Hookman Critique: (600)

For the 2nd play I’ve ever seen, I watched the Hookman, a Lauren Yee piece, directed by

Clint Bryson, in a smaller staging area back of the Spanos Theatre. During much of the piece, I

felt confused and having to “catch up” with the plot of the play: however, it kept me on edge and

curious, wanting to know more about who the Hookman actually was. I felt the play was leaning

towards an experimental type of play, as the props were constantly moving, there was a scene in

which the actress was in the audience, and there was constant flashing, boom’s, and scary

movie-like jump scenes. The use of lighting and sound was aggressive and startling. It also did

have elements of realism and comedy, evidenced by the storyline revolving around some girl

friends in college going through college drama, which included surprising yet real issues: rape,

binge drinking, annoying roommates, and best friend drama about no longer being as close and

not attending the same college despite previous agreements. I counted about 6 actors during the

play, but the Hookman played other roles as well, including the suspected rapist and Lexi’s

UConn RA/ drug dealer.

I focused in on the acting of the Hookman, himself, and and how he contributed to the

overall message of the play. The Hookman’s role was highly up to interpretation, yet generated

the themes behind the play: in the play, by the other characters, he is depicted as a “1950’s urban

legend murderer,” who appears in only about 3 or 4 scenes, but is always accompanied by a

resounding sound effect from the theatre (loud banging or screaming) and usually an auditory

“roar” from the Hookman. He also represented, in my opinion, a presence that does not actually

exist- the Hookman was an actual serial killer who had a hook for a hand and preyed on

“companionless” girls; but, deeper than that, he was more of a symbol of evil in the world which
is always lurking, including rapists, and other symbols/flaws as well such as overconfidence,

anxiousness, and fear. He lurked in the background of various scenes, which I interpreted as

seeing the Hookman as something internal or within oneself, like a fatal flaw. The Hookman also

made an appearance during the car crash scene the second time through, (when they flashed back

to the moment) which may represent the uncomfortableness and fear Lexi felt throughout the

play while she was dealing with her issues. The play strongly heightened awareness of rape on

college campuses, with multiple scenes having dialogue between Lexi and Jess talking about

how Lexi was recently assaulted and later on, we see a skype call where Lexi questions Sean, the

suspected rapist. The scene created awkwardness, meant to promote trepidation and

uncomfortableness among the audience. The Hookman was supposed to be a scary, intimidating

figure and I loved the way he acted and bought into his character; his image was exactly what I

expected out of an old urban legend: he had a big hook plopped onto his right hand, a huge black

cape covering his body, and not much talking (lots of groaning and action). The last scene,

however, confused me, when the Hookman and Lexi were in the car together, seemingly making

peace. Does this mean the Hookman is not the urban killing legend we thought he was? Other

than that last scene, overall, the Hookman did a great job being a polarizing presence, lurking in

the background of scenes), providing some comedic relief, and embracing his role through

excellent costume design and realistic “dialogue”.

Fatherland Critique: 587

For my second performance, I decided to see “XXII: Fatherland,” directed by Antonio

Barata. I went in similarly not knowing what to expect and was surprised with how much I can

take away despite the lack of dialogue: the message consisted of depicting various relationships

that become more and more interconnected and complex. For my critique, I focused in on the

scene following the intermission called Patria (The Homeland), choreographed by Compton

Zamboanga.

In my interpretation, the piece showed the commitment one has to their communities and

nation in the form of protesting, military duties, and uniting. It had some powerful moments:

when the national anthems played, all the dancers/actors were saluting to the flag projected on a

projector screen, and then this led to an intense marching scene depicted on the movie projector

at the other end of the room, where soldiers executed what looked like to be prisoners of some

type of war or traitors of the nation. I feel the message behind the choreography was to show

how people’s relationships and commitments lead to a sense of belonging to one’s community or

country, which leads to actions such as rivalries, wars, and protests. The choreographer

successfully displayed uniformity with the way the dancers marched, pledged, and spoke in

unison. I believe someone also played the bugle, which was extremely powerful and pleasing to

hear: it focused everyone’s attention on the dancers and totally set the scene well before the

dancer soldiers started marching. Another aspect I liked was how they used the entirety of the

space; even in prior scenes, the dancers had a very contemporary, jumping, flowing style, so it

was captivating to see the dancers use the floor in, about, and around the crowd. The piece
evoked feelings of nationalism and pride, but also and shock and respect among the audience;

seeing the soldiers march down the room, then everyone saluting the flag, and with the variety of

military instruments in the background, the piece was powerfully effective in capturing the

audience’s attention. During this 10th scene, the lighting choices were also executed well: the

room went completely dark when the video and anthem started playing, and during the marching

scene, I saw red, green, and blue lights appearing from the ceiling. If I were to pick 3 images to

tell the story of the scene, the first would be the soldier dancers all standing straight up (military

straight), while instruments start to blare and the lights start to dim. I believe this was meant to

portray how humans have created bonds with their nation so deep that they are willing to die for

their country. The middle image of the scene would be during the national anthem, where all the

soldiers are saluting to the flag, further displaying respect and loyalty to one’s nation. Lastly, the

last image I’d use is from the video they showed right after, where it seems three traitors or

prisoners of war were shot. Why? The image itself is up to interpretation but I believe it meant to

serve as a warning or reminder that not all relationships are healthy: people’s nationalism to their

own nations causes them to act out: through protest to help make their own country better, but

people also develop a hostility to opposing nations, which leads to war, rivalries, and, a sense of

belonging. Overall, the piece successfully showed the evolution of human relationship, from

before substance, to the most crucial commitment that everyone has, to their community, planet

earth.
Themes
Identify the choreographer—they are the creator of the piece.
What were the choreographer’s intentions and were they successfully communicated?
What do you think the choreographer was trying to say with the dance, or what did the
dance say?
Try to have a thematic focus when writing your critique. Were the themes of the individual
piece clear? What was the dance about?
Analyze the symbolism. Does it relate to current events? History?
Style of Movement
A detailed description of what you saw—smooth, fast, jagged, etc. Look for descriptive
words and phrases that put the reader at the event and transport
us. Give at least three specific images. To make it easier, think about the first, the middle
and the last images of the piece. When laid side by side, how do these three tell a story?
Feelings
What thoughts or feelings did the piece evoke? In constructing your critique, reflect on why
you may have had certain reactions.
Technical Aspects
Comment on the music and identify the composer(s) and musician(s) when possible.
Comment on lighting if this was important as well as makeup, props (if used), and costumes
appropriate? Discuss the scenic design and overall use of the theatre space.