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The Robbers - A confusing play with serious potential
February 7th, 2008 by Lynette
The Robbers, now showing at the UCDP Helen Gardiner Phelan Playhouse, is the story of two feuding brothers in Germany, competing for the love of their peers, their father, and a girl. The younger brother concocts a scheme to steal the birthright from the elder, and the elder, cut off from his father, joins a gang of murderous robbers.
At least this is what I gathered after piecing together my vague ideas of what was going on for most of the play!
Okay, perhaps I am being a little harsh, because the play really did have its high points. There was good acting, good use of props, and some really good one-liners. There were very cute touches, such as the mismatched socks of Allison Haines and Caitlin McCarthy, who play best friends in the drama. Another element I loved right away was the program – at first I thought it was actually a cut-up school note book! I quickly realized it was meant to be that way, due to the classroom setting of the play.
Besides this, I warn you not to expect anything spectacular of the set or costume design. All the characters wear uniform costumes, and the scenery never changes. The actors move the props around on stage quite a bit, but the classroom furniture stays present throughout. I’m still not sure at which point the characters move from the classroom setting into the many other settings I presume the audience was meant to interpret. At one point, the actors do use various techniques to create the sounds of a forest, and not only are the sound effects done exceedingly well, but I appreciated knowing where the scene was taking place for a change.
Along with the furniture, all the characters remain onstage as well. So when one of the feuding brothers gives an impassioned speech on his schemes against the other, I was never quite sure if the other brother could hear him or if he was meant to be oblivious. I have never seen the play performed in its original setting, so I cannot say whether my confusion was generated by the direction or the writing, but I can tell you that something, somewhere, went awry.
There were many other things that I found thoroughly confounding. The opening scene where each of the actors has a chance to exhibit their talents is completely nonsensical, and I had no idea what was happening until quite a few minutes into the play. And as bad as it was that all the characters remained on stage the whole time, what is even worse is that some actors have multiple characters – and there are no costume changes. There were comedic attempts frequently made that seemed completely out of place in the drama, and I won’t even begin to discuss why so many characters die after blood starts spewing out of their mouths for no apparent reason – I can’t elaborate because I still don’t understand it.
As far as acting goes, Spiegelberg is arguably the most passionate character in the play, and I admire Jennifer Dowding’s zeal for this role. I actually find her the best actor in The Robbers, and not only because I find her character the most intriguing. I can also understand why Hilary Connell was cast as Amalia (the beauty the brothers fight over) for her fine facial features, high cheekbones, and blonde hair make her classically beautiful. I personally thought that Briana Templeton, who plays the smaller role of Razmann, was absolutely stunning and I would have loved to see her in the role of Amalia. She acts well and caught my attention even in her smaller role; I can only imagine how she would have captivated me in the role of Amalia.
Okay, so I know that I’ve said a lot of bad stuff about The Robbers in this review, but I was mostly just confused. I’m truly sorry that I haven’t commented more on the philosophical meaning and potential personal applications of the play, of which I’m sure there are many. I can see that this play has a deeper meaning than I have even hinted at here, and I think that, shown to its full potential, it may really have opened my eyes to some verities of the world. However, I honestly feel like I did not understand enough of the play to take in these hidden meanings, nevermind share them with you – my brain was working overtime just trying to follow along! I have now forewarned you, however, and I think that if you heed my criticisms and follow my advice (I am telling you now, read the description of the play found on the second page of the program beforehand.), that you can enjoy The Robbers much more than I did, and also derive much more meaning from it. I wish I had a review like this to help me out before I went!
Another warning, before I go, is that there is no intermission in this two hour play, so be prepared!
Helen Gardiner Phelen Plyahouse
79a St. George St.
Jan 29 -Feb 9 2008 (Tues - Sat) 8pm
$12 Adults . $8 Students/Seniors
Box Office: 416-978-1505
