Last week, I wrote about the Gustavus Theater and Dance Department’s theatrical presentation, The Other Shore. After attending the performance this past Friday, I wanted to share my thoughts concerning the show.
To begin, the actors and actresses were wonderful. From the opening sequence unitl the show concluded, the Gusties involved in the play gave animated and interesting performances. The beginning scene involved the actors tugging on elaborate ropes and talking about the relationship that is formed between the two people holding the rope. Because Anderson Theater (where The Other Shore was performed) is a thrust stage, some audience members were involved with the rope sequence.
The content of The Other Shore is a commentary about communist China. The play was written in 1986 by Gao Xingjian, and was actually banned from China for a time due to its political content. I didn’t pick up on some of the references to communist China, but the play was still quite enjoyable.
I especially enjoyed the costumes that the play involved. They were not too fancy, yet a characters disposition was revealed by only slight costume variations, which I thought was neat.
The Other Shore was an excellent production, and a reminder of the wealth of talent in the Theater and Dance department.