I’m really happy with the direction our group project has gone. Our concept of our play is, “Conforming to norms is like wearing a restrictive corset.” Our play is going to have a lot of restrictive elements to it. All the characters will be in form fitting attire, men wearing suits and women probably wearing corsets. Andrew had a great idea that as the play progresses, Merrick’s clothes would get tighter and more fitting (more normal), causing him to look worse and contorted. This symbolizes that as he became more ‘normal’, the worse his health became, which happens in the actual script. As far as our dream cast we had a long discussion about who should play which character. In the end we all agreed upon the following: Doug Jones would play Merrick, Hugh Laurie would play Treves, Amy Adams would play Mrs. Kendall, and Ben Kingsley would play Ross.
Even though the Elephant Man was a little too forward at times, I enjoyed the read because of its overall message. For me, the overall message of this play is to be kind and accept others. Since the life of John Merrick is true, I was thoroughly engaged while reading this play. I do think that this story would have played out just as effectively had it been an autobiographical novel. Some of the scenes were just too unrealistic for me. For example, in scene 12, many of the characters say how there are parts of Merrick in all of them, and it came across as cheesy to me. The audience doesn’t need to be beat over the head with the same information; they are smarter than they look. It would have been just as effective if one of the characters had said this, not 7. Having said that, there was a lot about this play I did like. I was emotionally invested in Merrick from the start, because of his kind and gentle nature despite the cruelty he experienced. I think that everyone in middle school should be required to read this play, because that is when bullying really begins to start, and bullying is very prevalent today across the country. Just because a story/play has cheesy moments doesn’t make it bad. I think children would gain a lot from reading this play, because it is a straightforward type of play.
Our group came up with a concept of “Who is the Freak” which I really like and would continue to build off of if I were in charge of my own concept. I think this is interesting and applies to today’s world because people are so quick to judge. People judge each other on so many different things from talent, to money, to appearances, and often people can be classified as “freaks”. However what defines a freak and what defines normal? What category do people who laugh and mock others for their own enjoyment fall into? This is why I really like the concept of “Who is the Freak”.
When I was looking into the history of Victorian freak shows and the time period of John Merrick I learned that many shows took place in restaurants and stores where makeshift stages would be made for the show to be on. It was a laid back atmosphere and some only cost a penny to attend. I would like to capture this type of atmosphere with my showing of “The Elephant Man”. I would like it in a small theatre much like Strother theatre, a very intimate space. I’d like to create the feeling of a somewhat cheap restaurant saloon. I would actually like to have tables and a small dinner and drinks would be served before the show. I want the colors of the space to be dark reds, peacock greens, royal blues, and kind of a rust color. I want the stage to be raised and wooden so that patrons can see it from their tables, however the stage should look somewhat makeshift as that is what it would have looked like during Merrick’s actual time. I also want there to be mirrors of different sizes and shapes around the room that the audience can see their reflections in. The mirrors will apply to the concept because it produces the question of whether the audience is watching the show or themselves.
Other elements will be saloon music and dim lighting. I want the feel to be very relaxed and even somewhat creepy. I want unknown actors but Merrick should be a handsome man to further push the audience to think about why he is being put on display and ponder who the freak in this situation is. Treves should be a handsome man as well but with a devious side that can portray flaw. Mrs. Kendall should be drop dead gorgeous and without much of a flaw because I feel she is the only person in the show who truly has compassion for Merrick.
All of these elements will help portray my concept of “Who is the Freak”.
The concept our group chose for Elephant Man is about normalcy being similar to a corset. Throughout the play Merrick is seen as a freak, the opposite of normal. As he meets new people he adjusts to make himself appear to be what others view as normal. Eventually the weight and restrictiveness or normalcy causes him to suffocate in his sleep. In the play corsets are a big part of the world of the play; every woman wears a corset. Treves comments on the lethality of corsets, since wearing them long term often leads to the death of women. Corsets alter the body shape and constrict breathing, Treves warns his patients about the ailments that this fashion statement causes. In the end his patients chose to ignore his advice for the sake of fashion; for the sake of being normal. The restrictiveness of being normal ends up killing these women and ultimately kills Merrick. The concept can be applied to each element of the design. The clothing design is restrictive and fitted. Merrick’s clothing will be looser in the beginning but become tighter, more restrictive and “normal” as the play progresses. Merrick adds traits he believes to be deemed normal and acceptable, which in turn make him more likable, making him feel less like a part of the freak show. The lighting and sound will be minimal and simplistic. The lights will have a yellow hue and give the feel of simple light bulbs. The theatre will be a theatre in the round giving a restrictive feel to the world of the play as well as putting Merrick on display from all sides as he often is in the play. All of this reflects the nature of corsets being restrictive and placing the body on display for all to see.
