Overtones #1

Overtones

What if how you felt on the inside could manifest itself into a real person?  Would these manifestations of inner emotions be the same as your outward appearance? In Alice Gerstenberg’s Overtones  the emotions and inner thoughts of Harriet and Margaret come to life on stage in a comedic and brutally honest fashion. Upon reading this script I found myself being utterly humored and entertained, by the concept of the character’s thoughts fighting its way into the conversation. There are so many instances in our lives where we wish we could just blurt out everything that we truly felt on the inside, but don’t in fear that it might strike a chord with somebody’s emotions. When taking a step back and looking at the big picture of what’s really happening I found myself being humored at the idea that this is what it’s like whenever two women sit down and talk to each other. As mentioned in class this was exactly like watching an episode of Real Housewives of really rich and fancy area where you’re too poor to live. Aside from all of this, Gerstenberg’s play offers a lot of room for creativity in depicting and/or portraying the manifestation of a character’s inner most thoughts.  For example it is mentioned in the director’s notes that both of the primitive women on stage are wearing a slightly different color than their respective character as a way to represent what that character is about. Whenever I read a play I usually find myself taking a production standpoint as a way to visualize exactly what I am reading. With this little excerpt alone there are so many different things that can be done whether it’s casting decisions, lighting, costumes the use of a manifestation has a lot to offer. Overtones is definitely a wonderfully creative and well thought out play.