Review: A Different Kind of Play

From the first moments of the UCA Theatre production of “The Skin of Our Teeth” by Thornton Wilder, the audience knew this would be a different kind of play.

The audience is introduced to the Antrobus family, whose members are about 5,000 years old. Their pets are a mammoth and dinosaur. The characters chat with the audience from the stage during the scene changes behind them. At one point, the director argues with characters and forces them to repeat scenes.

The characters are no less surreal. The father, played by senior Brady Ness, invented the alphabet, numbers and the wheel. The mother, played by senior Erica Summers, resembles the stereotype portrayed in 1950s television shows like "Leave it to Beaver." The children, played by sophomores Matt Duncan and Rachel Loveless, seem like modern teenagers with familiar problems.

Sabrina, the pessimistic but entertaining housekeeper played by senior Jackie Rivera, provides comic relief for the play. She often interupts the action when she doesn't feel comfortable with the lines or to remind the audience that they are watching a play. 

The action is confusing at times. The setting often changes during the acts and the characters change costumes several times during the play. There's a large cast of supporting characters. However, the surrealism seems necessary for the play to cover the family's survival through 5,000 years of human disaster, disaster and war.

The stage and props were some of the best used at any UCA production. The sound effects and lighting are effective in setting the tone of the play. When it is supposed to be cold, the audience can hear the wind blowing. When the characters light a fire, it flickers on the stage.

Freshman Jennifer Hicks said she really liked the effects during the play. “(I’ve) been to other plays and plan to keep coming because I’ve enjoyed them so far.”

The UCA Theatre will present three more productions of the show next Wednesday, Thursday and Friday in the Bridges/Larson Theatre of the Snow Fine Arts Center. The production is directed by associate professor of theatre Kevin Browne.

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