Ghosts!

Ghosts is a play written by Henrik Ibsen and all members of the Upper School drama class, watched the production  in Toronto at a theatre known as; The (Yonge Centre for the Performing Arts,). It is a Soul pepper production, directed by Morris Panych and played by an amazing cast on November 18, 2011 which featured Diego Matamoros, Michelle Monteit, Nancy Palk, Gregory Prest and lastly Joseph ziegler.  Not only did the title grasp my attention but the opening and management of this production really took everything to another level. It was just a captivating performance.

This play reflected the pre-modern society, a very cultural society with Christian beliefs and norms.  The entire play revolved around darkness portraying a widow known as "Mrs Alvin" whose husband has left with nothing but with unbearable responsibilities. From The very old generation concept that women must marry men of a higher class drove this woman to marry her late husband, which she now regrets. The husband known as "Captain Alvin" ought to be the kind that less valued life because he never actually found happiness through his living. He was a drunkard, whose wife brought along little pleasure. He impregnated his own servant " Johanna" who gives birth to "Regina" and she is raised as a housemaid by her father's wife (The widow), but she is believed to be the daughter of "Jacob Engstrand" A carpenter who is married to her mother (The Late servant). The widow also has a son who goes by the name "Oswald Alvin" with her late husband, but the boy lives abroad and not with his mother. He knows little about his father. The two children "Oswald and Regina" grow up not knowing that they are siblings until at a later stage in their lives. The boy comes to visit the mother, there, he finds the priest known as "Pastor Manders" who unwillingly but thankfully helps reveal this dark secret, almost through the whole period of the play he addresses Mrs Alvin about morals and religion, I also find him as  the funniest character in the play.  The whole play is set to operate based on life force, both of the children speak of a life force within them.  Surprisingly enough the boy reveals some feeling of affection for the housemaid, who he has not come to know, is his sister. The intensity of this situation prevails up to the point that the boy's mother is forced to speak out the truth unexpectedly in the ending. The approach in which the characters took to demonstrate this scene was highly professional and satisfying. The gestures, acting, communication and clarity of the play brought me reminiscing to it, again and again.  It was profound, in effect, I found myself in a mixture of moods, at first, the mood tended to be calm, which later transformed to sadness and curiosity as I was tempt to know what would happen next. Also the theme tends to concentrate around death and religion. 

The actors in the play were just incredible. The strength and volume of their voices was so powerful, the words came out so clearly that I could even hear the syllables in every word spoken.  They manner in which they spoke reflected and well represented the time in which the story was written.  A part of the scene where the boy holds his mother tightly, surrounding each other's arms as if it was in real life, it felt so natural, that embrace even I felt the comfort and protection they experienced at that moment. I quickly found myself in the shadow of the housemaid, meaning I felt completely engaged with her character although it was just a play, I could feel that sadness and despair in her from the very moment she learnt the truth. Every individual fitted well into their character and occupied as much as they could which I really enjoyed.

All in all, the designers did well in portraying the setting of the play, which brought back old times, people dressed culturally and very formal. A lot of materials such as lace fabric and wood were used and I think it really brought us back to old times. People around that particular time also held very high morals and respected every member of the society. These are the times when men were inferior to women and when social status was used to assess every member in the society. The play as shown is based on class position beginning with the widow and her son who represent the upper class, the priest who belongs to the middle class, then the housemaid and the drunkard who belong to the lower class. As we can see, the play dealt with a lot of materialism too. The director and backstage members did a great job in the effects of lightning and sound, especially when the light was used to show the breakdown of fire in the orphanage and the way sound was used to portray very sad moments, in the opening and ending shifts of every scene in the story and how they made the sound of rain drops appear so real that I even thought It was actually raining. 

The play overall was very highly well presented with fantastic cast.  You could see how well it was practiced because not even a single mistake could have been in the process. The sound effects the settings where all just professional, the style of the play is realistic. No improvements as far as I am concerned are needed.

Ghosts is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Our drama class saw it at the Soulpepper Theater. There were only five actors and small set. It featured Diego Matamoros, as Jacob Engstrand, Michelle Monteith, as Regina Engstrand, Nancy Palk, as Mrs. Helene Alving, Gregory Prest, as Oswald Alving, and Joseph Ziegler, as Pastor Manders. First let's start with a synopsis.

