The Madhouse in Mantua was created by Kevin Kaine, who was also the main character in the play. This play took place in the very small and isolated Trilogy Theater in the heart of theatrical productions Time Square. I viewed the play on October 11th 2003 at 8:00pm. The reason this play grabbed my attention far more beyond the rest is because of the description that was presented to me via internet. Everyone, once in their lifetime must have come across Romeo and Juliet and enjoyed the play. The Madhouse in Mantua, which is also known as Romeo's Magical Dream, is what some may call a part two to the play. Romeo is banished from Verona after an attempted suicide and placed under care. What happens to Romeo while locked up is something that the play will have to unravel.
It is known that many productions are interpreted and therefore performed in different ways. There are lots of key elements that can conclude weather a play is going to be a success or not. The actual location of where the play will take place is extremely important. Depending on the size of the acting stage, one can figure out the amount of interaction there will be between the actors and viewers. In The Madhouse of Mantua, I knew that there had to be without a doubt interaction between the actors and us viewers. The play took place in a room no bigger then my bedroom. There were approximately 35 seats available for seating and only 5 were occupied. The actual stage where the performance was taking place was smaller then the amount of room the chairs took up. .
The room was completely painted black, I felt as the performance was going along that I was part of it since Kevin continuously made eye contact during his many monologues. The set contained what was supposed to be a bed, but was extremely evident that it was a bench. There was also a door in which Romeo was fed his meals while in the madhouse. These are the only two props that were used for the setting.
