The Sea Horse

      Recently I saw New Trier production of "The Sea Horse" by Edward J. Moore. It's a story about two characters, a man and a woman, that are romantically involved but their relationship is difficult because she has trust issues and he is aways away working on a ship. In the show, they are at the restaurant she owns called the Sea Horse, talking about their plans for the future as the man wishes to get married, but the woman is hesitant. The female character, Gertrude, was played by Chloe Knight and the male character, Harry, was played by John Parks.

      I was very impressed by Chloe and the sophomore John in this show because I felt like they were extremely invested. They did everything all out and did not hold back or seem uncomfortable onstage. There were a few moments when I felt their silent tension could have been used differently. The moment that I would have changed was when Chloe finally admitted that she could not have children anymore because she had been hurt too badly before. Her old husband had abused her. In the show, John shrugged a little and the scene moved on, but I felt like that was a big revelation and called for a longer time for it to sink in and for the audience to realize its importance. Especially since John had a monologue at the beginning of the show where he talked about how badly he wanted a kid and how having one would change everything in their life for the better. I would have kept it so that there was a build in the argument until the moment when Chloe finally blurts out she can’t have children. Then there would have been a pause where John steps back a little shocked and confused. Chloe would have stepped forward reaching out her hand to him a little and he would have just pulled away a little more, turning away from her, prompting her to say her next line about how she was hurt too badly. This line would be said quieter than her previous one and a little softer, showing her vulnerability and how much it hurts her to not be able to have a kid anymore. Hearing the change in her voice he would turn back to her and try to comfort her a little bit as the scene progressed and the lines continued. The whole moment should be done slowly, with each action being done with some tenacity to show how painful this truth is for both characters.