"Mere puppets they, who come and go
At bidding of vast formless things
That shift the scenery to and fro,
That motley drama!--oh, be sure
It shall not be forgot!
With its Phantom chased forever more,
By a crowd that seize it not."
-Poe
'Twas a long and arduous week, the likes of which E3 had ne'er seen. After beginning on Monday last (which seems a lifetime ago) for our second-to last rehearsal at Uphams Corner, we spent Tuesday afternoon loading all of our theatrical trappings into the two conveyances that comprise our caravan: our dun-colored 15 passenger van and the hulking white Ryder truck.
Being the final company to depart from Boston, it is our unfortunate lot to get stuck with the leftover equipment. This extends to our vehicles as well. We had hoped to tour the countryside in sharp-looking machines emblazoned with 'Chamber Theatre Productions', to announce our purpose to all those we trundle past. Sadly, such is not the case. We are left with a non-descript, dust-colored van and a 26' monstrosity clumsily labeled 'Ryder'. This gives us more the look of impoverished college students who are moving across town, rather than the stunningly talented and honed virtuosos we really are! But my friends, fear not; we are already putting our creativity to the task of customizing our transportation (or in the lingua vulgare: 'pimping our rides'). Look for details and pictures coming very soon . . .
Thus we bid farewell to Uphams Corner and moved into our new home, the grand Chevalier Theatre in Medford, MA:
There is a special kind of magic that arises from the transition of a rehearsal hall to a theatre space. You start to feel and fill the space more fully; it informs the way you move, the way you relate, and your attitude to the work is completely different. Things begin to fit together . . .
. . . and then tech rehearsals begin and everything falls apart. Our case was no different.
The first real surprise is seeing everyone in costume. This show is particularly intense because we all play so many different roles, and thanks to wigs and costumes, look radically different from scene to scene. Since none of us had had a chance thus far to see one another's costume pieces, every entrance during the tech rehearsal brought an almost cartoon-like surprise effect upon seeing each other for the first time. All of a sudden Brent had outlandish mutton-chops, or Peter appeared with a belly and a mustache. The wigs also helped to push our hilarity to the absurd, and each scene brought out some new outrageous hairstyle.
We spent most of Thursday and Friday running the show and adjusting to our costumes, wigs and makeup. The biggest adjustment for the men has been dealing with prosthetics and faux facial hair.
Mustaches, sideburns, mutton chops, mustachios . . . name it and we've got it in the show somewhere. Everything from Charlie Chaplin to the full Abe Lincoln look makes its way on stage at some point. On top of this I get to wear a fake nose for the role of Ichabod, which absolutely refuses to stay affixed more than twenty minutes. It's become a game to see how long I can go before it oozes off my face.
Brent and Peter were having similar shenanigans with their facial hair. At the top of the show Brent walked out in his inspector outfit for Tell-Tale, and got about three words out before Peter and Kate's giggling and general hilarity broke the moment. We had another such incident in Monkey's Paw that day, which consisted of dueling mustaches. I entered as the Factory Man to deliver the news of their son's death, and none of us could keep a straight face as my mustache began flapping while I spoke. In trying not to laugh at me Peter stiffened and his started coming off as well. We got about three more lines out before it all fell apart.
You might be wondering why none of the facial hair and prosthetics were sticking to our faces. The answer is simple, though not very genteel. To begin with the theater is not air-conditioned. Add theatrical lighting, nerves and heavy period costumes, and our sweat glands are pumping like Niagra all the time. By the end of the first act, any one of us could give those slugs from the party last week a run for their money in a slime trail contest. Oh yeah!
Saturday afternoon was photo call, which meant even more elaborate wigs and makeup than normal. So by the time we got in front of the camera we all looked like a million bucks, and spent the next four hours making faces and improvising scenes to get the right looks for the promo material. By far the best was when Brent and Meg had to do shots for the Necklace. Brent was whispering constant taunts into her ear while she had to face out and pretend to love every moment. Brent didn't hesitate to antagonize her every way he could think of:
Brent: (sotto voce) "Everything is so beautiful . . . except for you"
Meg: (barely audible) "I hate you"
Brent: (sotto voce) "What a lovely necklace! It looks terrible on you, but the necklace is really lovely . . ."
And so on, and so forth. The best part was, that it continued for close to five minutes. One more notch in the belt for Brent, and one more axe to grind for Meg.
In other news, there was some excitement in my neighborhood last week. I got on the train Friday morning and the headline read as follows:
"Shooting Steps From T Station--One injured, three arested in latest bout of violence."
-Hrm, thought I . . . sounds like some violence went down. Wonder what unfortunate part of town that was taking place in?-
Imagine my surprise when I read on and noticed the T station mentioned was Forest Hills, the exact one where I had just boarded. The article went on to explain that a shooting had taken place on Woodlawn avenue the previous day, in broad daylight at 2:00 pm. Why did I find this so troubling? Because Woodlawn is the street where I currently reside. (!!!) Here is a copy of the picture from the paper, with a bit of flavor text:
Needless to say the excitement has been at a premium here in Boston. Add on top of this the fact that Red Sox won their division, and Beantown is really going crazy. Personally I'm not too worried though, because while strolling through the park yesterday I found a chestnut on the ground. According to Ze Germans, the first chestnut of the season brings good luck to the bearer; so no worries folks, for the moment I'm benefiting from the Universe's good graces. :)
Its been an exhausting week of meandering moustaches, lightning fast costume changes, interminable tech rehearsals and general on stage shenanigans. Off stage Kate received a visit from her Beau this weekend, and was otherwise engaged. Brent spent an idyllic day off picking apples in the countryside with his ladyfriend; MightyMeg hit the gym and then vegged out with a fun flick. And Peter munched on white bread and ramen while trying to avoid the spider lady downstairs and simultaneously keeping the creepy alive . . .
So we conclude our last weekend in Boston. This week we gear up for a final barrage of dress rehearsals, load outs, tie-downs, cross-checks, etc., heading out Saturday for the open road and the wilds of Delaware. On the verge of departure, we will hopefully abscond with the approval of the powers that be, and sally forth into the next phase of our journey!
Rambling On,
ICHABOD
No comments:
Post a Comment