The off-Broadway show "Jitney" is based on a dramatic play by August Wilson. The production was held at the Union Square Theater. The house has a very pleasant, cozy, and warm atmosphere. The structure of the small theater and its thrust stage successfully achieves intimacy. It also creates a bond between the actors and the audience, enabling the audience to relate to the characters' feelings and emotions. In other words, the house was perfectly chosen for the production.
The production was created very cost-efficiently; at least the set was. It accomplished that by using a constant set throughout the entire show. The design of the set was very simple and consisted of inexpensive props that were on stage from the beginning to the end. Characters brought small props onto the stage, like a cup of coffee, a magazine, even a gun. But that wasn't enough visual stimulation. Watching the same settings for two and a half hours can make the spectator very tired and bored. I can't say that the set didn't serve the production's purpose, but it could have been better. In order to keep the spectators interested and capture their absolute attention, a variety of visual stimuli have to be introduced into the production. The constant set and lack of visual effects made the show dull and less exciting than it could have been.
The show tried to introduce some kind of change to the set, by the use of lighting. Donald Holder, the lighting designer succeeded in achieving the perception of change from day to night and sunrise to sunset. But his greater accomplishment was the setting of the light in a certain way to establish the mood of the scene. As in the scene where Youngblood went to sleep on the sofa of the jitney station, the red-hot lights that illuminated the set portrayed a feeling of resentment and anger.
The costume designer, Susan Hilferty also did a remarkable job designing the costumes. They incredibly represented...