The play takes place in fall in the house of Mrs. Alving. Her son, Oswald, who is an artist has returned to his mothers house from Paris. During the play we also meet Regina who is the maid of the house along with her father Mr. Engstrand and Pastor Manders who is Mrs. Alving spiritual advisor.

 Mrs. Alving is the owner of the house Regita works in, she feels responsible for her and she mentions how she took her under her wind. Next we follow a conversation by Mrs. Alving and Pastor Manders. At first they discuss the orphanage Mrs. Alving wants to build. Later on they talk about her marriage with Captain Alving and as it turns out they didn't have the perfect marriage everyone thought they had. Mrs. Alving reveals that Captain Alving had affairs with multiple women and one day even had an affair with the former maid of the house. She also pointed out that there were consequences, but it is not revealed yet what Mrs. Alving means. Oswald and Regita in the next room interrupt Mrs. Alving and Pastor Manders conversation. It is then that ghost first come up in the play, Mrs. Alving says that she can hear ghosts but actually we then realize that she is having a déjà vu. Mrs. Alving then has to make the decision of whether to tell Regita and Oswald that they are siblings.  Before Mrs. Alving has time to decide what to do Oswald announces that he wants to marry Regina at which point Mrs. Alving is forced to tell them the truth. Regita is distraught and decides to leave Mrs. Alving house and start a new life. Mrs. Alving and Oswald are left alone in the house, Oswald is suffering from inherited syphilis and reveals to his mother that his condition is only going to get worse. He then suggests that if his illness gets out of hand she should put him down. The play ends with Mrs. Alving having to decide whether or not to euthanize Oswald. We never find out her decision.

            The play had an interesting plot that was confusing at times, especially in the beginning of the play. But by the end of the first part of the play the plot unfolded and it became much clearer. During the conversation between Mrs. Alving and Mastor Manders in the first part of the play it was getting a little tiring because the audience wasn't gaining much from that conversation. Once Mrs. Alving reveals to Pastor Manders that her marriage with Captain Laving wasn't that great and that there were consequences I knew that the play was going to take a whole new direction of what I thought it would be. During the break I was anxious to get back to my seat and find out what Mrs. Alving meant by consequences. The second half of the play was full of surprises. First the orphanage burned down and then Oswald proposed to Regina. But these two things weren't the only surprises; I expected Regina's reaction to be different when she found out that she was a half sister with Oswald. I thought that she would have stayed or maybe even had married Oswald, but instead she left. Previously in the play we find out that Oswald is ill which at the time I didn't think would play a big role in the play but at the end of the play Mrs. Alving is left to decide if she is going to euthanize her son as he has requested.

            Over all the play was excellent. The acting was really good; you could see that they had put a lot of time and effort into this production of the play. At times the movement of the actors in the room wasn't as natural as expected you could tell that they had to think about were to go. Also at times the actors wouldn't be in a good angle so it was hard to see their face so you were also unable to see their expression. This was really important because at times they wouldn't have any lines so in order to get their reaction you would have to see their face.

The setting was simple but suited the atmosphere and the time that the play took place in. The furniture was beautiful and had a goth feel to it. The colors went well with this idea too, they weren't bright happy colors but more sad and settle.

I have to say the play wasn't what I expected it to be. I'm not talking about the quality of the play but the actual story. Soulpepper always has amazing productions and I didn't doubt even for a second that this production would meet standards. The plot however surprised me, I was expecting the play to be about ghosts and possibly see a story of someone who was haunted by one. The actual word ghosts only comes up once during the play when we can hear Oswald and Regina in the kitchen. But the idea of ghosts follows us through out the rest of the play. Instead the play was more about how memories haunt us and how we have to deal with things from the past. How decisions from that past even ones that we didn't make or things that we didn't expect to happen affect our lives today. I also liked the idea of a dilemma in the play. Specifically the first conflict is Mrs. Alving having to decide whether to tell Oswald and Regina that they are siblings and risks loosing one of them or even both of them, or not telling them and risking them getting married and having children. The other dilemma is Mrs. Alving decision of killing her son or having to live with him knowing that he will never be the same boy she knew. The play definitely has a deeper meaning, how decisions affect us and how sometimes we have to make decisions that aren't pleasant. When ever you have to make a decision remember that it might haunt you in the future and think about the other that might have to deal with the consequences of your actions.

