La critique des 2nde 8

(actualisé le )

THE PEARL

The Pearl, a story by John Steinbeck, adapted by the theatre company ACT was performed on January 8th in Palaiseau.
The novel tells the story of Kino, a Mexican pearl diver. This young man is married to Juana, and they have a son, Coyotito. It isn’t a wealthy family, but nevertheless a happy one.
Once, the baby is stung by a scorpion but he can’t be cured because the doctor in town, a rich and racist man, refuses to take care of Indians. Kino happens to find a large pearl which may be a solution for him to pay for the baby’s treatment. By selling the “Pearl of the World”, he also hopes he’ll be able to marry in church, send Coyotito to school and own a rifle !
He then goes to dealer’s office but the price he is offered isn’t decent according to Kino. He fears being cheated. The “Pearl” has an evil influence on him and it’s the beginning of determining decisions. It makes him want to reach the capital where he thinks he can get a better offer. It won’t be any of that : his house is burnt, and his family is tracked down and he starts acting without having any human thoughts. During the hunt, the baby is killed.
When Kino goes back home with his wife, both of them are different people : they have changed, LIFE has changed them. The only way to get rid of the doom is to throw the pearl away, but they are marked forever.

“The Pearl” shows what society was like in Mexico in the first part of the 20th century : people had no chances to get out of their condition and hope for a better situation.

“The Pearl” was played on a little stage and there were only four actors.
However, they managed to show some details quite well :
When Kino dives to find out the Pearl, they stretched a piece of sheet and they made it ripple ; with a suitable music, it seemed real.
Moreover, they moved the elements on stage, while acting, as it occurs in the story. It was a way of changing the scenery without any transition.
Finally, the director combined extraordinarily different parts played by a same actor.
Nevertheless, some moments were not were clear for the audience, such as the death of the baby in the end.

Therefore, the result was fantastic : they succeeded in getting through technical difficulties admirably !

Lisa & Francois