Robinson Crusoe

Amy, my friend in the running club, had an extra ticket to the Orlando Shakespeare Festival's Robinson Crusoe and she invited me to attend with her. We ate a quick dinner of vegetarian pizza at a nearby restaurant while talking of our various travels - she did a year long Peace Corps tour in 2003-2004 to Lesotho, and I showed a few pictures of my trip to New Zealand in 2004. It was great company and fun conversation, and the pizza was even quite tasty despite having broccoli on it (which just doesn't seem right to me).

The play was staged in a small theater with a very plain set. There were just a few props shared between the opening scene on the ship and the rest of the play. Although the set was simple it had a few clever surprises: one small section held a bit of water which served as a pond, and another small square opened up to reveal a campfire. The left was a climbable pole and a few plants that would serve as a lookout spot and fields of grains that Crusoe cultivated. Behind the stage were some totem poles that eventually displayed the passage of time, and a few crates were the remainder of the props.

The story is the famous tale of a man shipwrecked on an island. It had been so long since I read the novel (actually I am not positive I have read it - that is how long it would have been!) I couldn't remember how he came to meet Friday or if he got off the island. All was revealed during the play...

I was quite impressed with the acting. Much like Tom Hanks in Castaway, the main actor that played Crusoe (Eric Hissom) was by himself for about 3/4s of the time. Just him, the dialogue, his facial expression, and he did a great job acting the part and telling the story.

Overall it was a very enjoyable evening!