What are the main messages of the play Honk

Honk Reflection

The production of Honk took place on a farm with all of the characters being animals instead of people. The main character, Ugly, is born into a family of ducks, but he looks different from the rest of the other ducks, which earns him the name Ugly and a lot of name calling even from his dad. It turns out that Ugly is actually a swan and becomes one of the most handsome animals when he molts.

The purpose of this performance was to communicate a message to the audience that would have an impact on their lives. I believe that the purpose of this performance was to teach people, or remind them, that you shouldn't judge people by what they look like, but rather what kind of person they are and how they treat other people. The actors, directors, and designers had to make specific key choices in order to communicate their message to their audience effectively. One key choice that they made was to have the actor who played Ugly to be significantly taller and different looking than the other ducklings. Another key choice was to have clear changes of setting when Ugly got lost and was on his journey back to find his mom. Lastly, they made the choice to have the swans in all white, with the men wearing a very clean cut suit. All of these decisions had great effects on the way that the play was seen by the audience and, therefore, how the audience interpreted the message of the play.

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The decision to make Ugly look completely different from the rest of the ducklings was essential to the play's message of not judging a book by its cover. From the very beginning of the play, the audience can see a very clear distinction between Ugly and the rest of the ducklings. Ugly's egg is massive compared to the other ducklings' eggs and it is also discolored. Drake, the father figure in the performance, directly calls attention to the big egg and also tells Ugly's mom, Ida, that she should leave the egg to die instead of sitting on it.

Drake says this because all of the other ducklings have already hatched and are running around, another clear distinction between Ugly and the rest of the ducklings. When Ugly hatches, he looks much different than the other ducklings. While all of the other ducklings are small and yellow, Ugly is taller than his Drake and has withered grey feathers. The actor playing Ugly, Phillip Kayser, also makes the choice to walk and swim very awkwardly, much unlike his brothers and sisters. These choices earn him the name Ugly, which everyone except his mother calls him. At this point, the audience can clearly see that Ugly is much different from his brothers and sisters, and may even speculate that he is not a duck after all. These choices help the audience to see that Ugly is being treated unfairly and make it obvious that the root of this discrimination is his physical appearance.

The performance takes a sharp turn when Ugly is abducted by the cat, who intends to eat him because no one will miss the ugly duckling, further reinforcing the idea that Ugly is different and that the difference makes him a lesser person. While on his journey to get back to the farm, Ugly meets a frog who begins to reveal the message of the play. The frog talks to him about how he is also ugly and different, but encourages Ugly to keep his head up and tells him that one day they will be considered the handsome ones. Then, when Ugly saves the swan, we see his true character come out which contrasts against all of the ideas before that suggested he wasn't as good as the other farm animals.

The choice to have a clear changes of setting when Ugly traveled from place to place on his journey to get back to the farm also helped convey the message of the play to the audience. The changes in the setting of the play made the challenges and obstacles that Ugly face much more real and easier for the audience to imagine. Additionally, they can be seen as symbolism for the changes that Ugly was undergoing during his journey. The first setting was on the farm and this represented a time where Ugly was discriminated against by all of his family and friends, except his mother. As the settings changed during the journey, Ugly also changed and began to see himself for who he truly was not what everyone had been saying about him. Coming back to the setting at the farm at the end of the play represents way that everyone's attitude has changed towards him because he now looks handsome.

Lastly, the actors, directors, and designers chose to have the male swans wearing all white with a nice suit on and styled hair. This was crucial to the performance because it showcased the major change that occurred from Ugly being called ugly to the handsome swan he became after molting. It was important for the audience to clearly see the changes that took place because the rest of the characters completely changes their demeanor to him.

Even the cat was scared of him, which was especially contrasting given that moments earlier the cat had complete control over Ugly. While this major change in appearance changed him in the eyes of the rest of the characters, except maybe his mom, Ugly was still the same old swan that he had always been. The person who he was and how he treated people never changed throughout the play. Having that stay consistent while all of the other changes were occurring made the message of the play clear: a person should not be judged on their appearance, but rather what lays inside of them that really makes them who they are.

These choices that the actors, directors, and designers made were crucial to effectively communicating the message of the performance to their audience. Having Ugly be so different physically from the rest of the ducklings and farm animals set the scene for the play because the audience got to see how poorly he was being treated solely because of his appearance. The changes in setting helping the audience see the progression of the play and the complete change in the treatment of Ugly at the end of the play. Lastly, having Ugly look stunning after he molted made it clear to the audience that changes had occurred. Additionally, it helped the characters and the audience see the true colors of Ugly. All in all, the choices that the actors, directors, and designers made significantly helped the audience to see the real message of the play.

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