By Katie Webb
The songs of Pink Floyd, commonly characterized as psychedelic or progressive rock, have captivated the senses and opened the minds of music enthusiasts all over the world for decades. Band member Roger Waters wrote a screenplay based off of the lyrics of their album “The Wall,” which was turned into the 1982 film, “Pink Floyd The Wall.” Merging together live action and animation, this musical film, directed by Alan Parker and illustrated by Gerald Scarfe, uses mixed media to portray the fictional life of Floyd. The film revolves around his character, a rock star who struggles to break down the metaphorical wall he has built up around himself, alienating himself from everyone in his life. Both the film and Pink Floyds music profoundly inspired Hofstra student Paul Tiesler, so much so that it inspired his senior practicum.
The debut performance was held at the Spiegel Theater on November 30. Staying true to the artistic edge of the film, Director Tiesler projected choice graphic and evocative scenes from the film as a backdrop to the acting. The musical begins with twelve figures silently walking onto the stage and posing in statuesque, albeit almost dejected, forms. All the figures are dressed completely in black, with the exception of the mother who is symbolically dressed in red to stand out. In a Tarantino-esque style, the plot starts at the end with rock star Pink unresponsive, presumably passed out from a drug overdose, or even dead, in a hotel room. Then the plot jumps back to the adolescent years of Pink’s life. Chris Wentworth played Pink, a demanding role requiring him to express a range of emotions from withdrawn to psychotic to delirious. He played the part masterfully, transforming throughout the play from a boy so suffocated by his mother’s overbearing presence that he literally falls to the ground in coughing fits, to a famous singer who attacks a groupie in a deranged state. Adding to the depth of the role, Wentworth sings in a chaotic tone with disturbed bulging eyes, and even goes as far as to mockingly deride the audience.
The rest of the cast also greatly enhances the drama of the story, playing small essential figures in Pink’s life that lead him to his psychotic break.
By far, the most interesting part of the piece is the juxtaposition of the film clips and the live acting. Anyone who has not seen the film would most likely be a bit confused by the adaptation without the clips. However, for example, when Pink is alluding to the absence of his father, the backdrop of war combat explains to the audience his father died as a soldier. The scene of a man drowning in what looks like blood and the deformed cartoon characters, in particular, intensify the mood of the play, giving it an eccentric, almost grotesque vibe.
Another high point in the musical, of course, is the music. All-time classics like “Another Brick in the Wall,” and “Is There Anybody Out There?” are two of the most powerful songs. They are performed as Pink realizes the adults in his life are trying to control him, and that everyone has abandoned him. The recurring themes of isolation and alienation in his life are the key factors leading to his mental break down. All in all, this musical has an impressive cast of actors, a dedicated production team, and an exceptional selection of music.