Review for English

Matt Sharp

Professor Andy Smith

English 1010-018

November 24, 2009

A Bloody Good Time

The Closing Night of Dracula by Crane Johnson

The Backdoor Playhouse was rather packed for the final night of Dracula, directed by Mark Creter, and after over 10 performances, I have to say that I'm surprised. It was indeed a good play, and it lasted for quite a while so that even slackers and deadbeats like me can find a chance to catch a showing. To retain a large audience even after showing as many times as the play did was truly impressive.

As the lights dimmed and the show began, it slowly started but quickly garnered attention as the play's manic madman, Renfield (played by Evan Montgomery), broke into the scene. For a play based on a horror book, it wasn't really that frightening, save for a few moments, such as the sickeningly good scene of Renfield with Dracula's consorts (played by Sarah Townsend and Shauna Albriton) and the unforgettable fog sequence where the crowd first sees Dracula himself (played by Josh Winscott) sinking his teeth into the helpless Lucy (played by Jordyn Strilecky).

The play was ably carried from beginning to conclusion by each and every player, with only one noticeable but easily concealed slip. It featured fascinating insights into matters of the physical realm as well as the metaphysical. Granted, I couldn't understand most of the insights, but they were there, and they played a great part in deciphering the symbolism of the play itself. The characters more interested in the supernatural, such as Renfield and Van Helsing (played by Simone O'Dell), delved into the meaning of the soul and how such a component of the human presence could be present in the blood that flows through each living human's veins. This doesn't exactly coincide very well with the fantasy situation that is the undead Dracula, but it is an interesting bit to think about even as the play continues.

Overall, the play was remarkable, with a able-bodied cast and chilling light effects. My only want for this play would be that there were a way to manage fake blood onstage. Other than that, the play was enlightening, interesting, and at times spine-tingling. I would definitely recommend this play to any who have not already seen it. Not at the Backdoor Playhouse, however, because that curtain has fallen.

Required Reading for Thursday: Take Two

Well, I read those bits from the Reading Guide, and I just remembered that I was supposed to write a blog about them before tomorrow (i.e. today). So, let's get started, shall we?

Anyway, the first review, the one about the pizzeria, served its purpose in my opinion. It was informative and seemed very unbiased, using good adjectives to describe the finest details of the particular pizza the reviewer bought. This reviewer covered everything, the good and the bad, which is good for the curious consumer.

The second review, regarding Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, was very humorous and, again, seemed to serve its purpose. It outlined the plot without being too revealing and pointed out the pros and cons of said plot in a way that could be easily understood. These elements came together in a very well placed transition, making the quality of the work even better.

A Tale of Two Intake Forms

Ok, so we were given a page with two intake forms on them. One side had the intake form for Helping Hands of Putnam County, and the other had the intake form for some church nearby. I didn't really catch where the church was, but that doesn't really matter to me that much.

What's important is the content. Helping Hands asked very basic questions intended to evaluate whether or not an individual needs help and, if so, how much help they need. The church asks more questions involving one's spirituality/religious affiliation. This makes sense and is not a bad thing, considering the church IS a private institution and has all the right in this country to decide which people they will give money to based on similarity of faith or the opportunity to share faith.

It's also important to have a public resource, however. If donations to the impoverished were all privatized, it would be difficult for each one to be provided for. I appreciate what Helping Hands is doing, and the fact that the church helps some is good, as well.

Required Readings for Thursday

Regarding the Information Report... wow. Just wow. From a personal perspective, this was a terrible event, but from a literary perspective, this was an impressive work. Many details were employed to inform the audience of every aspect of the hijacking. The details conveyed a definite feeling of shock and terror even for the audience members not directly impacted by this event and a sense of empathy for those who were impacted. It was a beautiful work describing a tragic event in our country's history.

I really don't have much that I can say about the Annotated Bibliography. The beginning is creative, and the rest is... a list. The list has some interesting titles in it, but there's not much that I can say about it unless I were to read any of the books described in the bibliography. It's just kind of... there...

The report was entertaining and definitely achieved the purpose of informing on the history of what we know as the blog, that thing I'm using right now to convey a message to an audience. Overall, all of the entries accomplished their purposes, but that's all I can really say about two out of three.

Thursday Night with Samavayah

The first thing I noticed when I walked into the Backdoor Playhouse last Thursday was low lighting and a red backdrop, so things were going well right off the bat. I wandered around for a while since the group was still setting up their props and instruments, and then I sat down in front and listened to one of the singers sing the opening prayer.

At first, it seemed strange. I was given a page that had unusual words on it, and later I found out that we, the audience, would be singing along. I'd never been to such a concert, but it seemed like it'd be fun. Later, the troupe informed us that we would be allowed to join them onstage and encouraged dancing and other actions during each verse.

It was definitely different, but that didn't take away from how enjoyable it was. It was very interactive and was... a liberating experience, at least while singing along. The back store that had Hindu-based materials was entertaining to browse through, as well. The night finished well, and the troupe regrouped at the Thai restaurant across the street.

The Culture Crawl

I'm gonna try to make this quick since I'm a few nods away from comatose (in case it doesn't say, I'm writing this near midnight). Anyway, on with my review of the Culture Crawl.

Personally, I was okay with the first part, but when it got down to the walking and talking outside, I started nodding off. Honestly, I was still intent on being asleep for another few hours, but I made the most of it. I sat and listened with half honest interest in what everyone was saying and ate Indian food later.

The music was my favorite part. I liked the pieces played at the very beginning of this event, and that was the only part that I really could/would pay serious attention to. The music was amazing (if any players who were there are reading this, you guys were awesome! :D). The very last song was difficult for me to wrap my mind around, but overall, the pieces played were just spectacular. Great job to everyone, really.

In addition to the music, the food was good as well. Usually when I can't pronounce what something is, that means I'm not going to eat it, but most of the food I ate at Indian Palace was pretty good, especially the breaded...thing...whose name I cannot remember. The food and music are the only things that I can really remember in detail, so this is where my review stops. Was the event good? Yes. Would I wake up another Saturday morning to do it again? You would have to drag me out of bed with rope, tranquilizers, and another good breakfast.

Sketch 3

I can't even remember the age anymore, but it was definitely before I was nine years old. My mom was invited to a company dinner hosted by Jay, the boss of a business called Graphic Dimensions, and his wife at their home in Douglasville, GA. I wormed my way through a sea of formal wear and classy dresses as though I were actually a worm in a thick, crowded apple. My mom could probably tell that I was bored out of my mind, and it may have been her who guided me downstairs to where a group of girls were playing with a few things: dolls, toys, and a video game system.

Now, at this point, video games were a completely different world to me. To me, it was just a box that seemed to serve some purpose, so in my natural curiosity, I poked it and prodded it until it turned on (one of the girls there might have had something to do with that). The screen illuminated with color, and I saw a little man made of blocks named Mario scurry across the screen for the first time in my life.

I started the game, and I felt the entire world around me fade away. It was only me, controlling this little man walking around an entire world made of blocks. I leaped across giant chasms and smashed the brains of little living mushrooms, all the while picking up weird stuff like flowers and stars. All of a sudden, one of the little mushroom bastards bit me! This entire world stopped, and I felt the real world creeping up to me again, slowly...slowly...

I could never have understood it then, but that moment changed my life forever. Playing that game led me to a world far more interesting than reality, regardless of its graphic inferiority. As a natural escapist, this world suited me far better at the time than a world filled with people I may or may not get along with.

It was at that moment that I became...a video game addict.