AYLI, rehearsal 9: MARRYING AUDREY (3.3)

We were meant to rehearse OLD DUKE (2.1), but Mike (Duke Senior) was ill and Cliff (Amiens) has withdrawn from the show (although we did not know that last night), so there was nothing to be done there. We focused on MARRYING AUDREY (3.3) and slipped WILLIAM (5.1) in there as well.

[Yes, this means we need an Amiens as well as an Adam and a smattering of lords.]

I am making some outrageous demands on poor Amanda in her role of Touchstone: play a man, hold down “filler” scenes, and land 400-year-old jokes. Touchstone is right up there with Rosalind in terms of difficulty (albeit without quite as many lines.)

So we worked on the hat scene (“nay, pray be covered,” p.77), trying to get the timing right as Jaques is repeatedly prevented by Touchstone from putting his hat back on. It’s Laurel–and–Hardy-level timing, and we’re not there yet.

The rest of the scene flows well enough. Touchstone’s “stand-up” routine is in place, though it definitely will have to wait until we’re off book to find its feet entirely.

In the WILLIAM scene, Touchstone has another couple of those speeches so dear to Amanda’s heart, so we worked on those a bit. We compared his list of dire threats to William to John Cleese’s immortal tirade in the “Parrot Sketch.” (Amanda, start thinking of Touchstone as a comic magpie: a little Groucho here, a little Cleese there. #StealFromTheBest.)

Meanwhile, Lily’s Audrey grew flirtier and more aware of her worth as a player in the game. This may be the most empowered Audrey you’ve ever seen.

Ronald’s Oliver Martext is simple enough: an over-the-top country preacher, and Ronald nails it.

Garrick was spot on as Jaques, and Meranda’s William is such a nothing role that we really are going to have to wait until we have a set and are off book before we can really cement him as a slapstick target.