Center Stage

EarthseAsia SloweEarthseAsia SloweOpening tonight will be a one act play entitled Pressed Flowers. Written and directed by College senior Emily Gold, this short piece had been composed last summer in a playwriting course at Tisch -- the performing arts division of New York University. In the play, the world of books becomes a safe haven for a young and lonely girl named Sylvie who lives with callous parents caught in a relationship of marital strife. On her twelfth birthday a stranger who appears as a delivery boy named Darwin is able to penetrate this sphere of isolation and shed light on her life for a brief moment. According to a conversation with the playwright, the play had been written with the intention of acknowledging the fact that personal suffering does not always lead to hopelessness and desperation. Unfortunately, this point is not conveyed effectively by the script. A pervading air of melancholy looms over this play. The brief release afforded by humor is even painful. This is due to the fact that the jokes usually stem from the way in which the husband and wife toss stinging sarcastic comments to one another. Balanced by a director and an assistant director whose methods for directing are opposite yet complimentary, Pressed Flowers also includes a cast of College seniors who have a range of talent. The snooty wife who thrived off the success of her husband is played by Karen Now. Her husband, played by Casey Ryan, does everything in his power to keep his calm when dealing with his wife who constantly tested his patience. The role of a tender, kind-hearted, delivery boy was handled by Raj Prasad. Last but not least, the young girl burdened with a heart full of sorrow is believably portrayed by Joan Fishman. I felt that Joan in particular handled her lines with fluidity. At times the other cast members delivered their lines as written text and not live conversation. While cast members made a valiant effort, Pressed Flowers ultimately fell short of the playwright's goals. The entire production, however, was completely student-run and their hard work should be recognized.