The Shape of Things debuted at the Almeida theatre in 2001, starring Paul Rudd, Rachel Weisz, Gretchen Mol and Frederick Weller. It was done in a black box style theatre, with realistic staging. LSU produced The Shape of Things in the fall of 2002 in the Shaver Theater, directed by Barry Kyle.
Questions:
1. What does Evelyn whisper to Adam?
1. What does Evelyn whisper to Adam?
2. Was what Evelyn did to Adam art?
3. Does Adam actually sleep with Jenny?
4. What is Jenny's role in the play as a whole?
1. I think she whispered, I love you. There is no way she could spend that much time with him and have no feelings for her "art." I think she loved him in a very dark and twisty kind of way.
ReplyDelete2. I did not like Evelyn. I think she crossed the line between art and the feelings of others. I'll be honest I have dated someone who changed and molded himself to be the way I wanted him to be. I personally would never call that art. He chose to temporarily change to just be with me, just like Adam only temporarily changed for the sex. I don't think he was set in stone that way, I think he was only putting on a mere facade to get in her pants and along the way fell in love with her. I know Adam chose to change and semi set himself up for it, but he did not deserve the public abuse that she gave him. The part that I think is awful, is that she would have the audacity to announce her rejection to his proposal in public and say that their relationship was all just for "art" and that it was subjective. I can only imagine how Adam really would have felt if this was real. The image of her so called "art" would not be able to feel the pain and rejection that I'm sure Adam was feeling after the truth. He is a human being with feelings. That is not art!
3. Yes, I think Adam loved Jenny all along.
4. She contrasts Evelyn very well. She is not artsy, blunt, or as inhuman as Evelyn. I think she wears her feelings on her sleeves much more so than Evelyn. She is not faking who she is...she's honest.
You know, I've worked with several actresses who've played the part of Evelyn. Aline Stokes is the most recent one I've worked with (and might be my favorite), but I've always been a proponent of her telling Adam that she loved him just the way he was.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about Evelyn that it's easy to get lost in is exactly how "evil" she may be - but just like in professional wrestling, the most compelling villains think they're the good guys. Adding that dimension to Evelyn makes Adam's betrayal of her really resonate, and gets the play out of its black/white, good/evil dichotomous traps.
For the coffee shop scene to work - and I mean really work - Evelyn has to be genuinely aggrieved. I've seen Evelyns play up the hard-core, and while it works, the things that make it work best is when Adam's betrayal genuinely, genuinely hurts her.
I mean, lots of people have been cheated on, you know? I've been cheated on, and it's devastating. But Evelyn's situation is unique in that she took this really sweet guy - a guy who's at best cute and socially awkward - and turns him into the kind of person who would cheat on her and flirt with other women. The big fear that someone who's been cheated on has is "did I cause this/do something wrong?" - and for Evelyn, she knows she caused this.
She used human matter as her material, and sculpted it exclusively through her exercise of willpower. She made Adam into someone who would betray her. And she has to feel that, for me, to make the remainder of the play work. Her exhibition isn't just the culmination of some sinister plan - it's an act of revenge against someone who wronged her, even though she caused him to wrong her.
On a personal note, I really liked the play. The only thing that disappointed me was I saw the twist coming the moment Adam lost weight and cut his hair in like Act 2, but it was still fun to see everything unravel. I really liked Evelyn too, not my type but kind of like me. This may sound strange but I felt like I could relate more to her than I could to Adam. Not that I’m happy about it, but I’ve manipulated a lot of people, most of which were girlfriends and it’s really not that hard. Granite, I never took it to that extent but I know what it’s like to have that “power” over someone, to take advantage of them in a time of need or simply just doing it because you know you can. I’ve never been a loser, not to say Adam was, but I’ve never been…like that (and NO I’m not conceited). I kind of felt bad for him but I mean it happens, the guy was sprung and he just got used, happens to everybody at least once and it sucks. I applaud him for not beating the hell out of her though because that took a lot of restraint. I’m not sure Evelyn would’ve been able to walk away if I was in Adam’s shoes.
ReplyDelete1. What does Evelyn whisper to Adam?
I think that Evelyn told Adam one of two things, either that she loved him or that he was special. Adam obviously meant something to Evelyn because if I remember correctly, she started to say something right after she told him about “the whisper”, but caught herself and instead turned away and left. Whether he was a person or a piece of art (or both), Evelyn was attached to him and I think she knew it, which is why she walked away. I think she told Adam one of those two things because it was a happy, intimate moment in the play. Just about every play has at least one joyful moment in it, but then again, this is Neil LaBute, one of few playwrights who portray the real world on stage…but there’s nothing wrong with being optimistic. I also think that that scene is significant to the entire piece because it can affect how the rest of the play is performed.
2. Was what Evelyn did to Adam art?
I have to say yes, because like so many things in this world, art is subjective. The girl may have been wrong but she accomplished her goal and no matter how mad you are at Evelyn, I think Adam is a better person now. At the moment he’s broken down, but once he’s back together and back on his feet, the man is going to have a lot to “play” with people. I’m not judging him, but according to Jenny, Phil and Evelyn, the guy is handsome now and he’s smart too, all thanks to who? Yeah, she played the hell out of him but she also gave him a lot of confidence and “adventures”. He’s heartbroken now, but in a few weeks, he’ll have someone; personally, I think he goes out with Jenny after all this and they live happily ever after. Anyway, art can be anything and everything, nothing is off limits.
3. Does Adam actually sleep with Jenny?
I’ll keep this short and simple, yeah. Why else would you go into the woods with a girl?lol jk
4. What is Jenny's role in the play as a whole?
I think Jenny’s role is almost as important as Evelyn because they’re so similar and different. Evelyn seems like this nice girl and so does Jenny, but Jenny is kind of portrayed as the worst of the two at the beginning of the play. As time goes on, their roles switch and Jenny is the old girlfriend who made a mistake while Evelyn is the woman who won’t take no for an answer. I think Jenny is important because if she wasn’t in the play, it’d be different. I can’t really explain why or how, but something would be missing.
I think what Evelyn did to Adam was art because she totally made him over. Even though she did it in a messed up kind of way, she molded and shaped him as her human sculpture. She was able to subliminally suggest to him to change his appearance.
ReplyDeleteIn what Act/Scene does Evelyn talk about "last thursday night", addressing her body consciousness and what not???
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by "body consciousness"?
ReplyDelete