University of Virginia Library

Fluid Staging

"The Night Thoreau Spent in
Jail" requires very fluid staging and
Mr. McLaughlin has fulfilled this
requirement as well as I think is
possible on the Minor Hall stage,
which is much too small to
comfortably accommodate this play.
He has been aided by set director
David Weiss, who has added a
thrust to his raked, sectional stage
design, which is quite functional.

Mr. McLaughlin has, however,
committed a few unforgivable sins
in his handling of the play. For
instance, at one point in the first
act, he has Henry's cellmate sit
upstage by his cot whittling while a
scene is being played downstage. It
is almost as if Mr. McLaughlin were
intentionally trying to distract the
audience's attention from the
characters involved in the
downstage scene.