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To conclude the spring semester, the Montclair State BA Theatre Studies Class of 2012 performed a new show called PENANCE: The Ghost of Don Juan. The play was created in collaboration with the cast, which helped make it modern and relevant. PENANCE explored the Don Juan archetype: a man who seduces women. It featured a robot version of Don Juan who is programmed only to seduce women, which takes out any psychological reason for Don Juan to be womanizer. PENANCE had a strong theme of sexual attraction and sexual pleasure—even a theme of rape. 

My favorite scene was a monologue in which a man talked about how we all follow the same script in relationships, and about the consequent lack of uniqueness. PENANCE was a mixture of drama and comedy, as well as movement transitions that filled up every second between scenes. I liked this performance because of its relevance to modern relationship issues. The ending of PENANCE was very interesting: each member of the cast made physical contact with a member of the audience, creating a direct connection that was very awkward for some in the audience. I left the show thinking about how sex and physical attraction play an important role in my life. 

Jason Balinskas is an undergraduate student at Montclair State, majoring in Communications Studies with a concentration in Public Relations.

Montclair State’s Theatre Studies students recently performed PENANCE: The Ghost of Don Juan, a story that everyone attending college can relate to. 

The show opened with a young woman and young man dressed in 18th century clothes. During this scene, the woman poured her heart out about what she was going through at this point in her life. However, the young man said nothing during this scene and throughout the play. This young man was the character Don Juan, who symbolized men throughout time who have broken young women’s hearts. He symbolized all the men in society who look upon women as sex objects. 

Throughout the play, the actors kept flashing back to the scene with a talk show host interviewing a Don Juan robot in modern times. When asked how he views women, the student playing the robot responded, “I see them all the same.” The only difference between the talk show host and the robot was that the talk show host yearned to connect with others and form relationships. To me, this referenced the two types of men in society: those who can settle down and have a relationship and those who want to be lifetime bachelors. The show was very unique and addressed important issues that young adults go through while trying to find their identity. 

Maxine Mack is an undergraduate student at Montclair State, majoring in Communications Studies with a focus on public relations.

(Photo by Mark Garvin.)

LeeSaar The Company presented an intense dance performance at Montclair State last weekend. Called FAME, the show had no ties to the movie or television show with the same name. LeeSaar’s FAME was a creative and modern performance that showed the evolution of fame through music, dance, and lighting. 

The show began in complete silence as the small cast came on stage. I saw this as the first stage of being famous, which starts as a dream or an idea. Several solos followed that could be perceived as the stage when a person tries to become famous. My favorite part was when one of the dancers lip synched to a song from a live concert, to create the feeling of watching a pop star. I interpreted this as the moment of fame, when the artist knows they are famous. 

Most of the show was very abstract, and I didn’t always understand the message it was trying to convey, especially during the second half. Overall, was it about the decline of fame—or is there even an end to fame? Or maybe finding a “message” wasn’t the point?  If you saw the show, leave a comment below on your interpretation! 

Jason Balinskas is an undergraduate student at Montclair State, majoring in Communications Studies with a concentration in Public Relations.

(Photo by Mark Garvin.)

LeeSaar The Company presented a unique performance of FAME at Montclair State from March 29 to April 1. The show, choreographed by Lee Sher and Saar Harari, consisted of seven performers whose creative, interpretive moves kept you on the edge of your seat. 

Five female dancers started the show with a theatrical and inventive series of simultaneous solos danced without music. The performance was at its peak when one of the performers sang a heartfelt solo. My favorite scene, though, was toward the end, when a dancer began imitating a monkey and then flowed right back into her choreography. It was a surprising moment that was an example of an eccentric spin to the show, and it changed your perception of what the dancers were capable of achieving. 

LeeSaar The Company really strives for pure innovation in their work. The eccentric tone and their inventive moves kept you eager to see what was to come next. I recommend that anyone seeking mysterious and unusual work watch one of their pieces! 

Maxine Mack is an undergraduate student at Montclair State, majoring in Communications Studies with a focus on public relations.

Montclair State’s recent production of the musical Kiss of the Spider Woman combined the dark setting of a jail cell in South America with happy memories from the prisoners’ pasts and an unusual love story. The show was performed by an outstanding cast that brought emotions to life, and it featured a large, three-level jail set that made the audience feel trapped with the prisoners. The main character, Molina, a gay prisoner, falls in love with his cell mate, Valentin. Homosexuality is an important element in the show; some other themes include escapism, fantasy, and looming death. 

The play goes back and forth between reality and fantasy as Molina tries to cope with being trapped in his cell. However, unlike a traditional story, the show ends in Molina’s fantasy world rather than in reality. This created a gray area for me: the ending in reality was sad, but the fantasy ending was cinematic and happy. The show still has me thinking, “Was the ending sad or happy?”  Either way, Kiss of the Spider Woman was an amazing, entertaining production. 

Jason Balinskas is an undergraduate student at Montclair State.