My Gracious Host listed a Top Six theatrical performances, which got me thinking. Sadly, I couldn’t come up with a Top Five, so here is a Top Four. Copenhagen, by Michael Frayn, with David Burke, Matthew Marsh and Sara Kestelman….
In Which Your Humble Acquaintance gives a lesson in handling a temperamental beast.
Well, and there are roughly (and inaccurately) speaking, two major schools of thought in America about acting. I tend to call them the English and the Russian school; they are also called Technique and Method, and various other names as…
One odd thing about the Vicomte de Valmont is that, for a seducer, he doesn’t seem to actually like sex very much. There are a couple of places where he mentions that he doesn’t get much pleasure from it anymore,…
Your Humble Blogger has only heard three really plausible reasons for going into acting. Laurence Olivier said that he was only ever aware of wanting to show off. Ian McKellen said that he had heard there were a lot of…
I’ve noted before that Monsieur the Viscount de Valmont has, really, only the one string to his bow, and that’s the sense that when a man falls in love with a beautiful woman, whatever he does, whatever lies he tells…
At the end of lLD, not to give the thing away, the Vicomte de Valmont dies in a swordfight. Aah. What could possibly be better than dying in a swordfight at the end of a play? The problem, really, is…
So, a couple of nights ago, at rehearsal, our Director made a decision that I had argued against, and cut one of my laugh lines. Yesterday, she called to find out whether I was in a snit about it. I…
Well, and rehearsals for lLD have begun. Again, I’m not going to do a production diary here, but for anyone who is interested in the process, here’s another note. As I was working my way through the script, trying to…
Mine Gracious Host recently referred to what he called “that most glorious of stage directions”, repeat play. I don’t know if that’s the most glorious; I have friends who would swear by exit, pursued by a bear, and I am…