Imogen Farris, Staff Writer
Just as main character Raina refers to her Swiss companion as a chocolate cream soldier, If I could turn the play “Arms and the Man” into a chocolate cream soldier, I would. Kennesaw State University’s Department of Theatre and Performance Studies put on the comedy play in the Stillwell Theater all throughout last week.
The play, written by George Bernard Shaw and here directed by Harrison Long, is regarded as one of Shaw’s most highly regarded romantic comedies. “Arms and the Man” is sweet and satisfying the whole way through. The play takes place in the Petkoff house located in a Bulgarian town in 1885 during the Serbo-Bulgarian War. A Swiss named Bluntschli, who is serving in the Serbian army as a professional soldier, enters the bedroom of Raina, a young upper-class Bulgarian woman. Raina learns about his past and that he carries chocolate into battle instead of bullets, which leads to her calling him her chocolate cream soldier.
The price of admission to the play was $20 and it was worth every penny. All of the characters were funny, witty and had great chemistry. The wardrobe department for this play should win an award for the costumes, which worked perfectly with the different personalities of the characters, such as the perplexing Major Sergius, played by the talented Danny Crowe.
A slight wardrobe malfunction in the second act couldn’t stop Crowe and his ability to make the audience laugh. Some actors and actresses have trouble showing realistic love on stage, but Devon Hales and Andrew Harrison, who play Raina and Bluntschli respectively, had everyone in the audience convinced. A communal “aw” resonated through the theatre in the final scene as Raina and Bluntschli finally admitted their love and kissed. Overall, this play was a definite success and I see bright futures for everyone involved.