I wish you had talked more, Jenny. You do a better job of explaining how the tech elements are restricted than your overall group presentation did! Speak up!
Throughout productions of The Elephant Man, the question of John Merrick’s appearance is always an important point. Some productions decide to stick to historical accuracy and give Merrick prosthetics to look like the original elephant man. Some productions go to the other side of the spectrum and make Merrick unusually handsome. Others cast Merrick as a very plain, ordinary looking man. All of these productions, however, have one thing in common: they all show the elephant man. In my production, Merrick would be an unseen character. The beginning of the play sets up this idea perfectly. Treves and Ross go into the tent where Merrick is. We never see Merrick in this opening scene, but we see Treves’ reaction. The rest of the play might be a little trickier to pull off in this way, but it is certainly possible. Merrick’s bed could have a sheet in front of it, almost like a hospital bed has curtains that hang around it. This would certainly give the lighting designers a lot to play around with, especially in the way of shadows. We could see Merrick’s outline, but never really see him. The idea to make Merrick an unseen character comes from a place of empathy. We all have felt like an outcast, and have all made someone else feel like an outcast. Making Merrick unseen makes it easier to put our feet in Merrick’s shoes, or even in Ross’ or Treves’ shoes. The fact that Merrick is never seen also makes him into a mystery. It brings up the question of what must this man look like for everyone to be so astounded and frightened of him, with the exception of basically one man, Treves, and one woman, Mrs. Kendal.
For our concept we decided to switch up the worlds of the play. Instead of Merrick failing to live up to the beautiful standards of victorian england, in our version he is what we would consider beautiful but the world of the play is a freak show- thus he is still seen as a hideous creature in the character’s eyes. I think at times the differentiation between places will be hard to achieve this way. In the original version of the play there is a strict difference between the freak show and the outside world. If the world is the freak show, how exactly will we show the difference between the literal freak show event and the rest of the world? Perhaps through casting traditionally beautiful actors in the roles of the Pinheads will help the audience establish this difference, but I’m not sure my group thought this deeply into the issue. I casted Danny Devito as Ross in order to show that the character is somewhere in between a little person and a full grown one. This is done in order to accentuate that Ross is an ugly and twisted person, somewhere between the world’s ideal and it’s bane. As far as the venue goes I think the theatre should have been a non-traditional outdoor venue, or a larger indoor proscenium theatre. In an outdoor location we could have the freedom to perhaps make a large tent instead of simply hinting at it. Having the audience firmly seated “inside the world”, being the tent. Either that or have a big budget production and go for broke with an elaborate proscenium arch in the shape of a tent. Going with a smaller house and downgrading the size of the stage runs the risk of having this production look like community theatre, when in fact there will be big name stars who will draw a large audience.
I like all the thought you put into Danny Devito! I was the pinhead manager...so I guess I would have been a little person in this production. I do like the idea of the pinheads as beautiful. If I recall, all of ours were very stunning when we did it...but we made them look like pinheads.
My concept is to present the play as a true historical fiction. The play is already too forward at times and I believe having an over the top concept will only thrust the entire meaning into the audience’s face further than needed. This concept would have a lot more historical research than normally because I want everything to be as accurate as the play makes it. As far as the cast is concerned I don’t have any specific people in mind, only those who can perform the characters well. I think Merrick should be really tall and muscular and his face average so that no defining characteristic stands out. I want the audience's attention focused more on Merrick's movements than his true disfigurements to highlight his struggle of performing everyday tasks. Treves historically was a short stout man whit a strong British accent and in very professional nature. Mrs. Kendal should be a woman who is a little older than what most imagine. Historically she was around 40 years old when she visited Merrick. With the design I want everything to look as much like the original world that occurred in Merrick’s life. As I said before, a lot of research would be required to pull of this design. The venue would be a proscenium theatre so that the audience feels separated from the time period. This might evoke the feeling of wanting to help Merrick, but cannot. The lighting should be dull colors at the beginnings of the play then become warmer brighter colors near the end to highlight Merrick’s transition to becoming “normal” and accepted into society. The set and costumes will be historically accurate with the 1880s time period as well as what each character would have worn and how the rooms are arranged, but with slight tweaking to accommodate a play setting. The sound design will be accurate with 1800s sounds of the time period including what Merrick might hear outside of his room and window.
I think that historical accuracy could definitely enhance your production. I'm not entirely sure it would always serve the more blatant political and social ideas in the play, but it would definitely be pretty!
