Big LoveBy Charles Mee

Directed by: Mary Mazy

Set Design by: Bao Tran

Costume Design by: Muhammad Ali

Light Design by: Devin Anderson

Spine of the play: • The action of the play occurs around 50 sisters

who have fled from their arranged marriage to their 50 cousins

• The main action centers around:

• the gender disparities between 3 of the brides, representative of 3 facets of women characters

• VS.

• the gender disparities between 3 of the grooms, who are also representative of 3 facets of men characters

Themes:

• the complexity of what it means to be a man or woman, and even everything in between

• There is no absolute truth and every aspect of human nature is complex and convoluted

Style

Because the themes of the play are complex in nature, it is best for the set itself to expressionistic rather than realistic in keeping with the script

The actions of the characters and the internal struggles they are enduring should be the focus of the play

A chaotic, messy, and rather unsettling feeling should be evoked in the audience so that themes of the play are left up to their own interpretations

an absurdist style of production.

The costume design in this production complements this style of production. Outfits that one would usually associate with chivalry and groomed behavior are transformed and used in the complete opposite way.

Style

The historical period indicated by the costume design is modern. My assumption was strongly influenced by the fact that there is a helicopter. The costumes in this play would be modern cut tuxedos and white wedding dresses. This is not too complicated a costume design as it is just taking formal wedding wear and designing nice dresses and tuxedos for all the characters.

Historical period

Cast and Costumes

Lydia

Played by Lizzy Caplan

Represents a middle ground between her hard-line feminist sister Thyona and her acquisitive and submissive sister Olympia

Because Lydia is the middle ground between her two sisters Thyona and Olympia.

The costume that would complement how she is would be a simple dress and make up that does not really give her a certain type of appearance.

Lydia

Her dress should be slightly distressed and tattered

Thyona

Played by Eva Green

Hardened and man-hatingRepresents the extremes of feminism

Since Thyona is the stereotype of an angry feminist, who hatches the plot to kill all the grooms on their wedding night. Her persona would be that of a perfect bride who is not what she seems to be. This would involve a nice dress, with put together hair and make up.

Thyona

• Since Thyona represents such an extremity, he dress would be the most distressed

Olympia

Played by Alison Brie

•Materialistic and somewhat self-absorbed•A follower of her sisters and easily swayed•Represents the opposite of Thyona’s feminism

She is the opposite of Thyona. A woman who just wants a man to love and take care of her. Olympia is the character who does what she is told by other, stronger characters. She would appear to be an innocent and kind hearted bride.

Olympia’s dress will also be distressed like her sisters but slightly less so than Lydia’s

Olympia only has one shoe and is holding the other in her hand

Olympia

Piero

Played by Kevin Spacey

•Benevolent owner of the mansion•Reluctantly and yet graciously agrees to help the sisters

The owner of the Italian manor, Piero, would be dressed in an Italian style White suit with loafers and an over all clean cut look. This would suit his personality, style and character as a wealthy and groomed Italian man.

Piero

Bella

Played by Meryl Streep

•Piero’s mother and only person in the play with an Italian accent•Wise and often a voice of reason and love

She seems to be a loving, old and elegant motherly figure. She would have the look of an old fashioned Italian woman that values things like family and her culture.

She wears a black dress and a babushka

Bella

Guiliano

Played by Ben Whishaw

•Piero’s gay nephew•Feckless yet sympathetic to the plight of the sisters

This is Bella’s gay grandson. He is a cross dresser and can be depicted as a transvestite. His costume would comprise of women’s clothes and make up.

Guiliano

Nikos

Played by James McAvoy

•Betrothed to Lydia•Also represents the middle ground between his chauvinist brother Constantine and passive Oed•Talkative, sensitive and reasonable

Nikos longs to have an actual connection and marriage to his fiancee, Lydia. He is an emotional man with good intention. His persona would be that of a sophisticated and loving man who would do anything for his love.

Nikos

Constantine

Played by Tom Hardy

• Betrothed to Thyona•Chauvinist•Male counterpart to Thyona in the extremism of attitudes towards women

Thyona’s groom-to-be, Constantine is the perfect counter part for her character wise. He is a firm misogynist and a rough, kind of scary look would suit his character. A stern look and a bulky tuxedo.

Constantine

Oed

Played by Tom Hiddleson

•3rd brother•Quiet and passively follows his brothers

Oed is Olympia’s fiancee. He is not very bright and does not get hints or seem smart at all what so ever. His appearance should be a good looking, well dressed man. He has the looks, but no the brains.

