2008 Woodie Awards
Gammer Gurton's Needle
Children's show opens in Black Box
by Tim Suda
Issue date: 3/17/08 Section: A&E
The most recent Black Box Theatre show, Gammer Gurton's Needle, was a success. Dr. Sandra Dickson did a great job directing. While the acting was amazing, it did seem like a few of the actors were a little over-rehearsed. However, most of the actors became the characters that they were portraying. They made the audience feel that they were watching an actual conflict over a lost needle. The few performers who were over-rehearsed seemed like they were reading lines from memory. There was no flavor; nothing to make those characters unique.
One of the best performers in the show was Liat Faver, who played the lead role of Gammer Gurton. Faver played the role of the old woman well, from the way that she walked and carried herself to the noises that she made while being attacked by Dame Chat. Katie Sawhill, who played Dame Chat, did a great job as well, especially during the fight scenes when the two women attacked each other with brooms, spoons and their bare hands. The rest of the actors did a great job, as well. However, Sawhill and Faver made the performance amazing.
As a children's play, the subject matter is easy to connect with. Everyone has lost something that they hold dear, or that's important to them. The story may be simple, but it's a great illustration of life. The actors did a great job of getting the emotion across.
There was a little bit of humor that may not have been appreciated by younger generations. When the show travels, the actors may not get the same audience response as they would from older audience members. I only hope that this lack of response doesn't have a bad effect on the actors.
One problem I noticed was with the Cockney accents. It took me the better part of the first half of the show to completely understand what the actors were saying. This is no fault of the actors; their accents were good. Cockney accents are just a little too extreme to understand easily. I think these accents took away from the play, mainly because many audience members may not understand exactly what is being said. This is true for the younger generation, as well.
The set was simple, yet perfect for the show. As a traveling show, Gammer Gurton's Needle needed a light and portable set. What Henry Johnson did with those limitations was amazing. The two houses looked realistic, and surprisingly, didn't fall down when the doors slammed. The rest of the set was constructed skillfully. I especially liked the bench that Hodge, played by Patrick Hawkins, collapsed off of perfectly in a bout of humor.
The play was a success, so I would like to leave some parting words. To the Piedmont College theatre department: another job well done. To Dr. Dickson: excellent directing. And to the actors: great job, and good luck touring.
One of the best performers in the show was Liat Faver, who played the lead role of Gammer Gurton. Faver played the role of the old woman well, from the way that she walked and carried herself to the noises that she made while being attacked by Dame Chat. Katie Sawhill, who played Dame Chat, did a great job as well, especially during the fight scenes when the two women attacked each other with brooms, spoons and their bare hands. The rest of the actors did a great job, as well. However, Sawhill and Faver made the performance amazing.
As a children's play, the subject matter is easy to connect with. Everyone has lost something that they hold dear, or that's important to them. The story may be simple, but it's a great illustration of life. The actors did a great job of getting the emotion across.
There was a little bit of humor that may not have been appreciated by younger generations. When the show travels, the actors may not get the same audience response as they would from older audience members. I only hope that this lack of response doesn't have a bad effect on the actors.
One problem I noticed was with the Cockney accents. It took me the better part of the first half of the show to completely understand what the actors were saying. This is no fault of the actors; their accents were good. Cockney accents are just a little too extreme to understand easily. I think these accents took away from the play, mainly because many audience members may not understand exactly what is being said. This is true for the younger generation, as well.
The set was simple, yet perfect for the show. As a traveling show, Gammer Gurton's Needle needed a light and portable set. What Henry Johnson did with those limitations was amazing. The two houses looked realistic, and surprisingly, didn't fall down when the doors slammed. The rest of the set was constructed skillfully. I especially liked the bench that Hodge, played by Patrick Hawkins, collapsed off of perfectly in a bout of humor.
The play was a success, so I would like to leave some parting words. To the Piedmont College theatre department: another job well done. To Dr. Dickson: excellent directing. And to the actors: great job, and good luck touring.
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