Ghosts, written by Henrik Ibsen, is a fantastic, albeit depressing play that challenges the principals of the 19^th century. In the beginning, we are introduced to Regine, who is the maid of the house, and her drunken father Engstrand. Then we meet Pastor Manders and then Ms. Alving, the lady of the house. Ms. Alving is a widow, who, as we learn, is building an orphanage in the name of her dead husband, with the guidance of the pastor. Soon after, Ms. Alving reveals to him that her intention in building the orphanage is to spend all of her husband's money so that Oswald, her son who has just arrived home from Paris, will not get anything from him. As the story goes on, more dirty secrets are brought to light, and each character fights with themself regarding what is really the right thing to do in a society where keeping up appearances is so important.

The first thing in this production that caught my attention, of course, was the set. The interior of the house was so eerie-looking that it could have been the haunted house setting of a horror film. My favourite part was how the wall of windows was intentionally askew, which was a creative and interesting idea that could have come off as quirky if the rest of the scene wasn't set so beautifully spooky. MacDonald's set and Brodie's dark and ominous lighting immediately set the perfect atmosphere for the play.

I personally thought that Nancy Palk, as Ms. Alving, was fantastic to watch. How she managed to express such extreme emotions so clearly without changing her facial expression or the tone of her voice is beyond me. I think it takes a very talented actor to give such an engaging performance without having to be "big" like most other stage actors.

Palk's toned-down performance is balanced very nicely by Gregory Prest, as Oswald Alving. I didn't doubt his performance for a second as Prest manages to transition quite convincingly into a tortured soul. I think he pulled off a difficult character to an impressive degree, especially during his chilling breakdown in the final scene.

Even though the content of Ghosts, which would have been downright offensive when it was written, is slightly less dramatic now, you can still easily find yourself caught up in the drama because of the intense and highly effective acting. This production is a mature, thought-provoking one that I would encourage anyone older than me to make the time to see.

          Ghosts, a story about how ghosts aren't just figments in our imagination, but about how they are wants and desires that us as humans can never get rid of, is a very interesting and intriguing way of showing how intense and suspending a play can be. Written in 1881 Norway, Ghosts was originally Written by Henrik Ibsen and later adapted by Morris Panych.

Ghosts was a story about how the husband of Mrs. Alving had his memories and moments haunt his child, Oswald Alving. Mrs. Alving through out the play never seemed to love her husband, he was labeled as a terrible and possibly abusive husband. She was always afraid to tell anybody about how she never loved her own husband, until she broke and told Pastor Manders. Later on, Oswald Alving eventually told his mother about the troubles that he was recently going through and about how when he visited a doctor that he was told about how he's suffering from the worst possibly disease. Oswald has been dragging around the thoughts and memories of his father, killing him from the inside out. He can't stand the darkness and depression that he's been enduring, and he tells Mrs. Alving about how that has been what's been leading away to come home. During this whole main event is happening, I felt that there were little side plots going on, once again sending the same message. All of these little plots and side-plots seem to all be based on one key theme, family. The relationship between Mrs. Alving and Oswald, the relationship between Oswald and his father, the relationship between Regine Engstrand and Jacob Engstrand, all of these relationships in these families create stories within themselves. However, it's not left at just the families, the relationships shown seem to be dark and depressing relationships. Even though the message was the same throughout the play, it wasn't that predictable. There were a few moments such as the ending, which was a little bit expected, but still a small shock. There weren't many twists but the ones that there were, such as the fire, were big ones.

Acting? I thought the play was actually happening right in front of me. All of the characters, especially Oswald Alving played by Gregory Prest, were all fantastic. When Jacob Engstrand told the news about the fire spreading, the reactions and emotions on people's faces were unbelievably realistic. When Oswald was explaining to his mother about his problem, the emotion put in was so deep and powerful you felt as if he's trying to talk to you. These little moments made the characters have so much depth and naturalness you felt that you were in the room with them. I always felt a little liking and concern for Regine throughout the play. Michelle Monteith played the role in such a way that I seemed to always be afraid that she would end up being the victim of anything that would ever go wrong. What made me really enjoy the play and get very emerged is the fact everybody always knew where to go, there never seem to be a moment that somebody seemed a little confused on where they should go next, they all just flowed like a machine. A great example of this is at the very end of the play, when Oswald was laying on his mothers lap, and how she would get up and hold him as if he is her actual child.

