Theatrical Devices at Work in Norris’ Latest Creation: The Unmentionables

I. Thesis Statement

The Unmentionables was set in an intimate theatre setting that highlighted the best of small repertoire theatre. The drama from the script was highlighted by the many theatrical elements the director incorporated into the play such as lighting, costume, representational acting and minimalistic realistic scenery. The bourgeois hypocrisy of the American missionaries and businessmen were well displayed against the foils of their African counterparts. 

II. Overview

1. The Unmentionables.

2. Bruce Norris

3. San Francisco State

4. Little Theater

5. October 20, 2013. 2:00 p.m.

6. $8.00 I purchased the ticket at the ticket window with student discount.

7. Row: L, Seat: 101

III. Plot

The Unmentionables is a complex drama involving a plot filled with conflict and the theatrical device of confinement. The inciting incident, the dramatic conflict that changes the lives of the mixed group, is the missing high-minded missionary Dave, who stomps out of the Villa into the night and promptly disappears. The major conflicts of the play are the value differences between the missionary couple, the rich American businessman and his wife, marital strife, government corruption, poverty, high ideals, and dirty reality. The Americans must decide to turn a blind eye to torturing a suspect and finding David, or maintaining their ideals with his possible death the outcome. Norris focuses on the conflict between maintaining ideals when the outcome is intensely personal.

The Unmentionables contains the element of excellent opposing characters. Aunty Mimi is a commanding performance; she’s smarter and stronger than the American characters that constantly underestimate her. Jane and David are more than the stereotypical bleeding hearts as their resolve is tested to the breaking point. The play draws the characters out – we feel the tragedy of suffering as each character struggles and is counter-balanced against their opposite character in the deliberately devised close confines of Don and Nancy’s Villa.

IV. Theme

The moral of The Unmentionables is to bring to light the “unmentionable”, the uncomfortable question about American’s arms length tolerance for brutality, and what it means when an ethical issue becomes uncomfortably personal and must be confronted directly.

V. Characters

Idealistic American missionary Dave is a central protagonist in the play. He drives the action by reluctantly agreeing to move in with American businessman and antagonist Don and his self-absorbed wife Nancy. Dave’s fiancée Nancy is the source of the move. Their missionary school has mysteriously burned down, and she needs medical attention due to her Fibromyalgia flaring up. Don has a good relationship with Aunty Mimi, the contemptuous head of the local government. Mimi’s fawns over Jane, and makes promises to build a road to the school after she finds out Jane was a former T.V. star. This drives Dave into a disgusted lather and propels him out of the Villa where he disappears suspiciously, causing everyone to be alarmed. Aunty Mimi and the Don’s Doctor act as foils to the four American characters, they appear smarter and undervalued by the self-absorbed Americans. 

VI. Literary Quality or Diction

A clear device used in the script was Etienne, an African teenager, scolding the audience for attending this play rather than spending their time doing something he considers more fun, like watching T.V. at home. He could be any kid from any large American city, except for his diction: he has an African accent. This device serves to exaggerate the separateness of the “bourgeoisie” audience – and the four Americans in the play, from the locals, who watch T.V. instead of attending plays. It also serves to correlate this African boy with mainstream America. Etienne could be from any country; he’s just a teenager.

VII. Music and Musicality

The African accents in The Unmentionables have a lyric musical quality. Aunty Mimi is regal in her musical African tone. 

VIII. Spectacle

The Little Theatre was a fantastic venue to house this play. For the theater production, the raised platform stage and small setting of the theatre made the experience intimate, the performers felt close, and the acoustics are spot on. The stage was a raised platform proscenium type stage, with the audience directly facing the platform. The scenery was minimalist realistic and simple, which fit the small theatre setting, and provided good backing for the actors. The theatre was beautifully lit. Lighting was stunning, backlighting was used at times to illuminate performers from behind, and blackout was used to suddenly remove all light from the stage. Lighting was appropriate and added to the mood of the play. 

The Unmentionables is placed in West Africa, which gave the costume designer a wonderful springboard to showcase the four functions of costume design. Aunty Mimi was clothed in African robes that elevated her status and suggested an element of ceremonial magic.  The variety of costumes, from Etienne’s hip-hop teenaged street clothes, showing his individuality of character, to Aunty Mimi’s robes showed the divergent cultures centered in the Villa where most of the scenes took place. The American businessman is in tropical suit, and his fussy wife in her ditzy dress. We have American missionaries dressed in conservative low-key prep, to represent their social and cultural values, West Africans wearing regional garb, Aunt Mimi’s being the most elevated example. And of course all of the characters clothing represents wearable clothing for each actor that is practical for the performers. 

IX. Convention

The Unmentionables theatre conventions were consistent throughout the play. The play was not overly theatrical; it was more representational with realistic costumes and settings, a logical sequence of time and actors playing one part. 

X. Acting and Directing

Dave’s character was an example of representational acting, as he wants the audience to believe he is the character, the American missionary hell bent on maintaining his ideals and frustrated with everyone around him. Method acting, from the Stanislavsky school gives the actor the task of creating the inner life of the character for the audience to see. 

Much of Etienne’s movements in the beginning of the play utilized body language, delsarte (Introduction to Theatre) method of movement and gestures to convey his character. He chastises the audience and asks why they are at a play instead of home watching their T.V. sets. We sense who he is by his exaggerated movements. 

This sharp comedy by Bruce Norris is set in contemporary West Africa and follows four Americans as they encounter the problems of trying to do the right thing in the world, and the problems of fitting into a different culture. 

XI. Outstanding Moment

When the Doctor dismisses Jane’s Fibromyalgia as the imagination of an overindulged Western culture, while her hostess bumbles around looking for the Tylenol, I felt a mixture of discomfort (I know people with Fibromyalgia) and pleasure, as I tend to view Americans as being more prone to hypochondria than in cultures less fortunate with their ability to access medical attention. 

XII. The Event as Theater

Theatre is all the elements that combine to bring a play to life. Drama is the script itself. This bit of art I viewed was theatre, combining stage, performers, costume, props, scenery, lighting, and dialogue into a wonderful performance of drama.

XIII. Summary

The Little Theatre was a perfect backdrop for The Unmentionables. The setting was intimate for a play that did not have an enormous cast. The realistic setting, costume design and lighting all lent a perfect example to internalize many of the concepts we’ve been studying in our class.