Dance Monkey, Dance.

When a child is born, people gather around and “ooh and aww” at the tiny new baby, and shower him or her with praises. As the child grows older, he or she becomes somewhat of a spectacle for family members and friends. A mother may tell her child, “Why don’t you sing the ABCs for the guests” or “Look how he can ride with no training wheels!” Without even realizing it, children are exploited from the time they are born. There is not an extreme difference between children in everyday life and those that graced the stages of many playhouses hundreds of years ago. As I viewed the Shirley Temple video, I began to ask myself..”What is it that makes children such a marvelous spectacle onstage?” If we break down Shirley’s character or ambiance, we automatically just describe her as loveable. She is very small, cute girl that looks even more innocent after being placed into a military suit. She is singing and dancing with her darling little voice, and the audience can’t help but have the same attitude as Nell had while watching the small players onstage. The directors, or play writes had this very thought in mind. They knew that if they put something small, cute, loveable and innocent onstage, the audience would undoubtedly be drawn to this character. It is interesting that Nell takes the boy out of the role he is playing, and comments on him as a player and not necessarily as a character. This is something that would be very interesting to explore further, because this calls into question the directors true intent on having a small child play a part knowing that this separation of character and child would most likely occur. Osborne discusses this notion in great depth, calling attention to Nell’s motherly instincts and her fascination with Rafe. Osborne points out “The most noticeable aspect of Nell’s behavior is that she treats him as a child and frequently associates him with her children”(Osborne 500). The control that Nell constantly tries to put on the players, having it her way, is very similar to the act of many mothers who coerce their children into "performing" for guests. Although much more noticeable and dramatized in this play, the concept is extremely similar.