The costumes in the play seemed to perfectly fit the time period the play was aiming for. Nobody stood out and seemed to be out of place, it was all similar styles. As well, the set fit the time period as well. The only real problem I had with the play was dealing with the set. Although it has amazing affects and the lighting and sound assets were amazing, I always felt wanting to see another location, such as the building on fire. I believe something as small as possible such a scene change changing something in the background, such as you seeing an actual burning building rather than just orange lights.. I always wanted to see somewhere else other than just one room since it would have enhanced the story that was being told.

            Overall, I feel like the play was a fantastic success. There were a few faults such as the setting, but these problems were either miniscule or could be easily solved with a simple fix. The plot was fantastic and exhilarating, the acting was top class, and the set although simple kept your attention. I was so entertained by the entire play, the only time I wasn't was during the twenty-minute intermission waiting for the next scene to start.

My Fair Lady is a musical based upon George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion and with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The story concerns Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl who takes speech lessons from professor Henry Higgins, a phonetics professor, in order that she may pass as a proper lady. It's a lighthearted romp, but it's laden with loads of comments about society and class, as well as the nature of love itself.

I was not expecting to like this piece of theatre. I despise musicals, I'm generally a cynical and scientific person, and the concept of true love and romance is almost offensive to me. Even just the name of this play gave me the impression that it really wasn't going to be my cup of tea.  However, I absolutely loved it. The classic musical interpretation of Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion truly entertained me, and I have to say, warmed my heart. One of my major complaints about musicals is that they simply skip from one number to the next, not leaving much room for plot or acting. This play maintained a beautiful balance between the two, and I can say that the music of play really did enhance the story telling. The acting was beautiful, with a superlative performance put on by all on stage, big and small. The star of show really was Deborah Hay, who was able to give the character of Eliza Doolittle an aspect of reality unexpected in an often overblown classic like My Fair Lady. The pacing of the play was simply brilliant. The scene-to-scene transitions were seamless and pieces of drama in themselves. The great acting in between the musical numbers really made the plot addictive, and even during the musical numbers the acting was simply magnificent. Set design, costumes, music, dialogue, it was all there in perfect harmony. I am almost at a loss for words at how much this musical simply just caught me off guard. The director didn't really implement any dramatically new ideas, but this is the 50^th anniversary of Shaw, so faithfulness to choreography and script were simply a testament to the work's ability to transcend its time and reach out to all generations. A well-deserved standing ovation was given, one that was subconsciously agreed upon by the entire audience. If there were any issues, I couldn't sufficiently discern them from the grand culmination at the end of the play. This was not only my first time seeing My Fair Lady, but also my first time at the Shaw festival. It is impossible for me to not to be impressed, I suppose. The only thing I can really compare it to be the plays I've seen a Stratford, but those were plays, and this was most definitely a musical. Maybe it was too grandiose, maybe the chemistry wasn't there or the acting was insufficient, perhaps a few of the characters were off, such as Freddy, who actually did seem to be a pretty suitable suitor. But none of this seemed to matter to me. The themes dealing with the rigid class structure and just the piece itself being about something as interesting as linguistics made it much more pleasurable than any other musical performance I had seen before. So, in my books, it was excellent. But compared to other My Fair Lady productions, I simply can not say. Unfortunately I have not had the privilege to see the musical elsewhere. I suppose the next time I see it will be in the classic film version, starring Audrey Hepburn. But, as all theatre and film fans know, the mediums are startlingly different. I don't suspect that I will be able to make a truly academic review of the production until I see another production. Then I will be given the crucial information about what they did differently. And that, with a classic like My Fair Lady, is really what discerns the quality.

          Last Monday, November 14^th our drama class traveled to the Soulpepper theatre in Toronto to see the production of Ghosts directed by Morris Panych. This play, by playwright Henrik Ibsen, is about a widowed mother, Mrs. Alving, who sends her son away at an early age to protect him from his own father, who has since passed away. She goes on to expose the hidden secrets about her horrendous marriage with Captain Alving to her Reverend. Years later, Oswald Alving, her son, returns home and upon his arrival he meets Regina Engstrand, daughter of Jacob Engstrand, and instantly falls for her. However this is when things start to get confusing - a twist you could say. Mrs. Alving reveals that Regina is actually Oswald's half-sister because of the promiscuity of his now deceased father. This small cast of five: Nancy Palk as Mrs. Alving, Gregory Prest as Oswald Alving, Michelle Monteith as Regina Engstrand, Diego Matamoros as Jacob Engstrand and Joseph Ziegler as Pastor Manders, gave flawless acting performances - some of the best I've ever seen in a live production.

