I was excited to see the first play of the semester coming from Cal State Bakersfield’s Theatre Department, but after leaving this one-act play, I was left confused by the plot. The Danube has a sense of ambiguity throughout, and was executed in a way that did not make much sense.
If you are expecting a straightforward play with simple themes, you will most likely have a hard time interpreting this play as there is much to observe and understand within a short time frame. The description that was given within the pamphlet shines a light on the main idea, “to learn to listen differently.” This aspect of the play gets way too ambiguous at some points and is mostly missed by the audience because we are unaware of what this statement means, and the show did not address this point fully since it is left up to interpretation.
The play surrounds the main characters Paul Green (American businessman), Mr. Sandor (Hungarian businessman), Eve Sandor (student, daughter of Mr. Sandor), and Mr. Kovac (friend of Mr. Sandor, another businessman), and takes place in Budapest, Hungary.
Language barrier is a prominent aspect throughout the play, with a tape that translated English to Hungarian playing first and the actors repeating these lines right after in English. Paul was put into situations where he did not know how to respond because the person he was talking to did not know the proper words to say in English when they needed help. Eve spoke English far more proficiently than the rest of the characters, and Paul became infatuated with her the moment he saw her.
Romance was another big part of this play, with Paul and Eve’s love trying to survive through the deterioration of the world through World War II and a mysterious illness that they contract. Paul develops his relationship with Eve from being sweet and sentimental to being challenged. Their love story highlights the ups and downs of a relationship tested by war times and illness.
As an audience member, you will be entertained by the looks and execution of the acting and set design. The rotating stage was a stand out choice for switching out sets, and the backdrop was a great inclusion to enhance the colors of the lighting to change the mood of certain scenes.
My main observation of this play is that the messages are rooted throughout the experience. As far as these roots growing into fruit that the audience can lay hands on is left to the audience to decide. Right after the lights rose and the applause began, a few people behind me remarked how confused they were.
The acting from Yelitza Amador Orozco (Paul Green), Stephanie Toro (Mr. Sandor), Jocelyn Torres (Eve Sandor) and Jonathan Torres (Mr. Kovac) was captivating. All their characters came across as genuine, especially during the emotional scenes between Eve and Paul. The chemistry between the actors was evident, which was a great thing to experience as an audience member.
In the end, I was very entertained by the show while also having ideas to chew on to discuss with my party on the way home. The theatre department executed this play in an entertaining way that the audience enjoyed throughout the hour.
I was excited to see the first play of the semester coming from Cal State Bakersfield’s Theatre Department, but after leaving this one-act play, I was left confused by the plot. The Danube has a sense of ambiguity throughout, and was executed in a way that did not make much sense.
If you are expecting a straightforward play with simple themes, you will most likely have a hard time interpreting this play as there is much to observe and understand within a short time frame. The description that was given within the pamphlet shines a light on the main idea, “to learn to listen differently.” This aspect of the play gets way too ambiguous at some points and is mostly missed by the audience because we are unaware of what this statement means, and the show did not address this point fully since it is left up to interpretation.
The play surrounds the main characters Paul Green (American businessman), Mr. Sandor (Hungarian businessman), Eve Sandor (student, daughter of Mr. Sandor), and Mr. Kovac (friend of Mr. Sandor, another businessman), and takes place in Budapest, Hungary.
Language barrier is a prominent aspect throughout the play, with a tape that translated English to Hungarian playing first and the actors repeating these lines right after in English. Paul was put into situations where he did not know how to respond because the person he was talking to did not know the proper words to say in English when they needed help. Eve spoke English far more proficiently than the rest of the characters, and Paul became infatuated with her the moment he saw her.
Romance was another big part of this play, with Paul and Eve’s love trying to survive through the deterioration of the world through World War II and a mysterious illness that they contract. Paul develops his relationship with Eve from being sweet and sentimental to being challenged. Their love story highlights the ups and downs of a relationship tested by war times and illness.
As an audience member, you will be entertained by the looks and execution of the acting and set design. The rotating stage was a stand out choice for switching out sets, and the backdrop was a great inclusion to enhance the colors of the lighting to change the mood of certain scenes.
My main observation of this play is that the messages are rooted throughout the experience. As far as these roots growing into fruit that the audience can lay hands on is left to the audience to decide. Right after the lights rose and the applause began, a few people behind me remarked how confused they were.
The acting from Yelitza Amador Orozco (Paul Green), Stephanie Toro (Mr. Sandor), Jocelyn Torres (Eve Sandor) and Jonathan Torres (Mr. Kovac) was captivating. All their characters came across as genuine, especially during the emotional scenes between Eve and Paul. The chemistry between the actors was evident, which was a great thing to experience as an audience member.
In the end, I was very entertained by the show while also having ideas to chew on to discuss with my party on the way home. The theatre department executed this play in an entertaining way that the audience enjoyed throughout the hour.
