4/30 Notes From Heidi

Per usual: Ask if confused.

RIVKAH: Pointe shoes! GINGER: black leotard for Sophie!

Act I:

Pre-scenes – gotta be on and off quicker.

SL messenger – can you take on George’s levers when you sneak up?

Sophie – Check that are between the other two in front – you were too far SR

Octave – come out a little farther so we can see you denying the messenger the tip more clearly – it’s reading right now more as you not accepting the letter. You can take a little more time with that beat.

Octave – really nice on the describing the clothes section.

Scapin – “don’t need to, thank you” – needs to be louder.

Scap/Oct/Syl – let’s get Octave a little more upstage so we can see his face more clearly as he’s reacting to Scapin telling the story.

Scap/Syl – can we go a little faster on the second half of the story? Post “woo”? I feel like the “Bullwinkle” only works if Scapin gets overconfident and starts running too fast.

Scapin – “So I could have used it against him” – articulation

Movement (esp. Maddie) – don’t forget that scheming is hella fun and we need to smile and mischievous. 

Hyacinth – stay on the piano longer. Like, take the time to pose gloriously on top of there, and then realize that Octave isn’t paying attention and hop down to try something else. 

Scapin – go back to deadpan delivery straight out to audience on “my trousers fit”.

Porters – Make sure you’re dropping it on his foot, not his cane. Obviously don’t actually drop it on his foot, but we should think it does.

Arg/Syl/Scap – much better on the beating Sylvestre.

Argante – can you stick the money pouch more into your pocket?

George – Make sure your attention stays on your characters and does not wander into the audience.

Sylvestre – lunge farther.

Ginger – volume/articulation

Sylvestre/Scapin – can you return to stage to say “I’m getting nervous?” this will get you offstage sooner so you aren’t on as much during Ger/Arg

Arg – Once you leave stage proper on exits, scuttle off without clicking your cane down – it’s loud!

Scapin – phrasing – you sounded like you came back covered in bandits.

Leander/Scapin – I think this is best your fight scene has ever been!!

Leander – play up the “ooooh, the horror of those nightmares, Octave”. Make it a nice, big, loud “Oh”.

Syl – good running through the Zamboni and on.

Leander – “Zerbinette” needs to be said a leeeetle sooner. Just a smidge.

Leander/Octave – Don’t hear what Scapin/Syl are talking about after the sword drop. Maybe your attention is on each other? Or on something else – Like Oct on his clothes and Lea on his sword?

Arg – when trying to escape Scapin’s leg grip, can you look at an audience member and mouth “help me?”

Scapin – Give George a little more breathing room for his game show music cue.

Syl – Beeeee in place on tiiiiime.

Zoe – Be careful on the table/wall!! Also, can you tuck all yo hair into the silly pirate hat?

Syl – I think you’re putting the sword belt on improperly? The sword should hang behind you, not in front. Ooooh I think it’s backwards?

Scap/Arg – when Scap goes to get Syl-pirate back, really start to go, and Arg chases him and gets in fron of him on “no! no!!” – juuuuuuust like Scap does to Arg earlier in the scene.

Maddie – you should have a nightstick too!

Scapin – let’s go more operatic/dramatic on the “signor geronte”

Geronte – We gotta do something about your money bag. It is deeestraaacting.

Geronte – “Ok. No, what I wanted to ask you…” Let’s make the “ok” more almost offended. Like “I wasn’t gonna ask about the boat, I had a different question, jeeez” time thing. And then flow into the no from that attitude.

Scapin – We gotta find a way for you to say the “foreign menace angle” line with more meaning. That line is the payoff of all the racism of Geronte. It is a satirical comment on society and the attitudes of the elder generation. It needs to be said so that anyone in the audience could understand what it meant even if they have no idea what some of those words mean.

Everyone: George’s levers have to disappear at the end of the act. Who can carry them off?

Act II:

Similarly – Who can get George’s levers back on? Movement? Who enters from SL?

Movement – We gotta see Scapin getting ready to catch Nerine before Zoe pulls him away. 