Having already done some research on Joseph Merrick in elementary school, I am already quite familiar with his life and I believe a biopic would serve this story best. Why? Two reasons. One, the play comes off as didactic and tends to turn folks off, instead of teaching them to accept people for more than what they look like. Not that that isn’t a great message to give—it is! But this story serves that purpose by itself. It doesn’t need any help doing it. Secondly! Because truth is stranger than fiction. All right, now, the who, what, when, where, and how. Who: the following is my dream cast for The Elephant Man. Joseph Merrick will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch. He is a fantastic actor, multi-dimensional, gorgeous, fantastic voice, and VERY good at physical acting (I refer you to the film HAWKING in which he plays the famous scientist). Dr. Treves will be played by Brendan Coyle, most famous for his role as John Bates in Downton Abbey. He fits the physical image Pomerance calls for, and is also a fantastic actor. He and Bennybatch would have amazing chemistry. Mrs. Kendall will be played by Michelle Dockery, also a costar of Downton Abbey (lady Mary Crawley). She has an x-factor about her that I read in Mrs. Kendall, and would do very well with Bennybatch and with Brendan Coyle. And she’s gorgeous. There’s no way to make this woman homely. Finally, Ross will be played by Ben Kingsley. Because there is nothing that Ben Kingsley cannot do. Merrick will be called by his real first name, Joseph (not John). Bennybatch will be in full prosthetic makeup in addition to his physical acting. Everyone will be in realistic period dress. I will design a found-space theater in the form of a fully restored Victorian home. The parlor and main room will be furnished and set up as Merrick’s room and the hospital/lab/wherever Treves works. The two spaces will be separate but not divided; one will flow smoothly into the other. The audience will be sitting in comfortable chairs and sofas as though they were a part of the time period. This will feel strange…which defends my concept that truth is stranger than fiction.
The play The Elephant Man gives the reader (or audience member) the option to perceive its message in several different ways. Because the universal theme of the question “what is normal” is largely at play here, a director could spin the story in an array of direction. My group settled onto the idea of casting every character that fell into the category of normal as little people and to cast Merrick and the pinheads as these exceptionally attractive people. In an effort to twist around the story’s stasis and to develop a new “norm”, I felt as though the idea was playable and would be an intriguing piece to watch. Prior to that idea coming to fruition, I had developed my own grand scheme of a production of the show that kind of went against the grain. The character that I would be the most anal and persnickety about in terms of casting would be John Merrick, my protagonist. My vision of Merrick initially was this grotesque looking guy, with whom not many can relate - but I soon realized these attributes didn't really mesh well with live theatre. Merrick has to be a lanky man, with mildly attractive features. He won't be a Prince Charming type, as the concept of casting a "beauty" as the deformed Elephant Man has been run into the seafloor spreading. That would be a very conscious decision, to avoid that. Another character about which I had specific reservations would be the thrilling and inviting Treves. The role would be handed to an actor whose features (facial and overall body type) almost perfectly resemble the man playing Merrick. I want those characters to be placed on the same level playing field, so as to further raise the question of who's the real monster.
My concept of the play, The Elephant Man shows us how easy it is to lose a piece of yourself when you try to fit in with the social norm of society. Joseph Merrick, Elephant Man not only lost a piece of himself but killed himself over trying to be normal like everyone else. Even Treves, the doctor, who is observing the Elephant Man, can see the Elephant Man is going to die because he is changing himself too much. Merrick is not unlike many of us who see ourselves through other people’s eyes. People looked at Merrick and saw ugliness and so he felt ugly. People looked at Merrick with pity and then he pitied himself. Elephant Man was unable to understand why he must suffer with the horrible appearance on his outside when he had love, compassion and kindness on his inside. People never had the chance to see him for who he truly was and so Merrick himself was unable to truly see himself either. He wanted desparately to be like everyone else, to be normal, but he was mistaken; for who really is normal? Joseph Merrick wanted to be like, and when Ms. Kendall decided to pay attention to him he was happy. She was able to get other people to pay attention to him which gave Merrick a false idea of what being normal was. Being normal was not sleeping on your back, and being normal was not being able to have social graces. Merrick was confused because of the other’s trying to relate to him by telling him he was like them in one way or another. A man Ross tries to tell Merrick who he really is, a freak, but Merrick knows he is better than that, he knows he is like the other people who told him he was like them. Merrick’s concept of what he wants to become is destroyed by Ross so Merrick rebels. The Elephant Man longs to be like other people and he has had a small taste of what he construes as normalcy. Instead of accepting his limitations of who he is and how he must be careful how he sleeps, Merrick makes the mistake of pinning everything to be normal on one physical task of sleeping lying down rather than sitting up. This turns out to be Merrick’s end. He is unable to find normalcy for himself unless he loses himself, sacrifices who he is to be someone who he is not. He is not a normal man and therefore was not able to sleep like a normal man. He knew this in his heart which is proven by the poem he ended his letters with. 'Tis true my form is something odd, But blaming me is blaming God; Could I create myself anew I would not fail in pleasing you.