            I have seen a few productions by the Soulpepper Acting Company; therefore I had anticipated the type of show I would see. The production itself was very well executed with creativity and a touch of humor. The set design was a particularly memorable asset to the production, especially the tall windows with the rain effects. The fact that the windows sat transparent while the audience viewed the actors standing in the rain was an exceptionally effective technique, which not only added visual interest, but set the mood of the play. Although there weren't many sound cues used in this production, those that were used were very effective in terms of placement. Whenever the tension escalated or a character realized something crucial there was soft music that played in the background known as underscoring. This music helped the audience note that this realization or moment was very significant. An example of this is when Mrs. Alving told the Reverend the story of her old housemaid and Captain Alving. The music faded in as the Revered began to realize that the housemaid they had now was actually Oswald's half-sister. The music definitely set the tone of the scene to be quite mysterious and somewhat eerie. The only critique of this production would be the lighting. There was an orange light that shone through the window at the time of the fire, however it was turned on about 10 minutes before the actual fire occurred. The audience may have not noticed it at the time, but it was quite evident for someone who had previously read the play and expected the fire scene. In terms of how aspects blended and harmonized within the production, the cast did a commendable job linking their emotion to each scene, especially the final scene.

            It is quite apparent that this production of Ghosts was approached with creativity and dedication, as seen through the effective set and sound design, and well rehearsed and executed by a talented ensemble of actors. The Soulpepper Acting Company has yet to disappoint me with their riveting and believable performances. 

Ghosts is a play by the Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. Our drama class saw it at the Soulpepper Theater. It was an amazing production by the Soulpepper acting company. There were only five actors in total, a small set and a simple plot. Sometimes big things come in small packages. It featured Diego Matamoros, as Jacob Engstrand, Michelle Monteith, as Regina Engstrand, Nancy Palk, as Mrs. Helene Alving, Gregory Prest, as Oswald Alving, and Joseph Ziegler, as Pastor Manders. There were three things that I had comments on, the plot, the sets, and the actors. In my mind these are the three most important things to look for in a play.

The plot, oh the plot! I loved the plot of this story. It was about a widow, Mrs. Alving, who has a son, Oswald. He is a painter, and spends most of his time "In the city". The maid, Regina, has a father, Jacob Enstrand. Jacob the carpenter works in Mrs. Alving's orphanage. The thing is, it seems simple at first, but as the story progresses, we find out about Mrs. Alving's ghosts, and how they haunt her. Ibsen did a great job on writing a small play, with a small cast, and he kept me interested in the subject the whole time. I must admit, it did take them a while to get to the point in some cases. The twists and turns made me see that everyone has their ghosts and you life doesn't jus run in a straight line. Trying to see around the corners is impossible. Mrs. Alving new where her life would turn, but she took the chance anyway, and she discovered many things along the way. The dark gothic feel of the play reflected how Oswald was feeling. At the end when he was able to tell his mother how he felt correlated with the change in mood, and when the sun rose, ending the play.

The set was perfect. There is nothing more that I could say about it. The gothic look gave it a melancholy sense. It was pathetic fallacy, the way the set reflected and mirrored the characters emotions and feelings. One thing that I found about the set was that the pillars didn't really suit the theme. The rest was 1900's furniture, with winged armchairs, and beautiful filigree covers, but I found the Pillars oddly modern. This, however, was not a huge concern of mine; I was too wrapped up in the rest of the play!

Just as Mr. Newman said, Soulpepper rose to the challenge, and the acting was flawless. The actors worked well together, and like a well-oiled machine, nothing was rough or awkward. They could act and preform, and put on a show. No line was muttered, or unclear, and I enjoyed watching them preform. They chose the right actors because they could react to each other so well. When you're acting, reacting is just as important, in my mind.

 It turns out that Ghosts is much more than just a woman's skeletons in the closet. It dealt with relations, mortality and family values. I thought that the play was amazing. It had a great plot that kept you engaged, an excellent set, and actors who knew what they were doing. I would love the opportunity to see another of Soulpepper's plays, because Ghosts was, well you could call it haunting!

