Stage Proposal of M.L.M.L.

If I were to adapt “My Love, My Love or the Little Peasant Girl”, I would rely heavily on sounds, projections, costumes, and props to bring it to life. I would hope to use a large stage, where many levels could used- The Gods would be placed on a higher level, while the peasants and wealthy citizens belong on the actual stage. In order to show the different settings, I would rely on projections to set the background. For example, in specific rooms such as the forest (for the river scene) or Daniel’s room (when Ti Moune begins to spend time with him), I would use large projections that would cover the entire backdrop to look as if we were in those settings. Then, I would place appropriate props, such as chairs, beds, rugs, etc. to bring the set to life.

When the play takes place in the “peasant” setting (Desiree’s village) I would project fields in the background to show the climate and environment that they live in. I would fill the stage with extra actors, all wearing bleak, earth tone colors, to make it look busy and to show their socio-economic class. However, in scenes where Desiree is in the Beauxhommes home, I would have a projection of an extravagant room, with bright colors as the backdrop. Then, to make it more lavish, I would fill the stage with classical furniture, to give it an old, wealthy feeling and dress those who belong in the wealthy class in extravagant blues and whites. These are traditional royal colors of France, and because the wealthy class is French, these colors will show their heritage and wealth when contrasted with the poorer class. .

In addition to using props and projections for the set, I would use a projection of a butterfly whenever they are in the scene. That way they would be able to move around the set, and the audience would be able to spot them out. As far as colors go, I would only have the butterflies be blue because that is the color of the dress that Desiree wears when she first goes into the home of the Beauxhommes.

However, I would refrain from using certain colors in hopes to  make other objects stand out. For example, I would not use the color red for any props or costumes other than that of Papa Ge’s and the magical hairbrush Erzulie gives to Desiree. By doing this, the object and God will be recognizable and stand out amongst the scenery.

I would dress all the gods in specific colors: Erzulie in creams and oranges, Asaka in browns, greens, and golds, Agwe in blues, turquoise, and silver, and Papa Ge in electric red, black and greys. I would want their clothes to be loose on them and flowing, with the exception of Papa Ge. While he is still a god, and of equal level as Asaka, Erzulie, and Agwe, I want to portray him as an outcast (or at least that he doesn’t perfectly fit in with them). This can highlight conflict between him and the other gods, as they are constantly trying to help Desiree, while he spends his time attempting to take her soul.

While there are many ways in which I could adapt “My Love, My Love”, I would focus on these elements to give it a dark-fairytale type feeling. Using projections, a vast array of costumes and sounds would allow it to feel whimsical and unique, which the novel already is.