As the show starts to come together through the blocking, attention is turned to building the characters. The director works with the actors to ensure that there is meaning and honesty to the way that lines are delivered and the characters interact with each other.
In a comedy, especially with a character who is as bigger-than-life as Mrs.
Foster Jenkins, it's easy to over-do the laughs and make the characters seem more like caricatures. It's essential to find the emotional bottom to a funny play -- it actually makes it even funnier. And the people in the play need to be real people, or you just don't care about them. Florence was more than a figure of ridicule. People loved her because of her enthusiasm and obvious joy in sharing her "gifts". In fact, this play is a bit of a love story, as her new accompanist, Cosme, learns to let go of his own world-weary cynicism and actually come to love his eccentric employer. The audience needs to be able to do the same, and that requires a lighter touch.
Meanwhile, with Where the Blood Mixes ending on the weekend, work can begin on the set in the theatre. The first step is to install the circular riser, and turn it over the talented team of scenic painters, who will be creating a beautiful inlayed wood floor out of several layers of paint. A lot of this work is done over the weekend, so that the rest of the set can be installed before the cast is scheduled to move from the rehearsal hall to the theatre.
Elsewhere, over a hundred yards of curtains are sewn up, and a pair of angel wings are taking shape from welded steel and gauzy fabric "feathers". In fact, the wardrobe staff has increased for this show by four sewers plus a "buyer" just for wardrobe. It's quite the undertaking!
In a comedy, especially with a character who is as bigger-than-life as Mrs.
Foster Jenkins, it's easy to over-do the laughs and make the characters seem more like caricatures. It's essential to find the emotional bottom to a funny play -- it actually makes it even funnier. And the people in the play need to be real people, or you just don't care about them. Florence was more than a figure of ridicule. People loved her because of her enthusiasm and obvious joy in sharing her "gifts". In fact, this play is a bit of a love story, as her new accompanist, Cosme, learns to let go of his own world-weary cynicism and actually come to love his eccentric employer. The audience needs to be able to do the same, and that requires a lighter touch.Meanwhile, with Where the Blood Mixes ending on the weekend, work can begin on the set in the theatre. The first step is to install the circular riser, and turn it over the talented team of scenic painters, who will be creating a beautiful inlayed wood floor out of several layers of paint. A lot of this work is done over the weekend, so that the rest of the set can be installed before the cast is scheduled to move from the rehearsal hall to the theatre.
Elsewhere, over a hundred yards of curtains are sewn up, and a pair of angel wings are taking shape from welded steel and gauzy fabric "feathers". In fact, the wardrobe staff has increased for this show by four sewers plus a "buyer" just for wardrobe. It's quite the undertaking!
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