Zerb – Make the hair flip sassy-er and sexy-er! Get some hip swing in there

Scapin – Try not to make noise with the slapstick during your French (and the Cathtille) monologue – it is loud! Also – le articulation.

Scapin/Syl – communicate to Syl that he should be looking for something before he starts the 

sentence. Syl, don’t start saying your line about searching until Scapin gestures to the house and lets you know that you ARE searching.

Whyyyyyyyyyyyyy did the sack get halfway into the hedge?

Zerb – EXCELLENT pose on your entrance.

Zerb – Also perfect delivery on “oh shit”.

Zerb/Lea – Run the ring toss from the window prior to start tomorrow. Make it a HUGE DEAL. Like, this is essentially the promise of good faith as a husband that Zerb wanted. He’s PROPOSING! So let’s make it big and CHARMING!

Nerine – louder

Syl – as funny as you and the cane are, it’s too distracting from Geronte/Nerine…

Nerine – PERFECT on the second “This way”

4/26 Line Notes From Annika!

If there's just a line in quotes, ya missed it.

Act I:
pg 10 - Scapin "don't need to, thank you"

pg. 15 - Octave - there's not a "bold and firm" after Sylvestre says it.

pg. 16 - Scapin monologue at bottom of page getting jumbled

pg. 17 - skipped from "you don't want to annul it" to "nooooo"

pg. 19 - Argante's first line in scene 7 is getting lost

pg. 20 - Argante enunciate last line in scene 7

pg. 21 - Leander too quiet

pg. 24 - Octave skipping over Leander's line "I was wrong, I can admit that"

pg. 25 - Leander too quiet

pg. 27 - Scapin "just like a strong drink it leads to degradation" line

pg. 29 - Scapin "A guy who doesn't like him at all" line was lost - mumble-y

pg. 29 - Sylvestre "No, they're all dead. I don't like to hurt people" got lost

pg. 31 - Scapin missing the Signor in Signor Geronte

Act II

pg. 38 - Scapin "They're trying to kill you, sir!"

pg. 39 - Scapin "Tout alors, mon dieu" You like combining them into "Mon alors" instead.

pg. 42 - Zerb "Oh Piss" getting lost

pg. 47 - Syl - mason's hammer scaffold accident monologue all jumbled and messy.

4/26 Notes

Act I Notes

Movement – watch your arms during the first part of the Act 1 opener – some arms are getting’ sloppy.

Ginger – Stop jerking early.

Gendarmes – the 2^nd jump was in sync today!! YAAAY!!

Oct/Syl – the “he’ll reprimand me” “he’ll hit me with a big stick” “and disinherit me” “repeatedly” is not spoken over – we should be able to hear all those lines clearly – They’re not interrupts.

Scapin – Articulation!

Ocatve – hot. We’re losing the ‘t’ on “she was really hot”

Oct/Syl/Scap – Great interrupts with Oct turning around during the charades section!

Scapin – yesss thank you for bringing sarcastic “woo” back

Sylvestre – previous “marriage”. You dropped the quotes on the “marriage”

Syl/Scap – play up the butts bit in the schemers boogie more – like, take it to the point of satire and making fun of the movement ensemble.

George – pick up Hya’s theme sooner.

Arg – really push Scap out of the way and try to get at Syl.

Porters – Excellent. Fun to watch without being distracting.

Scap/Syl/Arg – Same note as yesterday – stand closer together for the repeating after each other to convince Arg section.

Scap/Syl – good doing the directing thing on Syl. And Syl – good reaction to Scap touching your face.

HENRY – ACTUALLY LUNGE AT THE FRONT ROW. ACTUALLY FOR REALS LUUUUNGE TO KIIIILLLLLLLLLL.

Gendarmes – practice the coming out of the handshake – to prevent the almost running into each other thing.

Arg – Can we go back to stupid cheerful on “that’s very true about apples.”?

Leander – Great energy when you entered! I loved the noticing Geronte by the piano moment.