Oed

Eleanor

Played by Elizabeth Banks

•English guest of Piero’s•Serves as comic relief•Tells of whimsical longings •Assists the sisters with the

Leo

Played by Sacha Baron Cohen

•Eleanor’s partner•Italian man who also serves as comic relief•Delights in the fancies along with Eleanor

Stage Setting

The scene starts with a blackout.

The timeline is modern which took place in a big mansion in Italy that uses hardflat as walls, which Lydia and her sisters mistaken the mansion for a hotel.

Music at full volume with wedding processional music the triumphant music at the end of Scene 13, Act III, or Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro.

There’s a long aisle, at the end of the aisle there is a stage, on that stage there is a bathtub.

Pachelbel’s Canon in D playing in the background.

Main Focus of the Lighting

Throughout the play the lighting should really stress the actors/actress’s them selves, what they are doing and what is happening in the play rather than the set.

As the play goes on there should be a primary lighting style, color, type and etc. but when people are giving speeches or important events happen throughout the play the lighting should change color and/or type and style to help the audience see the mood and importance of the events.

The lighting should be focused on the actors/actress’s and what they are doing rather than the set so that the audience can see the importance of what the actor/actress’s are doing and easily get the feel of their mood.

Italy

This is Italy:Rose and white. Outdoor, terrace or in the garden facing the ocean. Wrought iron, white muslin, flowers, a tree, an arbor, an outdoor dinner table with chairs for six, a white marble balustrade, elegant, simple, basic, eternal.

In the beginning of the play there should be a spotlight (Soft-edged Spotlight) on the bathtub to emphasize Lydia coming into this random house and stripping off her scuffed up wedding dress and climbing in the tub.

There might be music under this scene, maybe Molloy's Love's Old Sweet Song or some champagne music from inside the house.

Stage like room with a tub in the middle, with paddings around the tub.

The tomatoes falling off the tables and getting squashed represent Bella’s son that did not met her standards.

Bella will always have a tomato when she enters as a symbol

The Conversation is joined by the sound of a helicopter overhead which grows louder and louder, drowning out Lydia's words even as she goes on shouting them until the helicopter is deafening and wind is whipping everyone around so they have to fight to stand up.

The helicopter landed out on the terrace.

When the grooms are landing in the helicopter the lighting should be focused on the action its self. There should be a floodlight to show everything but very dim and there should be a spotlight on the helicopter but not too stressed.

When Piero is speaking the lighting should have a soft blueish tent to it because he is the voice of reason.

When Thyona and Constantine is speaking the lighting should have a red tent to it to show a darker tone because they seem as the antagonists and extremists.

The lighting should stay constant throughout the play unless when an actor/actress’s has an important line or something big happens the lighting should change color, style and type to show the mood and importance of the action. For example when Nikos is giving his speech to Lydia have the lighting more of a happier, softer tone.

Music kicks in over this maybe J.S. Bach's "Sleepers Awake!&" from Cantata No. 140. While the girls throw themselves to the ground.

There’s a piano in the room.

Lydia and Leo dance to a long, long, slow, intimate, heartbreaking father/daughter dance.

Room remains silent and a respectful moment.

When Lydia and Leo are dancing blackout the whole set and put a spotlight on them two.

The heartbreaking music of the Largo from Bach's "Air on the Gstring &” and after a moment, Lydia and Nikos dance—a long, long, sweet dance.

Marc-Antoine Charpentier's Prelude to Te Deum at playing at full volume so that hardly any of the following words can be heard.

Oed rips off his shirt and throws it to the floor, picks up circular saw blades, one after another, from a pile of saw blades, and hurls them across the stage so they stick in the side of another building that has been wheeled into place.

As the brides dress to kill, sweet music plays, J.S. Bach’s Air on the G string, from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D.

The wedding music begins at full volume: Wagner's "Wedding March&" from Lohengrin. The music segues into the exuberant party music of Handel's "Arrival of the Queen of Sheba&" from Solomon.

As the music segues into the wild, violent, dionysianWidor's "Toccata&" from Organ Symphony No. 5

Candles on wedding cakes, smashing cake in each other faces

Smashed plates & cups all over the floor.

Kitchen knives used to kill the groom.

Blood all over the floor, furniture, and wedding dress.

Nailing down boots with a hammer.

Brides were burning themselves with cigarettes.

Throughout the play one of the only times where the whole set is the main focus is during the wedding. The wedding is very hectic, people are throwing and smashing things all around so the lighting should illuminate everything but be a dark tone.

Last Scene

Here comes, immediately, at full volume, Mendelssohn's "Wedding March&" from Midsummer Night's Dream comes on as they finish walking down the aisle.

Cameras flashing everywhere and fireworks lit up the sky.