Drinks Anyone?

Rough Crossing: Week 2

As we work through the immense amount of details Stoppard has set out for us, it becomes blatantly clear that I need to tackle one challenge at a time. Dvornichek is the herald of the show, as well as the jester, narrator and comedian. He is the cabin steward for the gentleman embarking on a crossing from Cherbourg to New York in preparation for their new show, which is incidentally not finished. Rough Crossing is in essence a situational comedy on misinterpretation and misconception with elements of slapstick and farce mixed in. My challenges with the character have come primarily thus far, from the physical aspect of the show. Stoppard has indicated that Dvornichek is on his first crossing and has not gotten his sea legs. He is then inherently swaying to and fro throughout much of the show (save a small part of the second act where the ship encounters rough seas) while trying to fulfill the desires of the other characters. The physical dichotomy of trying to keep the stumbling real while keeping a cool and collected air about him is proving very difficult. Dvornichek is a wonderfully charming character and much of his likability comes from his ability to fit into any situation. I have begun trying to downplay a bit of the swaying and focus primarily on the intentions and characterizations and leave the physical as the final layer. We will see if this proves fruitful.

I am always one for realism and am mainly focused on making things believable as an actor. There have been several situations in this show however that really stretch that threshold for me and I have been impressed so far with George's ability to intermarry both elements of farce and realism. Yesterday, we worked on one of my monologues and found a very fun aside which will give the audience a great look into the inner workings of Dvornichek the man. I don't think I would have been able to push the threshold as far had I not had the suggestion of George and his overall sense of what each character is bringing to the story. I felt very strong about where we left things and I think it will only get stronger from here.

Earlier in the rehearsal process, we discussed the look of the show. George felt very confident about his choices for each of the characters and I think we are all want to agree with him. I think as rehearsals move forward, each character is revealed through the actors choices and you begin to lose your original preconceptions about the character and begin to see them through the actor. Since this is happening already, I am very excited about what the show will look like come performance time.