Playwright Theater in its depiction of the In the Time of the Butterflies depicts the occurrences in Julia Alavarez’s popular novel with a similar name. In the play, as first shown by Video 1, the characters provide a fictionalized account of the courage shown by Mirabal sisters. The audience in this play gets to see how these famous sisters inspired resistance in the Dominican Republic to battle General Trujillo’s dictatorial regime. The play begins with a male playwright who narrates to the audience what to expect of the play. He is then replaced by three women who talk in turns. They represent the famed Mirabal sisters.

Avid readers of the book will have noted that play took some utterances out of context because not all the words said on stage are present in the novel. It is also notable from the first video that the characters on stage due to their absorbing and gorgeous nature made the novel to spring in life. The performance of these female characters helped in reminding the viewers that despots had that aura of invincibility in them in the past. In between the swaps made by the playwrights on stages, there is some music and dance fusion that helps in keeping the act lively. It is also worth noting that play used a new media imagery that allows the observers to delve into the magical realistic journey of these sisters until they met their death.

Many other elements play vital role in this act. The scenic, lighting, and the scenic designs are the ones playing a key role in describing to the viewers the reality of things then. During the interplays, it was common to hear the song The Flowers of Santo Domingo. It helped in creating a sympathetic mood.

As one moves from the first video to the next one, a number of things change. For example, the sound is among the notable changes. In the first video, the characters use a high-pitched voice to raise their issues, especially the girls. However, the tone varies in the next video where the women appear to more submissive in the way they talk. For example, in the scene where the General appears dressed in a white military attire, the woman speaking to her appears submissive and ready to listen to what he has to say. This shows the fear this dictator had instilled in his subjects, even those who had opposed him. In fact, his subjects used to talk to him while he was seated.

In Video 3, the audience gets to see the interaction among the Mirabal sisters. It becomes evident to the viewers despite the hatred they had for the general, they could not agree on the way to deal with this ruler’s brutality. In the fourth video, the audience can barely hear the utterances made by the characters. The change in stage also signals alteration in mood of the play. It signifies that their revolt is coming to a sad end. At one point, the entire screen becomes black indicating that something bad is about to occur.

It is safe to suggest that the play from the four videos viewed brings some sort of appeal that many performances usually lack. Even though the performance does not contain many characters, the few do their job to perfection. Most of the time, the performers have to rely on their choreography that somehow affects their character development. The musicality of the performance is significant in reducing the ignominy of the play. Despite the lack of clarity witnessed in some parts of the videos, the play still serves its purpose.