Tristan Mills

Mr. Newman

ADA2O

November 1, 2011

Candida

On the trip to the Shaw on October 15^th, I got to see the play Candida at he Royal George Theatre. It was a sweet and funny play with some serious parts. Candida was directed by Tadeusz Bradecki, and designed by William Schmuck.

The plot of this play is about Candida, her husband Morell, and a young poet who has feelings for her named Marchbanks. This love triangle is introduced early on in the play, leaving room for many different interactions between characters to happen later on. Morell is a reverend and is always preaching, even when he is just having a conversation. And when Candida decides that she wants to teach Marchbanks about what true love really is, Morell isn't crazy about the idea and worries that Marchbanks might win her over. But the reason Candida wants to help Marchbanks is because he is young and she worries that he may not become the right kind of man if he does not know what love is. Competition rises between Morell and Marchbanks, and in the end they decide to let Candida choose who she wants to be with. Candida chooses the "weaker man" which actually turns out to be Morell. This plot is presented in a fairly light hearted way with many jokes laden throughout, but at times, such as right at the end, the tone of the play is much more serious. I feel that the changes between these two styles made a clash that brought your attention in at just the right time, and overall worked quite well.

I haven't seen many plays, but in my opinion the acting in Candida was amazing. The characters were so unique in the way they spoke and moved on the stage. One character that I especially liked was Mr. Burgess, played by Norman Browning. Mr. Burgess was Candida's father; he was old and very cynical about a lot of things. He was one of the funniest characters because of his frequent comments into conversations that he was not a part of. Even with the strangeness of his character he still seemed natural, as did all the other characters. Another feature of the characters that I liked was how they interacted. Each character has a very specific personality, and the way they all react to one another on stage is astounding. It takes a lot of skill to bring the characters such a sense of realism when they're all put together. The acting in Candida was my favorite part of the performance because of how well executed it was.

Another aspect of Candida that I found pleasing was the design of the play, though more specifically the set. It looked like a real room in a house, and there were so many details that added to the realism. Even though I haven't seen many plays, that set, I can tell, was a very good one. As well as the set were the costumes which, although they didn't stand out to me, I felt they were also appealing, and fairly realistic. Yet another aspect of the design that I found worked well with the play was the music. This music was played before and after each scene. It was a simple melody that just seemed to flow into the scene as it faded out. Reza Jacobs composed the music used in Candida. The design of the play was very realistic and worked very nicely with the characters in it.

Overall I found Candida to be an amazing play. All of the different aspects worked together to form a very complete work. The play written by Bernard Shaw himself is a lovely play about a love triangle between the title character and "her two boys". The actors chosen to be part of this production made the characters lifelike. And the set of Candida was a great sight when you first walked into the theatre. I enjoyed Candida quite a bit and I believe the play was executed successfully.

Pearl Gidley by Gary Kirkham

The Registry Theatre, 122 Fredrick St Kitchener. Thursday November the 3^rd

Tickets: $5 with EyeGo Card

Overall, I thought that Pearl Gidley was well performed with good sets, actors, and a good story, but that I didn't like it. It's just that I didn't like the story, and there's nothing the actors or production crew could do. I would like to stress that it's not a bad story, in fact it's rather good, and it's just that I personally dislike it, however would still recommend this play.

The main strengths of the play are the actors, who manage to perform the play very well.          It never seeming like the actors are just acting, and the lines evoke the emotions behind them very well. Often their body language showed their emotions rather well, so that they didn't need to say anything at times. Kathleen Sheehy, who plays the titular character, does a good job playing a bitter old woman, and Brad Cook, who plays Charles, the young Vietnam veteran, is rather good, easily portraying a young man recently back from a war, who is staying with strange strangers. Jen Cornish, who plays Pearl's sister Edith, does a rather good job of portraying her character, the yin to Pearl's yang. The sets are well put together, so nothing needs to be said about them really. The story rather good, and the only times I dislike it tend to be more of my personal opinion rather than it truly being bad.

As I said several times before, I do dislike parts of the story, especially near the end, though it is mainly just my opinion. The only part that isn't completely personal opinion that I dislike is how the titular character's secret is handled, since you only find out rather late in the play that there is a secret. If it wasn't for a certain teacher's comments, I would have thought that Pearl was just bitter and untrusting for no other reason than to annoy people around her.

Overall, it was a good play, with the only problem being me. I'd recommend this play to most people who like plays and have seen most of the plays that are running at the same time as it, but they really want to see another play.