Twist

Twist is an americanized play of Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The main character in the play, Twist, is a biracial kid who is an orphan in Prohibition Era in New Orleans. Twist is an archetype orphan who will do absolutely anything for love. I think his character represents all orphans and mixed racial people who don't think they belong to a specific group like white, black, etc. Twist is also called a mulatto, which makes him feel even more like he doesn't belong to a group. In the orphanage Twist gets teased by all the kids, and they tell him to ask for meat on his birthday so he does. When he does he gets sold to a funeral to dance at all the funerals. Twist hates it there so he runs away to the Jewel Box Theatre and lives there with Boston and the boys. Boston used to be Twist's dad's dance partner back when they were younger. While living with Boston he discovers that Della Boston's girlfriend birthed him. Della wants the best for Twist but Boston only wants money. So Della is trying to give him to Mr. Pruhdomme who is a big time lawyer and show bizz fan, but Boston is trying to sell him to his uncle for $1000. Twists uncle is white and a very mean man.

Twist's mother is white, and her brother Lucius is white as well. Twist's mother died during childbirth and his father died just before he was before. Twist was born an orphn. Lucius, Twist's uncle in the story, paid the orphanage 200 dollars to keep since Twist's mother had died in child birth. Nine years later, though, Lucius decides he wants Twist so that he can use him to do illegal things for him, even if this may result in Twist's death. Lucius character represents the typical villain in this story. There are many different villain archetypes that are portrayed throughout literature. In this play, there is a bit of irony with the villain because all of the main characters are black yet the villain is white. Often in literature and plays, the villain would be stereotypically black or some other minority. Villains can be schemers, lunatics, backstabbers tyrants and many other nasty characters. In Twist, Lucius seems to be "The Bastard" because he can't have what he wants (to be wealthy) so he lashes out and hurts those around him. Throughout the play, Lucius chases Twist in an effort to kidnap him, but Twist is able to avoid him and remain on the run. Ultimately, Lucius gets what the viewer thinks he deserves and dies.

The thing that worked really about the production was that everyone could sing and dance really well. Also the beginning scene was fantastic. One part that needed to be improved in particular was the scene in the orphanage when he is singing a sad song and everyone behind him is doing something funny. If I was being hired to get the production ready for broadway I wouldn't change much. The only scene I would change is the one in the orphanage when he is singing, but other than that the play was great.