If I could reach from pole to pole Or grasp the ocean with a span, I would be measured by the soul; The mind's the standard of the man. —poem used by Joseph Merrick to end his letters, adapted from "False Greatness" by Isaac Watts[6]
As you have seen in our presentation this afternoon, our group's concept was "who is the freak show?" By being set inside of a circus tent, complete with eerie lighting, ratty curtains, and many faded colors, our goal is to make the viewer contemplate the farce of our societal ways. Funhouse mirrors will be paneled above the stage so that the audience may glance up at any moment during the play and see a contorted image of themselves. I want to use everything we described today, and take the concept one step farther. In traditional Victorian freak shows, the Showman was the man who presented the "freaks". He would begin the show, and reveal/unveil the freaks one at a time to keep building the shock factor and keep the audience engaged. In our concept, we have casted Jack Nicholson as Ross. In the text the character of Ross is the showman who first presents us with John Merrick . In my personal concept, I want Ross to play a slightly larger role. When the audience enters the tent, I want there to be five open cages; each covered with a shroud of fabric. As the play begins and unfolds, Ross will unveil each major character, who will step out from the cage into the scene. John, Treves, Gomm, Ms. Kendal, and the Bishop will be the 5 covered characters. Done in this way, I believe I will better convey the concept of "who is the freak?".
In my production of the Elephant Man I would go with the overall preachy nature of the show and try to provoke some thought in my audience. I would want the people watching to examine their opinions of beauty and kindness. John Merrick is by far the most caring person in the play, but by our standards he is also the most unattractive. My question to the audience would be this; are beauty and kindness mutually exclusive? I think in our world these two qualities in a person are hard to find. If someone has the advantage of beauty they are often not as kind and self effacing as those who lack beauty. I keep the production true to the time period, keeping both costumes and set pieces in the Victorian era. The only change I would make would be that John Merrick would be kept “beautiful” by our standards and I would horribly disfigure the actors playing the other characters. Prosthetics and strange body suits would be added to each of the “normal” characters. Thus I would create a new “normal.” In the world of the play the average characters would look distorted and ugly by the standard of our society, but they would believe themselves to be beautiful. This approach to The Elephant Man may make audience members look at this play in a new way. The audience would see the sly, vindictive, and self-serving characters looking as vile as they behave. The Elephant Man, however, would look as beautiful as he is kind and innocent. This concept would be my way of reinventing this play.
In my production of the Elephant Man, I would focus mainly on the use of color. Not in the sense of race, but in the sense that colors can be used to convey different things in performance, including the idea that people are born colorful and fade to grays and blacks by the end of their lives.
I would use John Merrick as the protagonist and dress him in lavish colors, much like Joseph with his amazing technicolor dreamcoat. I would give most of the other characters blacks and grays. Treves would be given a white labcoat that would be shed to reveal a black shirt, black pants, black shoes and a gray tie to show that he is just as bland as all the others. Ms. Kendal would be given a white dress to show her pure love for John. Throughout the show, John would lose all the colorful things in his hospital room, and he would eventually become nude, with nothing but a black loincloth on. As soon as the loincloth is seen, the scene where John describes Treves at the podium (much like Treves did earlier with John) would come in, and John would put on Treves' white lab coat, showing his purity as well. Ross would be given a black suit with a red top hat, much like the mad hatter from the famous Alice in Wonderland tales. As far as casting goes, normal casting goes in, with no defects or apparent "differences" in any of the cast members.
I’m really happy with the direction our group project has gone. Our concept of our play is, “Conforming to norms is like wearing a restrictive corset.” Our play is going to have a lot of restrictive elements to it. All the characters will be in form fitting attire, men wearing suits and women probably wearing corsets. Andrew had a great idea that as the play progresses, Merrick’s clothes would get tighter and more fitting (more normal), causing him to look worse and contorted. This symbolizes that as he became more ‘normal’, the worse his health became, which happens in the actual script. As far as our dream cast we had a long discussion about who should play which character. In the end we all agreed upon the following: Doug Jones would play Merrick, Hugh Laurie would play Treves, Amy Adams would play Mrs. Kendall, and Ben Kingsley would play Ross.
