Critique of One Flew Over the Cuckoo?s Nest :: essays research papers

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest is hilarious and very enjoyable. It deals with several men patients in a psychiatric ward in Oregon. The majority of the play is extremely funny, however, it does have its serious moments. Its themes and ideas are clearly shown, which may help the viewer in relating it to his/her own life. The actors and actresses did a great job depicting their characters. One of the main characters was Chief Bromden, played by Cliff Williams. He not only a main character, but also the narrator of the play. The actor played him very well because the features of the actor were the same as the character in the play. He was tall and dark, resembling an Indian which chief Bromben really was. He is very paranoid as he tells the story of his life and sanity. He is also constantly being bullied by the assistants that work in the ward. They think he is deaf and dumb; however, he really is not. Towards the end of the play, he becomes stronger and is able to escape from the ward. Another important character is Randle McMurphy, played by Aren Chaisson III. He is loud, obnoxious, rude, and not afraid to tell the entire truth. He also tends to make sexual and degrading comments to women. Throughout the play he tries to make Nurse Ratched lose her temper. He even has a bet going with the rest of the men in the ward as to when she will lose it. The actor truly portrayed McMurphy well. He was loud and annoying. His appearance also seemed like what McMurphy’s probably was. The actor also made it clear to the audience that McMurphy is not actually crazy. Stacy Searle played Nurse Ratched, a very stern and army-like nurse. She appears very cold when she comes into the play, however, she softens up when the rest of the patients come out. She is very controlling and demanding. The actress that played her did a very good job. She was stern and mean, with a soft side too. She also physically looked the part. She was big- boned and big-chested. She had many characteristics of someone in the army. The set/setting was all around what I expected. It represented the play very well. Whenever Chief Bromben would speak to himself, the fog would come out with a red light. This showed that he was thinking to himself.