Freddie is over and she must move on. The lighting used at this particularly key point in the play, was very warm and bright, as if Hester had finally seen ‘the light’, that the best thing is to move on and stop living a lie.
Sound effects
There was no music used throughout the play. However there were a few sound effects which were used very well. There were quite a few minor sound effects, like Bill’s car starting up and driving off in the distance, the shower running, and the sound of a gas leak. All of these had an impact on making the scenes very realistic.
A main sound effect, was used when Freddie leaves Hester and she is left sobbing in the middle of her living room. The lighting used was a deep blue and represented the metaphor of the deep blue sea, and the sound effects matched that metaphor with echoed water ripples and dramatic crashing waves at a very high volume, which drowned out Hester’s screams as if she herself were drowning. The combination of the lighting and sound effects created a dramatic impact very successfully.
The Set
The set was Hester’s living room and kitchen; it was quite lavish and remained the same throughout the entire production. It did not change once. This was a good decision as it focused directly on Hester’s character which was a good choice as it reinforced that the story focuses on her. A sketch of the set is included below.
Costumes
I noticed that Hester mainly wore dark colours. This reflected her depressive state. She also wore deep blue in the time that she was most depressed. Once again this reinforces the metaphor of ‘the deep blue sea’. In contrast, Mrs Elton wore very warm colours, (yellows, and oranges, peach) this suggested that her character was very warm, affectionate and loving.
The production was ultimately very successful in my opinion. It achieved exactly what it set out to do, it had a great emotional impact on everyone in the audience and successfully told a wonderful story in a very simple way. I learned a lot from the production. I learned that I can successfully tell a story without making things too complicated for myself and sometimes thinking in a simple way can work very effectively and make a story more real and believable for the audience. I went in with high expectations and by the end of the show those expectations were not just fulfilled, but exceeded. The story was wonderful and incredibly gripping, and the cast was fantastic, well chosen and perfectly suited for their roles. So much show that each of them were an incredible inspiration to me, and have only made me more determined to pursue acting as a career. From start to finish, my attention was solely on the story in front of me. The Deep Blue Sea is a wonderful, moving piece of theatre that will stay with me for a long time.