Leander – Volume

Scapin – That is the best pirate captain voice you have ever done!! It is aaaaalmost there. But not quiiiiite.

Leander – Thank you. Today your energy and intensity were so much better!

Scapin – Steal George’s handkerchief.

Scapin – Please be immediately SR of Leander so when he turns around to beg you, you’re right there.

Leander – Whip around suddenly to beg Scapin. The quicker you go from being pissed as hell to begging for help the funnier it is. That being said – bring the sorrow and desperation! Pretend someone kidnapped your dog. And only this one guy could help you!

Arg – I really like the trying to bap Scap away with your cane.

Scapin – volume/articulation for the whooole lawyers are bees monologue – couldn’t hear any of it over Arg struggling.

HENRY – You CANNOT jump off the wall from the front after “I’m coming down” and the stunt-double tap out. You MUST find a way to exit back to the stage.

George – Lovely play-off for Syl!! Can it start a wee bit sooner?

Arg/Scap – don’t forget the Scapin starting to exit and Arg having to chase him to stop him bit!

Scapin – don’t call Geronte by just Geronte to his face. He would probably beat you for that. Address him by his title! Signor Geronte!

Scapin – Can you slow down the way you say “dancing girl” so that you can do the dancing girl dance for longer. Because it's a great dance.

Geronte – thank you! The 1^st “why did they boy” felt much more connected to your inner dialogue.

Geronte – “waterfront” we lost the ‘t’ in your tantrum.

Scapin – We lost your whole line in your tantrum!

Scapin – yaaaas. You said the liiiine!

Act II:

Movement – let’s run this tomorrow – Scapin/Zoe need to leave later so that we actually think Nerine is going to be dropped.

George – Opener!

Movement – Just like Act I – Sneak close during the opener so you can pop onstage the second the music really hits.

Ginger – can you start bringing your pointe shoes to run the sun section?

Zerb – “we both know how to keep attention” bring back the sexy/sassy hair flip.

Zerb – yesterday’s laugh was sooo gooooooooood bring that level of insane back!

Syl/Scap – “So Leander’s a frikken idiot….”

SCAPIN – SPLINTERS

Syl – “I’m going to give YOU ein shmakenze.” Emphasize the YOU.

Zerb – “By a Turk on a yacht” has to be louder!

Syl – I love the comical battle on your face about whether you are happy or not about what Zerbinette tells you.

Nerine – “Well, excuse me…” is where you start getting SASSY! Show us yo sass.

Octave – Can you start entering at the top of your musical cue so you get onstage sooner?

Octave – interrupt Geronte on “she’s the same…”

Syl – you’re blocking Zerb’s entrance and pose on piano… Can you skulk on the stairs after Octave yells at you?

Leander – I love your energy on this entrance!! Aaaand you need to actually slow down a tiny bit and articulate for that line – and I am SO EXCITED to have to tell someone to slow down for once!

Sylvestre – remember – you are looking at Scapin for those cues for the story about the scaffold and the hammer and all.

Leander/Zerb – You are being so very out-loved by Oct/Hya right now. You don’t have to be as.. ummm… “Demonstrative” as they are, but you do have to look like you’re in love!!

Leander/Zerb – On that note, it’s pretty obvious that you’re stage kissing for the wedding – can we move it to a one hand stage kiss? Upstage hand thumb covers the lips instead of both thumbs – looks more realistic.

George – I think we need to cut the dancing section in the ending song down a bit…

Scapin – can you stand between Nerine and Sylvestre for the final final bow?

Runthrough 4/25 Notes

Everyone: So much better today!! Thank you all for really focusing and dialing it in for this rehearsal. KEEP THAT GOING FORWARD!! Everyone remember to keep projection and articulation up – now that we’re speeding up, some lines are starting to turn to mush. Tightening the timing is more about removing the pauses in between lines than it is about making all the lines super fast.

Notes from Annika at back of house:

“Leander and Sarah consistently too quiet.”

