AYLI, rehearsal 29: 4.2–5.4

The set, after set crew on Saturday.

4.2 (DEAD DEER)

This scene is such a nothing scene that I cut the set change between 4.1 and 4.3. Pretty simple: the guys come roistering on, Jaques jollies them into a song, and they leave singing the song. What could go wrong?

4.3 (GOOD OLIVER)

The scene begins (after some whining by Rosalind) with Silvius delivering Phoebe’s letter. Two awesome things tonight: Mariel mimicking Julia’s hillbilly accent when she reads the letter, and Chas’s incredibly funny — and sad — collapse as he realizes what a chump he is.

Chuck finally achieved what no actor has been able to do in this production: he got me to tell him to tone it down. His and Embree’s hijacking of the scene for their own meet-cute moment is something that we’ll have to keep an eye on as well.

5.1 (WILLIAM)

This scene is fine. Fine tuning on the physical comedy continues as needed.

5.2 (THE SET-UP)

Other than some forgotten blocking, this scene works as advertised.

5.3 (LOVER & HIS LASS)

This scene has got to be a lot livelier — at this point, the night is getting long and we’re ready for the happy ending, so the interlude has got to be entertaining and energetic.

5.4 (ENDING)

I have to take a good look at the blocking in this scene. There seems to be a lot of clumping and blocking, and that’s my fault. “Hymen’s Entrance” into “Juno’s Hymn” is still not working yet, but we’ve only been through that once.

The final slo-mo dance also needs some slo-mo detail, and that must come from the joyous details that the actors need to start faking in the regular part of the dance. Mariel claims that the slo-mo is not long enough for the Epilogue, but if she says she can’t breathe, I suppose I have to add more time to the slo-mo. Sheesh, actors, whattaya gonna do, amirite?