Notice the red line across the set? Audiences have been wondering just what it means. Jonathan Hogan, Simone Kirby and Ciaran O'Reilly in Molly Sweeney. Photo by T. Charles Erickson.
Audiences have been fascinated by the thin red line extending horizontally across the set for Molly Sweeney, running through October 16 on Stage II. This bit of stagecraft has elicited many interesting responses from people seeking to assign it meaning, said Artistic Resident Marissa Friedman.
Audience members have likened the line to a demarcation point between blindness and sightedness, the journey the lead character Molly Sweeney makes throughout the play. Other thought the line resembled optic nerves. Still others thought the line was reminiscent of a red Kabbalah string. “It has made for some really great talkbacks,” Friedman said.
Like any good piece of art, the red line is subject to interpretation. Director Charlotte Moore described the line as an abstract design element, one intended to unify three disparate places and characters. Initially she and set designer James Morgan tried several different colors, including grey, blue and white. “I wanted everyone to be seen at once,” she said. “I wanted them all to be in the same play.”
No matter the reason for the decision, Moore’s choice has helped deepen an already moving experience for Long Wharf Theatre’s patrons.