“Argante cut off base of page two”

“Page 18 – skipped whole bit about Leander”

Missed lines –

Pg. 38 “They’re trying to kill you sir”

Pg. 39 “sacre bleu, tout alors, mon dieu”

Notes from Heidi:

Act I

George – Much better entrance! Nice sigh – we’re getting much more of the sense of who George is.

Movement – Thank you! Much better showing off of personality for the opening, especially in the facial expressions. Let’s bring that into your bodies more and really make the movement pop – energy should extend out from your fingers and toes.

Gendarmes – 1^st jump was in perfect sync – 2^nd was not.

Zoe – Ask for tip with downstage hand – we can’t see the upstage one.

Octave – Can we add a noise of shock and outrage from behind the closed door – we hear your reaction to the news in the letter before we even see you.

Syl/Scapin/Octave – Timing and interrupts in the first two scenes are a lot better.

Syl/Scapin – Great reaction to Octave thinking she’s hot in grief.

Octave – Let’s speed up your description of Hyacinth’s outfit a little more and add you pretending to “model” the outfit and pose like Hyacinth would.

Syl – pinky out for the motion for “respectable family” – it’s specifically tea with pinky out. Super proper.

Scapin – I miss the very very over it “woo. You cannot woo her”. Let’s bring that back.

Syl/Scap/Oct – End of charades section should run quicker. Octave, you are so amazed that you cannot hold it in and you declare that it is like he sees pictures.

Scapin – Be more derisive – “and really, that’s all that’s worrying you two?” This is noooothing.

Syl/Scap – Make sure you are center for Schemer’s Boogie. Center is in between where you two stand. I love your little dance that you do, though. It’s cuuuute.

Marina – THANK YOU! Excellent energy through schemer’s boogie.

Zoe – You also! Good smile and arms.

Selina – I think you ended up a little cheerleader stiff – let’s get wiggley-er

Ginger – Yuuup, good.

Maddie – You had it at the beginning and then you went back to gendarmes Maddie. I like fun Maddie. Let’s keep her more.

Sophie – You were also going in and out of looking like you were having fun and not.

Syl – Instead of the “he crazy” gesture, show us with your face and body that you think he’s lost he’s friggin mind.

Scapin – “My trousers fit” straight out to the audience, amazed that anything could make those pants fit.

Argante/Syl – Gotta be closer when he’s trying to beat you. We as the audience should be slightly afraid he will hit you. That’s part of the fun. He won’t hit you. I promise.

Ginger/Sophie – Interact with each other more. Maybe Ginger starts on the wall as well and then moves to the stairs as her interest grows?

Scapin/Arg/Syl – Let’s bring it closer together when you are doing the whole ‘Scapin says a thing and Syl repeats it thing’. So Argante really has to swing his head fully up to look from one of you to the other.

Scapin – when you’re flattering Syl, can you do “chin level gaze teeth” on him the same way you both do to Octave. Direct him.

Syl – I am still not convinced that you are lunging for that poor woman in the front row – if she doesn’t jump in fright, we’re doing it wrong.

Messengers – YES STAR JUMPS!! SO CUUUUTE

Porters – love how so bored and over it you look.

Sarah – Thank you for recovering and pulling it together and getting out there on stage!

Scapin  - Perfect delivery on “she’s got a nice trunk”

Gendarmes – Much better – handshake still needs a little more practice.

Leander – Volume/Articulation. You’re in a scene with Clay, who has super-power voice, which means we’re losing you. Speak up!

Leander – Angrier on “Tell me”and after. You gotta intimidate Scapin into telling you!

Scapin - …. Well at least your nightmare voice isn’t French anymore. Now you’re a muppet. More pirate!

Geroge/Syl – I like this new timing of Syl’s theme when he enters! Keep it.

Scapin/Leander – Scapin, make sure you are SR of Leander so he can turn TOWARDS the audience and not away from it when he turns to beseech you.

Scap/Lean – struggle over sword looked better – Leander put your weight even lower – bend your knees more.

Lean/Oct – Make sure you’re not paying attention to Scapin and he’s talking to Syl upstage after the sword drop – Scapin is scheming and you are unaware at this point.

