The Arden’s production did an excellent job of depicting a real setting. The setting definitely fit the text version of the play. The house was surrounded by “tall closely planted poplars” (act one p.5). The Arden production, though only using a few trees, made the house seem almost surrounded by forest. The stage design emulated the text almost to the letter except for a few

tasteful changes which included the addition of the first scene with Kate outside with the storm. Even the storm was highly realistic. The roar of the thunder that sounded like a plane and the gusts of the wind gave the overall experience a realistic feel. The entire backyard looked like something that could be found in any contemporary American’s backyard. The scene was lifelike right down to the chairs being positioned for conversation. The use of adding power lines to the set was also notable. The lines did absolutely nothing for the setting yet they still helped add to the look of a peaceful backyard. It is possible that they were hoping to subconsciously remind us of our own backyards. In which case all the extra features were successful in making the yard look realistic. The Arden did an excellent job of laying the veil of realism, that later, would have to be removed to expose reality.

Lifting the veil, exposes the reality that nothing is as it seems and that in fact just because the world is real doesn’t mean that it is part of reality. Nothing in fact is as it seems in this play. As the play runs on many clues are given to the reader/viewer about what the reality of the situation is. Kate seems like a nice, innocent, heart broken old lady. However, she is really covering for the crimes of her husband which she strongly suspects lead to the death of her own son. Her true colors are only shown near the conclusion of the play. The rest of the characters follow a si

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