Icarus

Monica Ryan December 6, 2009 “Icarus” The name of the play is Icarus, the play premiere was on Sunday December 6, 2009. Icarus was performed at the looking-glass theatre downtown on Michigan Ave. Summary Lighting and Sound The stage was lighted rather well in some parts but in other parts it was rather dark. Light did not reach the corners of the stage. Most of the light was directed to center stage, so, when the actors/actresses reached center stage they must have been blinded by the light. To make themselves heard actors placed microphones at each of the corners of the stage. Therefore when the actors are in center stage the audience could barely hear them. And as the scenes changed the characters that were not saying their lines were moving things around. The audience seemed rather distracted by them and found it hard to focus on the scene folding out in front of them. Acting and Blocking The actor that played Daedalus, Larry Distasi, has been in many of the looking-glass theatre performances in the past couple of years. In Icarus, Daedalus is one of the main characters, driven insane by his dreams of flying. Larry was able to play his part to a tee and was perfectly believable. The actress that played Icarus, Lindsey Noel Whiting, has been in many looking-glass plays in many different states. Icarus is_ the_ main character in Icarus, and has the misfortune of having a father like Daedalus. His father’s madness eventually leads to his death. Audience Reaction The audience was polite and courteous to the actors and did not speak, check their cell phones, or answer calls. Sunday night was the opening night. In other words Sunday was the day to work out all the kinks. The audience respected that, so when the director had to pause the play at times the audience understood. The only time that the audience’s persona changed was when the characters were trying to pull off using little suitcases or lunch boxes as children. The audience was very amused and took the unusual arrangement in stride laughing as the new “children” were coddled by their parents. There aren’t many people who would look at a lunch box and say, “Oh hey look at that adorable baby.”