Night of the Iguana

review by Denby Fortune

March 10, 2017

            The Night of the Iguana by Tennessee Williams performed in Harvard Square, contained many features that continued to intrigue the audience throughout the show. Not only were the actors incredible and created amazing characters, but the set and lighting throughout the show was extremely mesmerizing. The actors showed so many emotions through the show and it was fascinating to watch how the actors continued to make sure they put all their emotions into their acting. The setting and the lights created a very relaxing and calming mood which added to the tone of the story.

            Throughout the show the scene never changed even though the story was throughout a little more than a day. The set for this show was very simple, and never changed. At first, the idea of never changing the set throughout the show seemed as though it would make the show less interesting to watch, but that was not the case. Since there was only one area that had to be built for this show, it was evident that a lot of detail and effort was put into this set. Another reason why only having this one set added to the show was it was very realistic because of how detailed it was. Due to the set feeling very realistic, it became easier for the audience to believe what the characters say and the story.  Another factor of the stage that created a relaxed feeling was the lighting. There was a hammock to the left of the stage and behind that you could see the sky, which surprisingly looked realistic. The lighting was a light yellow look which helped with the relaxed feeling and also helped the setting feel more realistic, and feel somewhat as if the audience and cast members were actually in a warm tropical place. The last aspect of this set that was extremely intriguing and surprising was how they created the beginning of the storm effect. During the show, a storm harsh comes through the tow where the characters are, and they are forced to pack everything up outside and hide it. During this scene not only are the actors frantically running around putting things away, but there are also sounds effects of a thunderstorm, along with flashing lights creating a lighting effect, and lastly water was dropped from the ceiling to create the illusion that it was raining. It was impressive how focused the actors were during this scene when they had to put all the chairs and tables away. Although the scene was very chaotic, the actors knew what they were doing which caused the scene to be organized.

            Overall, this show was extremely captivating and had the audience on the edge of their seats the whole night. Not only was the plot of the show very compelling due to the actor’s commitment to what they were doing, but the set and lights were a huge reason why this show was so captivating. From the lighting on the set generating a relaxed feeling, to the detailed and never-changing set which made the show welcoming and inviting, the actors never lost the audiences’ attention. This show contained many details and it was evident that a lot of effort was put into the production of this show.