The Scottish Play

[essayel]

Gwent Young People's Theatre is currently rehearsing the above and it's just been one disaster after another. They are on their second Lady Macbeth, and she has bronchitis, and they scheduled the performance for next week and didn't realised until the last week in August that this is the weekend that over half the original cast goes off to take their university places. Hasty recasting and now everyone has 2 or 3 parts each.

My own little drama queen is 3rd witch and Lady Macbeth's maid in addition to her initial role as Malcolm and seems to be coping pretty well with it. She was very excited that Malcom gets the final winding up speech that ties off all the ends and finishes the play, and interested in the way they intended to do it - with the cast standing around the fallen MacBeth and Malcolms speech played as a voice over.

Today she made the recording, not long after being given a nice hot poptart to eat by a friend and burning her mouth. It took eleven takes apparently and she wondered why the director and sound man kept giggling. Then they rehearsed and played the recording and she tells me that people were on the floor and Macbeth nearly peed himself as Malcolm said, "We shall not thpend a large expenthe of time before we reckon with your theveral loveth, and make uth even with you." She's hoping they'll let her record it again because, as she said, "It'th thuppothed to be dramatic, it'th not thuppothed to thound thilly!"

So anyone fancy theeing the Thcottish Play with giggling Welsh clanthmen? GYPT manage to put on amazing shows even if they doo lurch close to disaster.

Comments

[aunty_marion]

I'd love to, but somehow I don't think we'll have time between getting cat to cattery and ourselves ready to fly out to Cyprus in OMG just over a week.

The year before O-Levels we did Scenes from The Scottish Play (it was our set Shakespeare text that year), and they cast me as the Porter. Having read Mum's (unexpurgated) edition, I wanted to have a red nose and a beer belly, and reel across the stage with a bottle in one hand, declaiming: "Three thingzzz wine provoketh...." Instead - since we were working from the 'schools' edition with all the good bits removed - I had to play him as an old man with talcum powder in my hair, and a walking stick (which I made myself, and still have!).

[essayel.livejournal.com]

The schools editions made Shakepeare hideous. It's all the bits in dubious taste that make it fun. That's a lovely keepsake to have.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

Accidentally deleted my squee of "Cyprusssss!" Have a brilliant time - oooh all that history!

[aunty_marion]

It was a branch picked up on a walk on Cannock Chase (North Staffordshire); I de-barked it, sanded the rough bits, and oiled it well with linseed oil.

[aunty_marion]

Lots of history, but we won't see much, probably - Pat's not really interested in Ruins and Museums, though Mum and I would love to spend half our time there at such places. We'll try to get at least one day of Kulchur in.

However, there will be cats.

[katbeseroc.livejournal.com]

They forgot to exorcise the evil spirits!

[metallumai.livejournal.com]

I LOVED their Wind in the Willows, and I'm sure that I'd love giggling Welsh clansmen even more! Wish I could be there.

The poptart disaster puts me in mind of when we did "Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead" in my college: Our Ophelia was a gorgeous, sufficiently ditzy little blonde, from Arkansas, with the thickest southern accent we'd ever heard. In a way it was perfect, but she cracked us up every time she opened her mouth.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

bwahahahaha!! For some reason the video didn't show up when we were talking last night, so I was a bit confused. Hugh Paddick and Kenneth Griffith are stars, bless 'em.

[essayel.livejournal.com]

I once saw Twelfth Night with Gayle Hunnicutt, from Texas, as Olivia. She kept a little of the accent but her speech was quite clear and it all worked very well.

Shakepeares hard enough anyway without having to cope with regional accents.