ReplyDeleteEven though the Elephant Man was a little too forward at times, I enjoyed the read because of its overall message. For me, the overall message of this play is to be kind and accept others. Since the life of John Merrick is true, I was thoroughly engaged while reading this play. I do think that this story would have played out just as effectively had it been an autobiographical novel. Some of the scenes were just too unrealistic for me. For example, in scene 12, many of the characters say how there are parts of Merrick in all of them, and it came across as cheesy to me. The audience doesn’t need to be beat over the head with the same information; they are smarter than they look. It would have been just as effective if one of the characters had said this, not 7. Having said that, there was a lot about this play I did like. I was emotionally invested in Merrick from the start, because of his kind and gentle nature despite the cruelty he experienced. I think that everyone in middle school should be required to read this play, because that is when bullying really begins to start, and bullying is very prevalent today across the country. Just because a story/play has cheesy moments doesn’t make it bad. I think children would gain a lot from reading this play, because it is a straightforward type of play.
I agree that it is a great High School script, Sam. I do like the play, and think it has a lot to offer folks today. It's like Glee! Ha!
DeleteOur group came up with a concept of “Who is the Freak” which I really like and would continue to build off of if I were in charge of my own concept. I think this is interesting and applies to today’s world because people are so quick to judge. People judge each other on so many different things from talent, to money, to appearances, and often people can be classified as “freaks”. However what defines a freak and what defines normal? What category do people who laugh and mock others for their own enjoyment fall into? This is why I really like the concept of “Who is the Freak”.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was looking into the history of Victorian freak shows and the time period of John Merrick I learned that many shows took place in restaurants and stores where makeshift stages would be made for the show to be on. It was a laid back atmosphere and some only cost a penny to attend. I would like to capture this type of atmosphere with my showing of “The Elephant Man”. I would like it in a small theatre much like Strother theatre, a very intimate space. I’d like to create the feeling of a somewhat cheap restaurant saloon. I would actually like to have tables and a small dinner and drinks would be served before the show. I want the colors of the space to be dark reds, peacock greens, royal blues, and kind of a rust color. I want the stage to be raised and wooden so that patrons can see it from their tables, however the stage should look somewhat makeshift as that is what it would have looked like during Merrick’s actual time. I also want there to be mirrors of different sizes and shapes around the room that the audience can see their reflections in. The mirrors will apply to the concept because it produces the question of whether the audience is watching the show or themselves.
Other elements will be saloon music and dim lighting. I want the feel to be very relaxed and even somewhat creepy. I want unknown actors but Merrick should be a handsome man to further push the audience to think about why he is being put on display and ponder who the freak in this situation is. Treves should be a handsome man as well but with a devious side that can portray flaw. Mrs. Kendall should be drop dead gorgeous and without much of a flaw because I feel she is the only person in the show who truly has compassion for Merrick.
All of these elements will help portray my concept of “Who is the Freak”.
Nice research into the penny shows. I wish we had incorporated a bit more research in the project as a class, and this observation was a nice start!
DeleteThe concept our group chose for Elephant Man is about normalcy being similar to a corset. Throughout the play Merrick is seen as a freak, the opposite of normal. As he meets new people he adjusts to make himself appear to be what others view as normal. Eventually the weight and restrictiveness or normalcy causes him to suffocate in his sleep.
ReplyDeleteIn the play corsets are a big part of the world of the play; every woman wears a corset. Treves comments on the lethality of corsets, since wearing them long term often leads to the death of women. Corsets alter the body shape and constrict breathing, Treves warns his patients about the ailments that this fashion statement causes. In the end his patients chose to ignore his advice for the sake of fashion; for the sake of being normal. The restrictiveness of being normal ends up killing these women and ultimately kills Merrick.
The concept can be applied to each element of the design. The clothing design is restrictive and fitted. Merrick’s clothing will be looser in the beginning but become tighter, more restrictive and “normal” as the play progresses. Merrick adds traits he believes to be deemed normal and acceptable, which in turn make him more likable, making him feel less like a part of the freak show. The lighting and sound will be minimal and simplistic. The lights will have a yellow hue and give the feel of simple light bulbs. The theatre will be a theatre in the round giving a restrictive feel to the world of the play as well as putting Merrick on display from all sides as he often is in the play. All of this reflects the nature of corsets being restrictive and placing the body on display for all to see.
I wish you had talked more, Jenny. You do a better job of explaining how the tech elements are restricted than your overall group presentation did! Speak up!
