chrishuyen said: "I think it's important to note that horror doesn't necessarily equal scary, like Beetlejuice and Little Shop of Horrors are in the horror genre but they're not really scary at all. Though I do get that it felt like there was a bit of false advertising going on since the Chicago reviews described it as terrifying and much scarier than it is on Broadway. fwiw though, I'd say this play is definitely still horror, though Joe Mantello calls it a psychological thriller instead.
Everyone in my group really enjoyed this, as the acting in particular is a treat to watch, and it does a good job of keeping you engaged and wanting to see what happens next. I agree with the other posters about how this is one of those "you definitely won't understand anything and that's okay" kind of plays, and it's been interesting reading everyone's interpretations (reminds me of the You Will Get Sick thread). Parts of the show went by fast for me so I'd love to sit down with a script and really parse through the different scenes and characters.
For the title, another thing I noticed was that the story Raleigh reads is entitled Grey Mouse, which you know, sounds pretty similar. Though I think I had a little bit of trouble deciphering the significance of that story, so I'm wondering if people had thoughts on that, more in the spoiler tag:
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler ContentThe four baby mice left seem like they would be the four girls in the house, and I guess Marlow would be the one that survives since it seems like she's the one that has decided to make a permanent home there, but I feel like there has to be more to it than that. Are the first two baby mice that die the Ancient and the Boy maybe? My friend mentioned remembering that the story ended with the sun cracking like a yolk across the sky or something, and the last thing Max does at the end of the show is crack an egg.
Some more thoughts on Marlow and the Ancient/the Boy:
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler ContentSo Marlow is the one who walked into the sea with her mother, except I'm wondering if maybe she somehow "traded places" (or bodies) with the Ancient, which somehow let the Ancient take on the personas of the younger girls, because she's technically supposed to be the young girl, or the ghost of their future selves. Marlow definitely acts like the leader of the bunch, and in her scene with Raleigh she mentions the "love you as much as the sea" line, and she mentions she's never going to be leaving. I'm not sure what motivation they'd have to trade places or anything so this theory is definitely a work in progress, but there's just something niggling me about it. Maybe it has something to do with the mouse story and the last mouse eating the mother?
For the Boy, the theory that he's just the younger version of whatever man is in the house feels a little too unsatisfying to me. I was kicking around the idea with some friends that if this is indeed purgatory, where people can only move on after being purged of their sins, then perhaps the "moonshine" is draining the actual sins out of the men while the good/innocent parts go into the Boy. He's always a little bit clingy with whoever the mother figure is at the time, maybe looking for guidance, and during the dinner table scene, Raleigh ties a blindfold around him so he won't see, maybe to protect that innocence?
Also for the ending and the issue that Jordan mentioned:
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler ContentOne of the things Max was forced to admit in the Show and Hell sequence is that she feels unbearably lonely, to the point where she thinks about killing herself sometimes. And now that her husband's gone, I can understand why she wouldn't have anything to return to (seeing as her father and sister are gone too, and I can't remember if she ever mentioned a mother). And I thought Tatiana Maslany did a great job showing Max building rapport with the girls and being able to take care of them, so I was never surprised that she stayed.
Question about the set (probably not a real spoiler but I'll put it behind a spoiler tag anyway):
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler ContentI've been trying to figure out what the roof of the house was supposed to signify. They definitely light it up near the end (I think during the dinner table scene?) and I wasn't sure if that was supposed to be reminiscent of birds or bats or something else hanging down...or is it just a general creepy aesthetic? Also the circular hole in the ceiling, what was that all about?
Our seats were row C orchestra on the left side. In the aisle seat, I could just barely see the mid-stage event that other people were talking about not being able to see from the sides, but the person next to me could not. I also couldn't see a moment near the end by the doorway right when it happened, but it was made apparent a little bit later. Also because the stage is fairly high, it was difficult to see anything happening on top of the table, but not a complete detractor. I could see the door to the basement stairs, but not inside of it--does anything ever happen in there? I assumed it was just a bright light shining up."
I too was starting at the ceiling of the cabin. I couldn't figure it out but this is part of what I came up with...
Click Here To Toggle Spoiler Content
I thought that it was not a real roof and that anyone who was not supposed to be at the cabin could not see it from the outside. It almost appeared to be underground. What threw me off was when Max was asked to go to the shed for the Mr Clean. I found it odd that they would keep a common household item outside the house.
Just give the world Love. - S. Wonder
