People often wish their sibling relationships had been more harmonious while growing up, even if it was just for their parents' sake.
Giovanni and Annabella's parents, however, most likely busied themselves with keeping their incestuous youngsters in different bedrooms. As its title implies, this week's student-run play " 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" is not a run-of-the-mill tragedy.
Modern in its applications yet very Spartan in its design, this tragedy by John Ford mixes morsels of love, revenge and religion in the plot.
Juicy helpings of love and lust are thrown in the blend for seasoning. When served up to a hungry audience, David Harbour '97, the play's director, said he hopes to feed his audience "a story that applies to today's society -- today's world of the 90s."
Harbour said the story is about a brother and sister -- Giovanni and Annabella -- who fall in love and the tragedy of what happens to them when the world discovers their passions.
"There are many subplots ... dealing with this Jacobean world concerning Annabella's suitors." Harbour said. "The play climaxes in a horrific banquet of revenge."
It's enough to make one's mouth water.
" 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" has no real lead roles. Rather, the story hinges on the subplots involving about a dozen characters and the way in which these mini-dramas all intertwine.
Yet, all of these subplots all come to fruition in the end.
One unique aspect of the production is that it is produced "in full round" in the Bentley Theater, which allows the audience to encircle the performers on all sides. Giovanni and Annabella will literally take center stage.
Jeffrey Wadlow '98, who plays the character Soranzo, said he feels that the play's environment "really enhances the violence of the scenes. It makes them seem particularly intimate and much more effective overall."
Harbour said he agreed and said, "in the Bentley Theater, more emphasis is placed on the acting and the story than in Moore Theater, which emphasizes aspects of space."
Harbour, who co-directed Shakespeare's "Macbeth" last Spring term, said he has wanted to direct " 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" ever since he performed a scene from the play in high school.
"This play really speaks to us now more than it did 10 or 20 years ago," he said. "In today's society we confuse words like 'justice' and 'liberty' so that we don't know what they mean anymore."
Stories of crime, passion, and revenge reign over modern 1990s culture. Harbour's production endeavors to build upon these aspects of modern culture, molding them into modern definitions of justice and liberty for the audience to ponder.
Production of the play has rolled along fairly smoothly, as the confident cast has equaled the challenge the script has presented. The cast and crew even put on a preview Monday.
Harbour said, "There are always problems that need to be worked out, but I think the play is coming along pretty well. We're all peers and friends, and the problems we encounter urge us on to new and creative ideas."
" 'Tis Pity She's a Whore" will show in the Bentley Theater on tonight, Friday and Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m.
