Trifles: Developed Cast – Viola Davis as Mrs. Hale the Protagonist

Viola Davis can in a way act as Mrs. Hale the protagonist, as she is an individual who will not in any way put up with the mistreatment that some of the women are facing. In the play, the women such as Mrs. Hale have to put up with a lot of sexism and there is no doubt that Viola Davis will not in any way put up with the continuous harassment.

Jennifer Lopez as Mrs. Peters

Mrs. Peters is the wife to the Sheriff, which implies that she is expected to honor and have total respect towards the law of the land. However, she helps Mrs. Hale to cover the crime. In my view Jennifer Lopez can perfectly play the role of Mrs. Peters, as she appears to be the kind of individual who can help in covering up wrong doings.

Gabriel Match as George Henderson the County Attorney

In the play, Mr. Henderson is the County Attorney who is working towards unraveling the truth behind what has happened. He comes out as someone who is willing to all out to ensure that he establishes what truly went down and one individual who can effectively carry out that task is Gabriel Match. This based on the fact that Mr. Match always comes out as an individual who is willing to do all he can possibly can to ensure that he gets the bad guys behind bars.

Harry Lennix as the Sheriff

Sheriff Peters comes out in the paly as someone who is confused and does not know the best way to proceed with the case. As such, I hold the view that Harry Lennix can effectively carry out that task, as just as in the blacklist, he comes out as an individual who does not know the right way to manage the challenges and the threats being brought forth by Raymond Reddington.

Setting

In developing my play, I would step away from the 1916 setting and instead integrate a more modern outlook. This is largely because a more modern outlook will make it easy for the audience to identify the main arguments of the play. This implies that instead of the outdated furniture, more modern materials will be brought into the scene with additional luxuries being introduced as well (Glaspell, 2010). In the modern world, a lot of individuals are finding comfort in attending to their animals given that dealing with other human beings is quite problematic and the relationship that Mrs. Hale has with her cat can equally be identified with.

In addition, I hold the view that one of the main reasons why cracking the case appears difficult for the police officers involved is the fact that the old setting made it easy for Mrs. Hale and Mrs. Peters to easily get away with the murder that they committed. As such, a more modern setting will make it easy for the Sherriff and the County Attorney to re-construct the scene and bring the culprits to book (Stanislavsky, 2013). At the moment, a lot of technological advancements can help law enforcement officers in handling tight cases and I am convinced that in a modern setting it will be difficult for the crime that has been committed to be hidden from the law enforcement agencies.

Central Moments

The defining moment for Mrs. Hale is the fact that she actively takes part in the murder of her husband then pretends that she did not do it. She goes ahead and hides the evidence from the authorities, which infers that it will be difficult to unravel the truth behind the crime. As such, it is important for Viola Davis to approach the role with honesty; as such a strategy will ensure that the audience understands the pain that she is feeling.

The defining moment for Mrs. Peters is the fact that instead of reporting the crime, she went ahead to help her friend hide the evidence that would have linked her to the murder. This is quite unrealistic given that she is the wife to a law enforcement officer, which implies that she should be the one helping with unraveling the truth (Glaspell, 2010). In taking up the role it is important for Jennifer Lopez to exhibit a lot of loyalty, as by her own standards loyalty to her friend supersedes everything.

For the County Attorney, the defining moment is the fact that he is unable to figure out the truth behind the death of Mr. Hale. He knows that the perpetrator is within but is having a hard time piecing the pieces together. Gabriel Match should therefore approach the role with seriousness and the desire to get the job done (Stanislavsky, 2013). In addition, he should be on the lookout for the reactions of the suspects, as with keenness an individual will be in a position to identify who is truly behind the crime.

References

Glaspell, S. (2010). Trifles: A play in one act. Los Angeles, CA: Baker's Plays.

Stanislavsky, K. (2013). Building a character. Place of publication not identified: Read Books.

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