DeleteThroughout productions of The Elephant Man, the question of John Merrick’s appearance is always an important point. Some productions decide to stick to historical accuracy and give Merrick prosthetics to look like the original elephant man. Some productions go to the other side of the spectrum and make Merrick unusually handsome. Others cast Merrick as a very plain, ordinary looking man. All of these productions, however, have one thing in common: they all show the elephant man. In my production, Merrick would be an unseen character.
ReplyDeleteThe beginning of the play sets up this idea perfectly. Treves and Ross go into the tent where Merrick is. We never see Merrick in this opening scene, but we see Treves’ reaction. The rest of the play might be a little trickier to pull off in this way, but it is certainly possible. Merrick’s bed could have a sheet in front of it, almost like a hospital bed has curtains that hang around it. This would certainly give the lighting designers a lot to play around with, especially in the way of shadows. We could see Merrick’s outline, but never really see him.
The idea to make Merrick an unseen character comes from a place of empathy. We all have felt like an outcast, and have all made someone else feel like an outcast. Making Merrick unseen makes it easier to put our feet in Merrick’s shoes, or even in Ross’ or Treves’ shoes. The fact that Merrick is never seen also makes him into a mystery. It brings up the question of what must this man look like for everyone to be so astounded and frightened of him, with the exception of basically one man, Treves, and one woman, Mrs. Kendal.
This would be very difficult to pull off, indeed. It's a bold idea, though. It would certainly make Treves your central character!
DeleteFor our concept we decided to switch up the worlds of the play. Instead of Merrick failing to live up to the beautiful standards of victorian england, in our version he is what we would consider beautiful but the world of the play is a freak show- thus he is still seen as a hideous creature in the character’s eyes. I think at times the differentiation between places will be hard to achieve this way. In the original version of the play there is a strict difference between the freak show and the outside world. If the world is the freak show, how exactly will we show the difference between the literal freak show event and the rest of the world?
ReplyDeletePerhaps through casting traditionally beautiful actors in the roles of the Pinheads will help the audience establish this difference, but I’m not sure my group thought this deeply into the issue. I casted Danny Devito as Ross in order to show that the character is somewhere in between a little person and a full grown one. This is done in order to accentuate that Ross is an ugly and twisted person, somewhere between the world’s ideal and it’s bane.
As far as the venue goes I think the theatre should have been a non-traditional outdoor venue, or a larger indoor proscenium theatre. In an outdoor location we could have the freedom to perhaps make a large tent instead of simply hinting at it. Having the audience firmly seated “inside the world”, being the tent. Either that or have a big budget production and go for broke with an elaborate proscenium arch in the shape of a tent. Going with a smaller house and downgrading the size of the stage runs the risk of having this production look like community theatre, when in fact there will be big name stars who will draw a large audience.
I like all the thought you put into Danny Devito! I was the pinhead manager...so I guess I would have been a little person in this production. I do like the idea of the pinheads as beautiful. If I recall, all of ours were very stunning when we did it...but we made them look like pinheads.
DeleteMy concept is to present the play as a true historical fiction. The play is already too forward at times and I believe having an over the top concept will only thrust the entire meaning into the audience’s face further than needed. This concept would have a lot more historical research than normally because I want everything to be as accurate as the play makes it. As far as the cast is concerned I don’t have any specific people in mind, only those who can perform the characters well. I think Merrick should be really tall and muscular and his face average so that no defining characteristic stands out. I want the audience's attention focused more on Merrick's movements than his true disfigurements to highlight his struggle of performing everyday tasks. Treves historically was a short stout man whit a strong British accent and in very professional nature. Mrs. Kendal should be a woman who is a little older than what most imagine. Historically she was around 40 years old when she visited Merrick.
ReplyDeleteWith the design I want everything to look as much like the original world that occurred in Merrick’s life. As I said before, a lot of research would be required to pull of this design. The venue would be a proscenium theatre so that the audience feels separated from the time period. This might evoke the feeling of wanting to help Merrick, but cannot. The lighting should be dull colors at the beginnings of the play then become warmer brighter colors near the end to highlight Merrick’s transition to becoming “normal” and accepted into society. The set and costumes will be historically accurate with the 1880s time period as well as what each character would have worn and how the rooms are arranged, but with slight tweaking to accommodate a play setting. The sound design will be accurate with 1800s sounds of the time period including what Merrick might hear outside of his room and window.
I think that historical accuracy could definitely enhance your production. I'm not entirely sure it would always serve the more blatant political and social ideas in the play, but it would definitely be pretty!
