But for some reason, Laurey cannot openly express her feelings.
In one, a cowboy(Curly) and a farmhand(Jud)
vie for the affections of a farmer's daughter(Laurey).
But just as Laurey is ready to pledge her vows to Curly, Jud steps between them.
At least twice in the early parts of the play, Laurey behaves in quite Jud-like ways.
Whether intentionally or not, Laurey tries to manipulate both of them to suit her personal needs and desires.
Unfortunately, when Laurey awakens she immediately(mis)interprets the dream in a literalistic way,
as instructing her to choose Jud over Curly.
For Laurey, her conflicts in the play revolve around one of the most frightening
experiences of human life: falling in love.
The new production makes it easier to recognize that Laurey's dream is not about a romantic choice between Curly
and Jud.
Laurey seems utterly helpless as Jud imposes
his will on her dreamscape, turning it into a nightmare of paralyzing weakness and vulnerability.
As I have noted above,
there is nothing in the text to justify the idea that Laurey is romantically attracted to Jud.
It takes the second act of the play for Laurey to recognize her mistake and learn how to express her true feelings.
To enter into a truly mutual and loving relationship with Curly, Laurey must first deal with the problematic qualities she shares with Jud.
None of this is to suggest that Laurey is exactly like Jud in all ways,
or that we should feel more sympathy for his violent behavior.
The first scenes of the play make it clear that Laurey is, indeed, falling deeply in love with
Curly, who just as clearly loves her back.
If she yields to her feelings for Curly, Laurey will have to let down her guard
and emotionally open herself more than she ever has before.
The dream begins with a playfully sensual dance, in which Laurey revels in the pure freedom of movement
and feeling that open up to her within this imaginal space.
Second, when Laurey accepts Jud's invitation to the Box Social, her goal
is not to spend more time with Jud, but rather to provoke a jealous reaction in Curly.
When Jud rises up against Curly and violently attacks her,
pounding her with wooden logs and punching her mercilessly, Laurey is terrified that Curly might actually die under the assault.
He seizes Laurey, casts Curly aside,
and forces all the other characters to conform to his personal desires, desires that have been stoked by the pornographic pictures in his smoke house.
Laurey's angry distrust blocks her from accepting the uncertain
future of a romantic relationship with Curly, just as Jud's angry distrust prevents him from forming any kind of relationship at all.
With Curly cast as a woman, it becomes clearer than ever that Laurey's deepest conflict is not simply about sex,
but about love- the frightening, exhilarating, and transformative experience of falling in love with another person.
In a Gestalt view, this means that Laurey realizes in the dream the only way to save
her love for Curly is to take responsibility for her own Jud-like qualities and grow into a larger self that can encompass these energies without being overwhelmed or dominated by them.