Welcome to the 20th century
Over the past six weeks, USU’s theatre department has been preparing for its production of “Twentieth Century,” which opens Dec. 1.
“Twentieth Century” is a play by Ben Hetch and Charles MacArthur. It is based on the un-produced play “Napoleon of Broadway” by Charles B. Millholland.
The Hecht-MacArthur comedy is set in the observation car of the Twentieth Century Limited, a train that travels from Chicago to New York’s Grand Central terminal.
Aboard the luxury train are theater producer Oscar Jaffe, who is desperately in need of a hit in order to stop the banks from foreclosing on his theater, and his former lover and protégé, actress Lily Garland, who abandoned him for a Hollywood career.
Jaffe is determined to sign her for his new show, and Garland is just as determined to ignore his advances, both professional and personal.
The play is directed by Leslie Brott, the new USU theatre department head. Before coming to USU, Brott worked for Southern Methodist University. Previous to that position, she said she worked as as a professional actress and director for 20 years.
Lance Rasmussen, a junior majoring in theatre performance, plays Dr. Lockwood. Throughout the play, his character makes multiple attempts at getting Jaffe to direct his play. Rasmussen said the most enjoyable part of the production was getting to work with Brott.
“I’ve really liked working with Leslie,” he said. “She just got hired this year and it’s been an absolute joy. She’s got a completely new approach to the way the play has been going.
“She’s come with a lot of enthusiasm and it’s really opened up the department. She’s pulled a lot out of people that I don’t think any of us were expecting. It’s just come together under her directorship very well.”
Student director Joanna Johnson, a senior majoring in theatre arts, said one of the hardest parts of putting the production together was making sure everything was timed just right.
“It’s a farce, fast-paced comedy — lots of door slamming and funny — and just timing when it comes to something like this is just absolute necessity,” she said. “I love what I do, so it’s not challenging,”
Brott said the fact that the show is a comedy, which requires real talent with regard to rhetorical skill, has proven to be a challenge.
“You’ve got to land something as specific as the right word with the right gesture,” she said. “Getting things moving forward really quickly has been a skill set that the actors have had to work on quite a bit, but they’ve risen to the challenge. They’re doing marvelous work with it.” .
Rasmussen said the most difficult part of the show for him has been the set. He said the set was not designed for the kind of theatre space the cast needs.
The play’s sets were designed by first-year grad student Spencer Potter. Potter recently graduated form Dixie State College and began work on the set in mid-July when he got the assignment.
“As a designer I wanted to make sure I communicated with some luxury and the time period, because it’s such a specific play about the time period,” Potter said.
“Its romantic, it’s the art-deco period, so that was important to me. (Brott) mentioned what she felt in the play was important was an acceleration that happens as the action starts unfolding, so there needed to be a way to represent acceleration and also the feeling of a train as well to give a stronger sense of the locale.”
After six weeks of six-day practices and approximately 70 hands designing and building the set, the theatre department is ready to open its production to the public.
The show plays in the Morgan Theatre in the Chase Fine Arts Center. General admission is $13, senior and youth tickets are $10. Faculty and staff tickets are $8 and admission is free for all USU students with ID.
– marissa.shields@aggiemail.usu.edu