DeleteHaving already done some research on Joseph Merrick in elementary school, I am already quite familiar with his life and I believe a biopic would serve this story best. Why? Two reasons. One, the play comes off as didactic and tends to turn folks off, instead of teaching them to accept people for more than what they look like. Not that that isn’t a great message to give—it is! But this story serves that purpose by itself. It doesn’t need any help doing it. Secondly! Because truth is stranger than fiction.
ReplyDeleteAll right, now, the who, what, when, where, and how. Who: the following is my dream cast for The Elephant Man. Joseph Merrick will be played by Benedict Cumberbatch. He is a fantastic actor, multi-dimensional, gorgeous, fantastic voice, and VERY good at physical acting (I refer you to the film HAWKING in which he plays the famous scientist). Dr. Treves will be played by Brendan Coyle, most famous for his role as John Bates in Downton Abbey. He fits the physical image Pomerance calls for, and is also a fantastic actor. He and Bennybatch would have amazing chemistry. Mrs. Kendall will be played by Michelle Dockery, also a costar of Downton Abbey (lady Mary Crawley). She has an x-factor about her that I read in Mrs. Kendall, and would do very well with Bennybatch and with Brendan Coyle. And she’s gorgeous. There’s no way to make this woman homely. Finally, Ross will be played by Ben Kingsley. Because there is nothing that Ben Kingsley cannot do.
Merrick will be called by his real first name, Joseph (not John). Bennybatch will be in full prosthetic makeup in addition to his physical acting. Everyone will be in realistic period dress.
I will design a found-space theater in the form of a fully restored Victorian home. The parlor and main room will be furnished and set up as Merrick’s room and the hospital/lab/wherever Treves works. The two spaces will be separate but not divided; one will flow smoothly into the other. The audience will be sitting in comfortable chairs and sofas as though they were a part of the time period. This will feel strange…which defends my concept that truth is stranger than fiction.
Bates as Treves. I AM SOLD! Lets just do the original Downton Abbey cast of The Elephant Man. Who would be Merrick?
DeleteThe play The Elephant Man gives the reader (or audience member) the option to perceive its message in several different ways. Because the universal theme of the question “what is normal” is largely at play here, a director could spin the story in an array of direction. My group settled onto the idea of casting every character that fell into the category of normal as little people and to cast Merrick and the pinheads as these exceptionally attractive people. In an effort to twist around the story’s stasis and to develop a new “norm”, I felt as though the idea was playable and would be an intriguing piece to watch.
ReplyDeletePrior to that idea coming to fruition, I had developed my own grand scheme of a production of the show that kind of went against the grain. The character that I would be the most anal and persnickety about in terms of casting would be John Merrick, my protagonist. My vision of Merrick initially was this grotesque looking guy, with whom not many can relate - but I soon realized these attributes didn't really mesh well with live theatre. Merrick has to be a lanky man, with mildly attractive features. He won't be a Prince Charming type, as the concept of casting a "beauty" as the deformed Elephant Man has been run into the seafloor spreading. That would be a very conscious decision, to avoid that.
Another character about which I had specific reservations would be the thrilling and inviting Treves. The role would be handed to an actor whose features (facial and overall body type) almost perfectly resemble the man playing Merrick. I want those characters to be placed on the same level playing field, so as to further raise the question of who's the real monster.
I've never seen this show with an Elephant Man with the full makeup. I wonder what would happen if somebody tried?
DeleteConcept of Elephant Man
ReplyDeleteMy concept of the play, The Elephant Man shows us how easy it is to lose a piece of yourself when you try to fit in with the social norm of society. Joseph Merrick, Elephant Man not only lost a piece of himself but killed himself over trying to be normal like everyone else. Even Treves, the doctor, who is observing the Elephant Man, can see the Elephant Man is going to die because he is changing himself too much. Merrick is not unlike many of us who see ourselves through other people’s eyes. People looked at Merrick and saw ugliness and so he felt ugly. People looked at Merrick with pity and then he pitied himself. Elephant Man was unable to understand why he must suffer with the horrible appearance on his outside when he had love, compassion and kindness on his inside. People never had the chance to see him for who he truly was and so Merrick himself was unable to truly see himself either. He wanted desparately to be like everyone else, to be normal, but he was mistaken; for who really is normal?
Joseph Merrick wanted to be like, and when Ms. Kendall decided to pay attention to him he was happy. She was able to get other people to pay attention to him which gave Merrick a false idea of what being normal was. Being normal was not sleeping on your back, and being normal was not being able to have social graces. Merrick was confused because of the other’s trying to relate to him by telling him he was like them in one way or another.
