the stage so that the audience can see the profiles of all of the cast members. The chalkboard is also placed at a slant so that captions could be projected during the periods of strict speaking such as when the teacher speaks. These staging choices make the show allinclusive for both hearing and deaf theater-goers and bridges the communication gaps being demonstrated in the show itself. Throughout the show, all of the performers and sets are oriented to have enough signing space and to be facing toward the crowd with enough light to be seen and properly understood. The show lends itself well to these necessities, as the sets are already “extremely minimalist, using only chairs to delineate scenes” in the original production (Miller 263). As such, the staging and choreography did not require a complete restructuring of the show as a whole. With the choreography, the show becomes a mind-blowing technical sensation. The choreography integrates constant cues between the hearing and deaf actors in order to keep both of them on the same beats and sequences throughout the show. Choreographer Spencer Liff has said he prefers to use actordriven cues that don’t draw one’s eye such as an arm movement, posture, eye gaze, or body shift (American Theatre Wing). For example, in “And Then There Were None,” there is a point at which someone on
the stage holds the railing of the bed and when that person opens their hand, Daniel Durant (Moritz) starts signing a given part. The show is filled with tiny details in order to keep the hearing and deaf actors in sync with one another. “And Then There Were None” is especially rife with cues that can be picked out if one knows what to look for. There are several occasions on which Durant is given a sheet of paper and each of those times he stops signing. When it is taken from him, he begins again in a new verse. The conversation-like structure of the song lends itself well to this back and forth as countless cast members interact with Durant and each other so that both Durant and his voice are able to stay on the same page. Liff states, “I think it’s the most complicated piece and the part that the audience doesn’t notice at all” (American Theatre Wing). The difficulty in detecting these cues without knowing exactly what to look for is a testament to just how well-designed the show is as a whole. Not only are these technical phenomena fascinating, but the goal of With the the choreography was to not only bring ASL to choreography, the show becomes hearing people but also a mind-blowing to bring music to deaf technical people, as artistic director sensation. DJ Kur has discussed. In terms of how the signs are presented, the choreography of the songs is rhythmic and fluid as it moves with what the hearing people are hearing from the band. In this way, it bridges a gap between two cultures in a beautiful way that can be universally understood (American Theatre Wing). I can’t express enough just how excited I was to find out that my favorite musical had a deaf revival. My two worlds really did collide in the most beautiful and eye-opening way
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