Harvey is a play written by Mary Chase, first produced on Broadway in 1944. The play centers around the character of Elwood P. Dowd, a friendly and affable man whose only flaw seems to be his imaginary six-foot tall rabbit friend, Harvey.
Elwood is a middle-aged man who spends his days drinking and socializing at the local bar, always accompanied by Harvey. Despite the fact that Harvey is not visible to anyone else, Elwood insists that he is real and constantly introduces him to those around him.
At the beginning of the play, Elwood's sister, Veta Louise Simmons, becomes fed up with his behavior and the embarrassment that it brings upon the family. She decides to have him committed to a mental institution in the hopes of curing him of his delusions.
However, as the play progresses, it becomes clear that Elwood is not actually delusional. He is simply a kind and compassionate person who sees the good in everyone, including Harvey.
The other characters in the play, including Dr. Lyman Sanderson and Nurse Ruth Kelly, are initially skeptical of Elwood's claims about Harvey. However, as they spend more time with him, they begin to see the positive impact that Harvey has on Elwood's life and the lives of those around him.
Despite the efforts of Veta and the others to have Elwood committed, he remains steadfast in his belief in Harvey and ultimately wins over those around him with his kindness and positive attitude.
In the end, the play presents the idea that it is not necessarily a flaw to have an imagination and to see the good in others, even if those around you do not understand or believe in the same things. It encourages the audience to embrace their own unique perspectives and to value the importance of kindness and compassion in their own lives.
Harvey Play Analysis
Wherever he goes, he brings an extra hat and coat for Harvey, and he buys theater tickets and railroad tickets in twos so that they can go everywhere together. However, I felt that the actor of Duane Wilson performed overact, even though his act was supposed to exaggerate. A pooka is a mythical creature who appears here and there, where ever it pleases, and to whoever it pleases. The play won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1944, and its initial run lasted for four years 1,775 performances. Veta enlists an old family friend, Judge Gaffney, to sue the sanitarium, but her threat is eventually forgotten.
The information that we found was accurate, and the primary and secondary sources were cited in our credit role. Sanderson, but as she is doing so, she becomes hysterical. Dowds family does not see Harvey at first, but they Elwood interacting and talking to Harvey. Both of their facial expressions were very impressive and easy to catch without showing exaggeration. I am typically very easy to talk and I have extremely good listening skills. Retrieved June 21, 2012. Overall, every move worked fine for the The Side Show Play Analysis There was not a lot of set changes, but when there were changes, they were done quickly and quietly.
The Main Character Analysis of Harvey Play Free Paper Sample on links.lfg.com
I beg your pardon, Aunt Ethel. They must use hand movements and their tone of voice to impress the audience, along with keeping the audience on board with what goes on. Chumley, almost frantic with concern when he thinks that Elwood may have hurt the doctor. The character that I thought could use a little work was Duane Wilson. Told that Harvey can stop time, allowing one to leave their ordinary life for some time and go somewhere else, he describes an elaborate fantasy that has apparently been fomenting in his mind for a long time. The sound quality met my standards also. Harold Lloyd, Edward Everett Horton, Robert Benchley, and Jack Haley all turned down the lead role before Frank Fay accepted it.
I wasnt able to actually see the play for myself, because I worked behind the scene for the play. Sanderson suspects that Veta Louise is the one that is suffering from some sort of mental illness and that she is projecting her problems onto Elwood, but he plays it cool so she wont suspect that he has figured her out. Our 700-plus members include theatre owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in North American cities, as well as suppliers of goods and services to the commercial theatre industry. Also, toward the end of the play, Harvey goes on stage through a door. In the Long Run: A cultural history of Broadway's hit plays. Dowd was a middle aged man who had an invisible friend, Harvey. He excuses himself from the room for a moment, to get an orderly to help him with this crazy women.
Elwood is polite and cheerful and always friendly toward any strangers he might encounter, and he has just one problematic character trait: his best friend is an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit, Harvey. He is just as infatuated with Nurse Kelly as she is with him, but he only reveals his concern indirectly. It is a very care-free, take your mind off of your worries comedic work. There were a bit of lighting changes and they were exactly on time. From what I know the cast must be comfortable with the stage. During the construction of the set, I assisted in the painting and prop placement work that was needed to complete a realistic appearance of a library. Moreover, the scene of her that she couldn 't hide her embarrassment by Elwood introducing Harvey to Mrs.
Chauvenet is an old friend of the family. IBDB Internet Broadway Database archive is the official database for Broadway theatre information. Dowd is an affable man who claims to have an unseen and presumably imaginary friend Harvey — whom Elwood describes as a six foot, three-and-one-half inch 192cm tall When Elwood shows up at the sanitarium looking for his lost friend Harvey, it seems that the mild-mannered Elwood has had a strange influence on the staff, including sanitarium director Dr. I saw enough of it from where I was to write an educated critique on it. Elwood turns back to Ethel. He was hammy, especially when he was standing up with his hands on his waist. In fact, we were all very comfortable with each other making our communication skill fantastic.
'Harvey' (Elwood): "Aunt Ethel, I want you to meet Harvey"
First thing the audience noticed when they entered the theater was the elaborate set. This faculty was founded by renowned psychiatrist William R. Chauvenet is an old friend of the family. The set, props, and costumes made the audience feel like they were in the forties. Dowd, has a invisible friend, a pooka named Harvey, who accompanies him during his daily activities. His sister and her daughter try to have Elwood committed to the local sanitarium, where the behavior of the prominent psychologist and his staff raise the age-old question of who is more dangerous to society: the easy-going dreamer with a vivid imagination or the people who want him to conform to the accepted version of reality. Toward the ending of the play, different lights with different colors were used to portray a dark, lonely Chumleys Rest.
But Veta is a comic character and is just as unstable in her own way as is her brother. This section contains 265 words approx. However, the doctors, Lyman Sanderson and William R. Throughout my time with the group I behaved very friendly and welcoming. After a night out drinking with Elwood, though, Dr. The second date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.
During the play, I moved the desk from behind the sofa and moved the flap on the moving wall, so that the library scene couldnt be seen on stage while the play was at Chumleys Rest. In this case, the pooka has taken the form of a rabbit who is six feet, one and a half inches tall. Cite this page as follows: "Harvey - Characters" Drama for Students Vol. All and all, the casting was exceptional. Dowd Veta Louise Simmons Betty Chumley E. This is endearing to their friends and family because they do not act differently in front of different people and are always themselves. It was awkward to watch him acting.
I was in charge of the opening and closing of the door. But he liked you. Like Veta, she is more concerned with socializing than with science: told that her husband has to examine a patient, she tells him, "Give a little quick diagnosis, Willie we don't want to be late to the party. Boyishness is carefree and fun-loving; not thinking about why they like to do something, such as play robbers, but they enjoy it, so they do it. Veta Louise, as any good sister would, only wants the best for her brother and insist that Dr. They are afraid that prospective suitors will be frightened away when they find out that Elwood has an imaginary friend.
