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.