First Read-Through

Last night, we had our first read-through of The Mystery of Irma Vep. The Director, the Producer, and other members of the Elden Street Company were there. Everyone seems intent on making the show as good as it can be, which is fine with me!

My Monday night acting class will not be a problem, as the Director has agreed not to hold rehearsals on those nights. If I've done my math correctly, the class will end just in time for the "Hell Week" of tech rehearsals, all the way through to opening night. Sweet serendipity...

A word about my co-star, Nano. The man is as pumped as I am about doing this show. I'm warning you now, this thing is going to be madcap. It's going to be a bit zany. Certainly harried at moments. But it will most definitely be fun.

There were at least half a dozen incidents last night where all assembled just broke down laughing. The script is on the far side of ridiculous, poking fun at Poe, Shakespeare, Victorian melodrama, legendary monsters, and of course, itself. I cannot wait.

There will be a ton of memorization to get through, which is pretty obvious in a two-man show. The other big worry I have at this moment is my ability (or lack there of) to keep a straight face. I don’t know how Chris Parnell does it. In the history of Saturday Night Live, he is the one cast member to never break character. I’m determined to figure it out, and I have one or two ideas on that tack, but nothing to share at the moment.

The other thing I’ll have to watch is how I use my voice. Sustained falsetto (yep, I play a woman or two) is one of the worst things for the voice, so I’ll be taking lots of Vitamin C, drinking tea, and gargling saltwater if necessary. I don’t know how gargling saltwater benefits the cords, but if it helps me from sounding too much like Harvey Fierstein, than I’ll do it.

People hear that I live in MD and drive to Herndon, VA to rehearse, and the reactions are pretty uniform. “You must be crazy/ a glutton for punishment / stark raving bughouse!” I can’t help but shrug. I like the show. The Elden Street Players have a great reputation. I get the chance to play four different people at once, something I’ve wanted to try ever since seeing the likes of Eddie Murphy and Jim Carrey do it in their movies. What can I say? I’m psyched.

I’ll do my best to keep you posted as we progress, without giving away A) the ending, B) too many of the gags, or C) any other excuses for you not to come see the show. It’s going to be wonderful.

You just have to wait for it.