The rules for this play as with any
other are initially set by the author but car carried out by the director,
actors, and designers. Although Gerstenburg may tell the reader that
Harriet and Margaret never see or tough Hetty or Maggie it is up to the
director and actors to carry out this plan and to convey it to audience
members. For example when the stage
directions read that “Maggie reaches claws out for the cake but her claws do
not touch the cake,” and “Margaret with a graceful hand places a cake upon her
plate.” These directions could be very
helpful for an audience to visually grasp the rules for the world of this play
for Hetty and Maggie, versus Harriet and Margaret. There are some aspects in the text that are
questionable and would probably be better understood played out on the
stage. For example at times it is unclear,
excluding the ending, as to whether Maggie and Hetty can hear each other. There are moments when the stage directions
have Hetty or Maggie addressing the other but there is no notion as to if the
other can hear the speaker or response to the biting comments they make at each
other. Because these details are obscure
it is then dependent upon the director and actors to solidify the rules of the
world for this play and to convey them to the audience in a cohesive production.
