Putting on a solo show is always a bold move. Sharmini Kumar’s The Princess and The Glass Piano is the true story of Princess Alexandra, a girl who was convinced she had swallowed a piano. Played by actress Stephanie Crowe, the play tells of the European princess’ life in the 19th century and dealing with her delusions.
Walking in, the audience is ushered straight into the world, with chairs and decorations appropriate to that of a 19th century manor. The stage is cluttered with props and leaves little room to move. The Princess walks in, careful not to break herself and the glass piano, piquing our interest. The audience is then plunged into a voyeuristic view of her life. It begins slowly, with the occasional German song and talk of the glass piano that becomes quite repetitive.
Numerous other characters are introduced in the course of the play – character transitions are marked by a change to red light and standing in a different place. These transitions became quite awkward as the back and forth movements in the middle of conversations constantly pulled the audience out of the imaginative world. The lack of space on the set also meant that movement was unnecessarily hindered and distracted from the scene itself. While each character was definitely very clear and defined as individual characters, the constant transitions from one character to another made it difficult for audiences to be emotionally invested.
The set itself almost seemed to exist in a separate world and was hardly used despite its almost overbearing presence. The narrative nature of the text could have benefited from more development with the props.
At the end of the play, when the princess discovers that she is in fact far less brittle than she had expected, the audience is completely on her side – and she transforms beautifully. While overall an interesting concept, the performance was not as developed as it could have been. The sounds leaking in from the café next door were also quite distracting, taking away from what could have been a much more engaging performance.
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