Zoe/Selina – Let’s go to youtube and find some videos of coaches helping boxers warm up. For research!

Scap/Arg – I like this new soliloquizing entrance! Argante, you can soliloquize slower so you’re not running across the stage. Pause and be dramatic. Like, bad Shakespeare ham it up.

Scap/Arg – THANK YOU for taking lunch to run this scene together, it is SO MUCH stronger and cleaner!!

Scap – When you’re body is recovered from being literally dragged down the stairs, can you throw yourself more at the ground when you grab his ankles.

Scap/Arg – Leeeeeeeeeet’s make sure we’re not throwing Argante down the stairs, k?

Syl – Love the awkward wave to the audience.

Syl/Zoe – After the tap out, Syl should step off the wall to the back, like how he got on, instead of jumping down, because otherwise the switch gets confusing.

Syl – monologue is much clearer, but let’s make it even more refined. We’ll work it on Friday – it’s still a little too slow between the lines. I believe the actual Shrek line is “what are you doing in my swamp?” - let's verify the wording before we insert it.

George – can we give Sylvestre a play off when he dances off after his monologue? Something tap-dancey.

Sylvestre – excellent when coming back onstage. Esp. the Disney channel one.

Scapin – Let’s get moooore upset when you’re “crying” on Geronte. Ham it up more!

Geronte – What causes you to ask why your son got on the boat the 1^st time? We’re losing the freshness of the 1^st ask.

Scapin – Lost the volume when you were naming the countries the foreigner was from.

Scapin – “is it about the boat sir” is your growing frustration with Geronte. Should be asked with gritted teeth.

Scapin – YESSSSSSS great losing it when you think he’s gonna ask about the boat again.

Geronte – I love the big sniff on the ground after your tantrum. It’s so very little kid.

Scapin – work on that foreign menace angle line. We gotta make it so when you say that line, the audience understands the general meaning even if they don’t understand the specific words.

Oct/Leander – when you enter with “Scapin, the time!” – have more urgency. You’re both very concerned about this money! Enter with some oooomph.

Leander – In general, your energy and intensity felt very low today. You were doing such a great job yesterday, and then it really slumped today. You got this, Ethan! You can do it! BRING IT tomorrow! =D

Act II:

Movement – We’ll make sure you have time on Friday to run the butt boogie to polish it up!

Scapin – Don’t forget Ginger’s cue line!!

Zerb – laughs in scene 1 are MUCH BETTER! Thank you!

Scap/Ger – I sincerely hope that on Friday we will have a bag so we can run this scene for real!

Scapin – Stairs.

Scapin – Thank you, your Cathtille lines are coming along nicely!! Yay for working on them!

Scapin – you can point at his house to get Syl to catch on that he should say he is looking for Geronte - it will read better than mouthing the words.

Syl – thank you for hitting Geronte – you should be hitting him from the beginning.

(Note – Clay: It looks like they’re doing a good job hitting without hurting, but please please please stop rehearsal INSTANTLY if it ever goes too far!!)

Zerb – Your laugh for scene 3 is insanely contagious and beautiful. We want to laugh just hearing you.

George – You can laugh at what’s happening onstage, just don’t look at the audience when you do it.

Zerb – “intends to kill Scapin” should be louder.

Leander – that saxophone gets better every day. Thank you!!

Leander/Zerb – Let’s make ALL the scenes with both of you have as much love and passion in them as this one, because this is a treasure!

Zerb – Make sure you throw the rose with enough force. Do we need a heavier rose?

Selina – Exit SL after giving the letter so it’s a less awkward cross.

Nerine – volume!

Geronte – Don’t look back the first time you hit Argante. Just assume he’s okay. Maybe give an impatient hand wave behind you like “Argante, stop screwing around, this is serious.”

 

Once again, ask either Annika (for her notes) or me (for mine) for clarification as needed. And again - my intention is never to hurt your feelings or belittle you, but to strengthen the show and you as a performer.