The surreal feeling that ‘this is really happening’ is
something I’m still coming to terms with, along with the idea of the
possibilities that such a show could (potentially) lead to. Rehearsals began
with the first few scenes based around the four Pevensie children: of whom I am
playing Peter.
The play begins with the four children travelling by train
to the countryside, in order to keep them safe from the war. This scene is not
in the book, but within the medium of performance it is very important to
introduce these characters, and to also take time to establish their defining
character traits; Peter as the eldest feels responsible for his siblings, and
tries to be sensible and protective; Susan is more of a cautious figure,
assuming motherly tendencies towards her younger sister; Edmund is the rebellious
one, eager to prove his maturity despite his youth; and Lucy – the youngest –
is imaginative and curious. Within all of the children there is an excitement
and eagerness to explore and discover – which is particularly showcased when
they explore the Professor’s house.
A significant obstacle that the entire ensemble has come up
against is uncontrollable laughter, this was particularly noteworthy during the read-through (which took at least half and hour longer than it should have done). This was brought about by a combination of the
delightful timely 1940s phrases (expressions such of “By Jove”, and “Don’t talk
such tosh!”) as well as deliberately gleaning alternative meanings in a lot of
the language.
Amongst these lines, some of the ‘worst offenders’ are:
White Witch: You see
those two hills? My house is between those hills.
Father Christmas:
These are your presents, and they are tools not toys.
Aslan: And, whatever
happens, never forget to wipe your sword.
In spite of the uncontrollable laughter there were a couple
of moments of sincerity where it felt really heart-warming to see the
iconographic images start to come to life, in particular the sight of Lucy
meeting Mr. Tumnus in the woods.
Even with rehearsals underway, I’m still coming
to terms with the reality of this production. It excites me for a number of
reasons; not just because of the nostalgia that comes from staging a production
of a story I grew up with, but also because of the possibilities that such a
production opens up. A story as popular as The
Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe could potentially take off, and be
performed at any number of venues, and appeal to a wide demographic. Another
possibility that introduces itself is the notion that we could stage
productions of any number of our favourite stories, plays etc.
There was a limited amount of time prior to the Christmas
holidays, in addition to the varying availabilities of every cast-member, but a
schedule was co-ordinated which meant that every scene from the play would be
covered before the New Year.
At this stage the show is very skeletal in structure, with
many scenes having only received a small amount of attention due to the time
restraints. However it is very helpful that every scene has been covered at
least once – those involved within scenes already have some familiarity with
the language and the movement, and consequently they will be easier to develop
and bring more fully to life.
There is a lot of excitement about the way everything will
look once the scripts go down, the fights are choreographed and we are able to
add costumes and set (although the set will be fairly minimal). The intention is to have everyone off-script by the time
rehearsals resume in the New Year.
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