Design Approach

The spirit of New York gives this play about fame, celebrity, deceit and revenge its pulse. The quick pace, the beautiful young characters, the fashionable and the bohemian lives.

The scenic design has the double challenge of communicating the place and accommodating a script that changes locations often and quickly. The sense of movement kept coming to the forefront at production meetings. We wanted to find ways to let characters burst onto the stage, mimicking the rhythms we associate with New York City. And we had to do it all minimally. Swinging doors and revolving panels became the devices used to accomplish this.

The chaos of the Manhattan sidewalks is represented on one side of the panels, the other side stays black, allowing a neutral setting for the more intimate scenes. What we do see of the outside is very much the Manhattan of today (or of 2003). It’s a big commercial zone with a Starbucks on every corner, a brightly colored reflection of American popular culture. Its the world of Alexa and Evan, and of all those who want to be them.