Word: baal
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...Oddly, Baal in this performance was played down, despite Sussner's obvious charm, power and presence. To level this fascinating bias of perspective, the other minor roles were constantly playing up their parts, detracting from the magic that is Baal...
...marking of bodies, while an interesting idea, should have been fleshed out to be more than a token experimental gesture. A beefier attempt would have had heavy gothic make-up on the actors or would have physically marked Baal as separate from the rest. For besides Baal and his lover Ekart (Ryan McCarthy '98) all others are either just bodies or symbols with little or no individuality...
Such hesitation, while generally not present in the acting, marked this interpretation of the play. Baal is an intensely subjective play; its moods, speed and events are all seen through Baal's perspective. All other characters are either abused, sacrificed or mere caricatures. They are pathetic because he despises them or beautiful when he desire them. He is a figure of mythic proportions...
...most grating element of the Ex production was the pacing. Given Brecht's short, segmented scene structure it is strange that many scenes seemed interminable and remarkably static, particularly those involving group male drunken hysteria. In contrast the smaller, controlled scenes between Baal and his lovers were sharp and tense, especially those between Baal and Ekart. Homosexual themes and lesbian undertones gave a greater subtlety that was lacking in the rest of the play...
...manner, Brecht's later theories on theater--the "alienation effect" cliche--were applied to this much earlier and apolitical play. Gender inequalities were also emphasized, with a view at being more political, by having the audience sit in separate male and female sections, and a lengthy last scene had Baal surrounded and tormented by all the women he had abused and discarded...