This is an opinion article. Any views expressed belong solely to the author and are not representative of The Cluster, any organizations the author is a member of or the faculty, staff or administration at Mercer University.
Mercer Players performed the play “Silent Sky” by Lauren Gunderson at Tatnall Square Center for the Arts on Sept. 24-27. The play retells the historical story of an aspiring scientist, Henrietta Leavitt, played by Karina Nirenberg ‘29, and her journey to try and discover the vastness of the universe while wanting to be taken seriously as a woman in her field.
The first thing I noticed throughout the play was that the the scenery didn’t change much. This could be due to budgetary restrictions, and lighting was heavily utilized to compensate, but to solid effect. During times of character introspection, most of the stage went dark, displaying the lights on the sides and ceiling, an atmosphere similar to how Henrietta felt each time she looked up at the stars. I enjoyed visually seeing her perspective, as I was able to understand her actions more as a main character.
I wish we could’ve gotten more of an introspection on Henrietta’s love interest, Peter Shaw, played by Rae Carr ‘29. Since his character is focused on making rounds and being with Henrietta, we don’t get much on his life after his introduction, and it would’ve been nice to see his character more fleshed out.
Carr does show Peter’s nervousness wonderfully, though, with all of the stuttering and repetitions in Peter’s interactions towards Henrietta. Their romantic arc was well developed, though I do wish that we could’ve gotten a few more prevalent scenes with them, as their mutual confession later in the play comes a bit out of nowhere. This could’ve been because of Peter’s nervousness finally coming out, but just one more scene would help flesh out their arc a bit more. Overall, though, the romance left the audience hooked, wondering what would happen with them.
The set pieces were split between the life of Henrietta’s sister, Margaret, played by Mattie McNiel ‘30, creating a contrast between the cozy life she loves and the life of her sister’s that she’s not a part of. The set design displayed the contrast of Henrietta’s two loves: her job at the Harvard conservatory, and her family in Lancaster, Wisconsin. Both are affected by Henrietta’s decisions. Seeing the difference on stage with the parallel settings was a fantastic choice that’s right in front of your face. It also assisted with scenes where the characters are writing to each other, and those contrasts heavily elevated the overall story, and Henrietta’s dilemma between her job and her family at home.
Henrietta’s set, on the other hand, has desks as well as a long bookshelf for her and her colleagues: Annie Cannon, played by Allie Mahoney ‘29, and Williamina Fleming, played by Mansi Nair ‘29. While I wish the scenery would've changed a bit more, it’s not a detrimental loss to the play. It could also show how stuck Henrietta is in her job, but that’s shown mostly through the characters’ dialogue rather than the scenery.
Overall, more atmospheric changes other than the lighting choices would’ve put the audience more into the play. The characters are the main ones who grab the audience in, which is what they’re meant to do, but the stage could’ve been utilized more.
The performances, however, do make the characters come to life on their own, and make them seem like you’re actually seeing how these real life women acted when they were alive. For example, Willamina plays the part of comedic relief. She says exactly what she thinks, and the actress’s delivery makes her a memorable character for the audience. The timing is great, especially when interacting with Peter throughout all of his rounds. The audience laughed nearly every time she said something, and it never got too gimmicky.
McNiel and Nirenberg also capture the tension between the two sisters well, especially when Margaret reveals her forging her letters to her family. You can feel the anger and hurt that Margaret feels in the actress's every decision. There aren’t specific times where the play particularly loses anyone, because they wonder what it will take for Henrietta to achieve her dreams while paying attention to those she cares about most.
