For
my last show and tell post, I am analyzing the play called Big Mistake by Theresa Rebeck. Theresa Rebeck is most commonly
known as the creator of Smash, the TV
show. Three of her plays were on Broadway, and many showed Off-Broadway. Big Mistake is a one-act play written
and published in 1999. The only account found of Rebeck's show being performed
is when Ron Piretti directed it at Marymount Manhattan College.
Big Mistake revolves around four
characters. The whole play takes place in a bar. The show starts off with two
male characters, Brian and Paul, two friends in their early thirties, who are
in the bar. They are drinking and talking about past hook-ups in not a very
respectful manner. Soon after Lorna and Annie, two friends in their early
thirties walk in. They are chatting about past hook-ups when Lorna notices
Brian, a guy she previously dated. They debate whether to escape the situation,
but it is already too late as they notice Brian making his way over. Brian
offers to buy the ladies a drink, and though they resist multiple times, he
does it anyway. As Brian and Lorna start to chat, Paul comes over and starts to
hit on Annie. Each "couple" is having conversing at the same time,
but separate from each other. Brian and Lorna start to talk about their lives
since the break-up and Paul tries to get to know Annie even though she is not
interested. As the couples becomes extremely feisty with each other, Brian and
Paul give a monologue about how confusing women are and it is followed with
monologues from Annie and Lorna about how confusing men are. The play ends with
Paul and Annie leaving to go on a dinner date and Lorna and Brian leave to go
sleep together.
One
dramaturgical choice made by Rebeck is at the very beginning of the play when
she notes, "Because there is so much hostility between the men and women
for most of the piece, it is important that the actors play against that
hostility with a veneer of politeness and social agility. This veneer is, of
course, worn through rather quickly." It is not often that authors make a
detailed note about how the actors should play their character. I think this is
a smart dramaturgical choice on Rebeck's part because the dialogue in the
script naturally gives the vibe of aggression, harshness, and argumentative. So,
it is natural that the actors are going to automatically play it like that.
Though since there is a note that they should play the opposite of the
hostility, it will make for a much more compelling and complex show. It will
make the characters three dimensional instead of just labeling all of them as
"mean" or "bitchy". Another dramaturgical choice made by
Rebeck is at the end of the play when Lorna and Annie are instructed to say
their monologues at the same time,
even though they say different words. The same situation happens with Brian and
Paul's monologues. I think this is a very interesting dramaturgical choice
because their monologues are of the same subject, but with completely different
words. Also, it is important because it shows how it is not about the
individual characters, but just about the men and then just about the women. It
is grouping them together to get the message across about woman and men in
general relationships. Big Mistake was
a really entertaining play and I am definitely going to read more of Theresa
Rebeck's work.