A man Ross tries to tell Merrick who he really is, a freak, but Merrick knows he is better than that, he knows he is like the other people who told him he was like them. Merrick’s concept of what he wants to become is destroyed by Ross so Merrick rebels. The Elephant Man longs to be like other people and he has had a small taste of what he construes as normalcy. Instead of accepting his limitations of who he is and how he must be careful how he sleeps, Merrick makes the mistake of pinning everything to be normal on one physical task of sleeping lying down rather than sitting up. This turns out to be Merrick’s end. He is unable to find normalcy for himself unless he loses himself, sacrifices who he is to be someone who he is not. He is not a normal man and therefore was not able to sleep like a normal man. He knew this in his heart which is proven by the poem he ended his letters with.
'Tis true my form is something odd,
But blaming me is blaming God;
Could I create myself anew
I would not fail in pleasing you.
If I could reach from pole to pole
Or grasp the ocean with a span,
I would be measured by the soul;
The mind's the standard of the man.
—poem used by Joseph Merrick to end his letters, adapted from "False Greatness" by Isaac Watts[6]
Nice use of the poem at the end. I like pulling from a literary work to support a concept. We should try that next time around!
DeleteAs you have seen in our presentation this afternoon, our group's concept was "who is the freak show?" By being set inside of a circus tent, complete with eerie lighting, ratty curtains, and many faded colors, our goal is to make the viewer contemplate the farce of our societal ways. Funhouse mirrors will be paneled above the stage so that the audience may glance up at any moment during the play and see a contorted image of themselves.
ReplyDeleteI want to use everything we described today, and take the concept one step farther.
In traditional Victorian freak shows, the Showman was the man who presented the "freaks". He would begin the show, and reveal/unveil the freaks one at a time to keep building the shock factor and keep the audience engaged. In our concept, we have casted Jack Nicholson as Ross. In the text the character of Ross is the showman who first presents us with John Merrick . In my personal concept, I want Ross to play a slightly larger role.
When the audience enters the tent, I want there to be five open cages; each covered with a shroud of fabric. As the play begins and unfolds, Ross will unveil each major character, who will step out from the cage into the scene. John, Treves, Gomm, Ms. Kendal, and the Bishop will be the 5 covered characters. Done in this way, I believe I will better convey the concept of "who is the freak?".
This is a pretty heavy concept! I'm not sure what the playwright would think, but it is definitely a way to take your group's concept even further.
DeleteIn my production of the Elephant Man I would go with the overall preachy nature of the show and try to provoke some thought in my audience. I would want the people watching to examine their opinions of beauty and kindness. John Merrick is by far the most caring person in the play, but by our standards he is also the most unattractive. My question to the audience would be this; are beauty and kindness mutually exclusive? I think in our world these two qualities in a person are hard to find. If someone has the advantage of beauty they are often not as kind and self effacing as those who lack beauty.
ReplyDeleteI keep the production true to the time period, keeping both costumes and set pieces in the Victorian era. The only change I would make would be that John Merrick would be kept “beautiful” by our standards and I would horribly disfigure the actors playing the other characters. Prosthetics and strange body suits would be added to each of the “normal” characters. Thus I would create a new “normal.” In the world of the play the average characters would look distorted and ugly by the standard of our society, but they would believe themselves to be beautiful.
This approach to The Elephant Man may make audience members look at this play in a new way. The audience would see the sly, vindictive, and self-serving characters looking as vile as they behave. The Elephant Man, however, would look as beautiful as he is kind and innocent. This concept would be my way of reinventing this play.
In my production of the Elephant Man, I would focus mainly on the use of color. Not in the sense of race, but in the sense that colors can be used to convey different things in performance, including the idea that people are born colorful and fade to grays and blacks by the end of their lives.
ReplyDeleteI would use John Merrick as the protagonist and dress him in lavish colors, much like Joseph with his amazing technicolor dreamcoat. I would give most of the other characters blacks and grays. Treves would be given a white labcoat that would be shed to reveal a black shirt, black pants, black shoes and a gray tie to show that he is just as bland as all the others. Ms. Kendal would be given a white dress to show her pure love for John. Throughout the show, John would lose all the colorful things in his hospital room, and he would eventually become nude, with nothing but a black loincloth on. As soon as the loincloth is seen, the scene where John describes Treves at the podium (much like Treves did earlier with John) would come in, and John would put on Treves' white lab coat, showing his purity as well. Ross would be given a black suit with a red top hat, much like the mad hatter from the famous Alice in Wonderland tales. As far as casting goes, normal casting goes in, with no defects or apparent "differences" in any of the cast members.