'fool for Love' Performance Response

The stage performance of 'Fool for love' portrays two main themes: co-dependence, and love as a strong force of repulsion and desire. Co-dependence theme is evidenced where May and Eddie cannot afford to live without or with each other. The pair feels destined as a couple for their common past, as well as their mutual love, but their shaky past averts them from having some healthy relationships. The pair's incestuous relationship as well as the unending cycle of hate and love, abandonment and reunions makes the pair miserable when either apart or together. Repulsion and desire theme is portrayed by the way Eddie repeats his father's sins in juggling relations with Countess and May; same way the Old Man abandoned both May's and Eddie mother by leaving them tortured and distraught by their obsessive love for him. May has feelings that same pain and anguish may rule her entire life because she is unable to totally live without Eddie, and this saddens the pair, leaving them to face their doubtful future being apart. As the play indicates however, the incest pair's future promises additional emotional reunions as well as necessary, but painful moments of abandonment as evidenced where May hate Eddie after leaving her and equally loves him back after returning.

In stage performance, lighting and sound are employed to convey distraught feelings, and violent emotions experienced by May and Eddie. As the play commences lights fade to shades of darkness, and the 'Wake Up' song by Merle Haggard is heard with its sound increasing gradually as lights rises; to convey the growing range between Eddie and May. The gradually increasing sounds effect appears as a motif requiring May to wake up and see the reality of Eddie's infidelity. The designers and producers chose fading lights to portray the extent to which the pair's argument would grow into violent outburst, and truly as the argument continues; May becomes uncontrollable, threatening Eddie and her lover with death by two sharp knives; one for Eddie and the other for his lover. As the play culminates, the headlights from the windows, and the glowing fire seen by Martin emphasizes the reality of love and hatred in equal measure, this is because the designer uses blaze of fire to impact emotions of passion and range which characterized Eddie and May's love relationship. As I watched the scenes, the sound effects and lights moved my emotions to feelings of betrayal on May by Eddie, and devastating effects of self-destructing love.

The use of costumes in the play performance covers elements such as dressings, hotel room decorations, and the Old Man's ghostly figure. Initially, May is dressed in scarlet, dowdy clothes, and some old-school shoes, while Eddie had attire similar to a Marlboro man, the 1980s denim attire; conveying the message of a love couple. The designer's choice of color, texture, line, and silhouette, conveys the socioeconomic aspects of the couple and fading love affair. In the hotel setting where the room is painted with green plaster walls, some dark-brown linoleum carpeting or flooring, and some faded-blue chenille bedspread; some place where well-paid individuals would avoid. Silhouette is portrayed by the use of dull as well as gloomy face by fading color-effects, which textures sends the perception that the couple had inner feelings of anger, betrayal, and regrets. Further, when going for a date with Martin May transforms from her usual

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