Teen Ensemble Reviews Goodnight, Tyler
The Alliance Teen Ensemble has the opportunity to see and review each production during the season. See their responses to Goodnight, Tyler below.
Less than 30 seconds into the show, Tyler (played by Travis Turner) was making all of us laugh. And, by the end of act one, we were all crying. B.J. Tindal has written Goodnight, Tyler, an amazing show which is playing right now in the Hertz Stage at The Alliance Theatre. There is no better way to describe it other than the show ad which describes it as "contemporary and unexpectedly humorous." You will laugh, you will cry, and then you will laugh even more.
The cast of six (Travis Turner, Alex Gibson, Alexandra Ficken, Andrea Frye, Danielle Deadwyler, and Chris Harding) are all strong actors from all around the country who have amazing performances comprised of powerful monologues and hilarious jokes. The stage (designed to look like someone's living room and kitchen) is like nothing you've ever seen before – when the audience enters the theatre, they fill up two sides of the audience with the stage directly in between so that each half of the audience looks through the state and can see the other half of the audience. This really helps to immerse the audience into the lives of the six characters you get to know over a period of two hours. And, the whole show is made even better by Shawn Duan's projection design (which plays the biggest part at the beginning of act two), Kara Harmon's realistic costume design, Liz Lee's beautiful mood-shifting and transitional lighting design, Jason Sherwood's realistic scenic design, and David Lamont Wilson's simplistic but meaningful sound design.
Goodnight, Tyler is the most honest, emotional, and beautiful piece of theatre you will ever see. Go see the show and don't miss out on this short run (February 16 through March 10).
- Ari, 12th Grade
Very rarely have I seen such a beautifully raw rendering of a human's resistance and need to grieve, as shown in the Alliance Theatre's Goodnight, Tyler. Though it featured numerous character monologues, not once did my interest diminish because the playwright, B.J. Tindal wrote every character with so much realism and dynamic purpose that it almost forced you to watch this painful occurrence of grief and pain.
I genuinely applaud B.J. Tindal, for being able to create such a sense of realism. However, with the tackling of such a topic as realism, a writer must face the challenge of writing in a way that accounts for all of life's complexities. Though this was done quite well in aspects of internal character development, I felt that realism fell short when applied to character relations. Because of the focus on each character, and due to the multiple use of characters, being able to implement such a meaningful relationship between them felt short. However, this aspect is not necessarily a bad thing. In the real world, it is often our internal complexities that truly influence our relationships with those around us. When we feel stagnant in our lives, we can somehow always seem to tie it to the people around us. Accordingly, when we feel as if our life is moving for the better, or worse, we can once again tie it to the people around us. This idea is all to say that in the tackling something as significant as realism the focus is how you internally develop the characters themselves. B.J. Tindal must have been aware of this factor to be able to incorporate so much complexity within the characters themselves.
Overall, seeing The Alliance Theatre's Goodnight, Tyler was an eye-opening experience, that tackled so many societal issues, and left me with so much to talk and think about. If you have the opportunity, it is something I wouldn't hesitate at the chance to see.
- Antonio, 12th grade
As I walked to the Hertz stage last weekend to view Goodnight, Tyler by B.J. Tindal, I felt the anticipation bubbling up inside of me. I am always excited for new shows on the Hertz stage. Every time I walk in there the room has changed. They always transform the space so that the environment is fitting for the piece. As I stepped through the curtains to the seating area I was blown away. There was audience seating on both sides of the stage, facing each other. It was like they had built a small square room in the center of the theater and simply removed two of the walls. It felt very realistic and intimate, as if I was stepping into someone else’s house and just witnessing their life play out. The actors moved about naturally. I feel like my experience would be very different if I were sitting on the other side of the room. I would love to see it again to find out if my perception of the play changes.
For most of the play, Chelsea, Tyler’s fiancé, was facing my direction while Tyler’s grandmother was facing the other direction more. I saw more of Chelsea’s reactions and facial expressions, giving me a better understanding of her point of view when she argued with Tyler’s grandmother. I sympathized with her more and sided with her as I watched the story play out. I might have had a better understanding of the grandmother had I seen more of her reactions. This ability to change an audience’s perspective is amazing. I enjoyed how close I felt to the story because of how they built the set. I highly recommend experiencing Goodnight, Tyler before it closes.
- Stephanie, 12th grade
If you have the opportunity to see Goodnight, Tyler at the Alliance Theatre, I suggest you take it. The show is moving, entertaining, and engaging, with a powerful message and and a compelling narrative. You may feel intimidated that the show takes on such heavy topics such as police brutality against black people in America, but the show allows the audience to observe the events and characters more objectively. In this way, the show is especially unique, as each character’s point of view is justified in detail.
To contrast the darker moments in the play, there is light-hearted comedy guaranteed to make you laugh out loud.
Additionally, the set design and lighting are uniquely beautiful, making the show even more interesting to watch, and of course the actors, director, and crew are incredibly talented to have made this show come to life. All things considered, Goodnight, Tyler was a joy to watch!
- Riana, 11th grade
