Devilish Character
What makes an effective actor in a musical or play? Is it his or her ability to sing and dance well? Does an elaborate costume alone make for an effective actor? More than anything else, an effective actor will completely embody the character he or she is cast to play. It is an actor’s job to bring their character to life and to make it believable for the audience. In the play Ti-Jean and His Brothers, Ely Phan is a female actress who plays a very dynamic character as the devil.
Phan, as the devil, also plays the roles of Papa Bois and the plantation owner. She does an outstanding job throughout the play embodying each individual character through her acting choices. Ely Phan uses a strong, yet cunning voice and sneaky, graceful movements around the stage in order
...to effectively embody the character of the devil. While analyzing whether or not Ely Phan makes a believable devil, it is important to analyze her use of voice throughout the play.
When an ordinary person thinks of the devil, they think of a very cunning, persuasive, and powerful being. The actress in this show plays exactly this kind of devil. Phan, as the devilish plantation owner, is able to manipulate Gros Jean and Mi-Jean in the through her strong and cunning voice. In the scene with Gros Jean, the plantation owner begins to call Gros Jean many different names besides his real one, which enrages him. Noticing the increasing anger of Gros Jean, the plantation owner coolly continues until Gros Jean erupts with anger and is eaten by the devil.
Even as the respectable Papa Bois, Phan speak
with wit and authority as an old man would, while also speaking with the devil’s sharpness of tongue. Phan’s ability to speak with such slyness, while at the same time keeping the strength in her voice, is impressive. Although her costume suggests she is the plantation owner or Papa Bois, Phan does an outstanding job of always letting the audience know that she is still the devil. When analyzing the ability of Ely Phan to embody the character of the devil, it is also important to study her use of movements round the stage. As mentioned before, general public thinks of the devil as being very cunning and powerful, and although we cannot physically see it, we can typically imagine the devil sneaking around very slyly and deceptively. Ely Phan does a great job embodying these inherent characteristics of the devil. In all scenes as Papa Bois, she is found creeping around the stage hunched over. This choice by Phan captures the movements of an old, hunched over man, as well as the sneaky and sly nature of the devil.
In her scenes as the plantation owner, Phan walks gracefully about the stage with a broad chest. These movements display the powerful and authoritative nature of both the plantation owner and the devil. She also always found above the character she was conversing with. This symbolizes her power and authority over the other characters. Ely Phan was able to take the general characteristics of a devilish being and apply those to her movements in order to make a very believable devil for the audience.
In conclusion, it is very important to investigate deeper in order to decide
if an actor is effective at capturing his or her character. It is not enough to simply analyze a singing voice, dance moves, or an elaborate costume. In the play Ti-Jean and His Brothers, Ely Phan has the difficult task of playing the devil, plantation owner, and Papa Bois. When analyzing her use of a strong, cunning voice, as well as sneaky, yet graceful movements around the stage, Ely Phan does in fact make a very believable devil.
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