♕ |[53]| The play's the thing

[had_not_lived]

Well... it looks like today's clear, so... Let's do the dress-rehearsal tonight, everyone? If that's all right... I know it's a little sudden, but with the curses...

And, as long as there isn't a curse... The performance of The Importance of Being Earnest will be this Friday, at seven p.m.!

Comments

[repeatshimself]

Break a leg. That's what I'm supposed to say, right?

But then I'll be backstage so please don't really do that because I can't actually heal very well.

[had_not_lived]

That's what you're supposed to say, yeah. Even if we don't really want any broken limbs. It's tradition. You're coming tonight?

[repeatshimself]

Of course I'm coming tonight. I'll bring Ted.

[had_not_lived]

Now I just need to figure out how to pull you in to the next one as an actor.

[Voice]

[alexis_castle]

Oh! Uhm... my Gran is here in the City now. Her name is Martha Rogers and she's an amazing theatre actress. I told her I thought there was someone in charge of plays here but I didn't know who.

I'm Alexis... Castle. Alexis Castle.

[Voice]

[had_not_lived]

I guess I am in charge, more or less, though really it's a group effort and I'm more of an actor than a director myself.

I'm Neil Perry, it's nice to meet you. It's a little late in the production to take on new cast, but I hope you and your grandmother will come to the show? And of course I'd love to have her on board for the next!

Re: [Voice]

[alexis_castle]

Nice to meet you, Neil. I love going to the theatre. My Gran has all the talent though. I'll be sure to make her go with me to watch the performance when it happens.

[Voice]

[had_not_lived]

I'll be glad to have you both in the crowd! A play's not much of a play without an audience, after all. And... well, hopefully there'll be many more to come.

Rehearsal Action;

[primrosella]

[In comes Rosella, eager and excited, with a big bag of cookies in one hand and her lovingly tattered script in the other. She's looking much more cheerful than she has been the past few days, caught up in the thrill of putting on another play with all her friends. The bruises she incurred on Halloween have been carefully covered over with makeup, and only a practiced eye would be able to pick them out now, so tonight she looks her usual self--smiling, rested, and glad.

All in all, she's ecstatic to be here, and immediately sets about bustling around getting herself into costume in preparation for the rehearsal.]

Rehearsal Action;

[no_defender]

Has anyone seen my wig?

[Alester pokes around frantically backstage. He's tenser than usual and looks like he hasn't been sleeping or eating much lately, though it's not so much that it's less than usual it's just that he's not hiding the fact well.]

Rehearsal Action;

[primrosella]

Oh, hello, Alester! No, I'm afraid I haven't seen it--isn't it with your other things?

[She frowns a little, putting her own costuming on hold to come over and help him look, which has the interesting effect of leaving her in stocking feet with one lace glove on and her hair halfway braided down her back.]

Rehearsal Action;

[no_defender]

It should be. Maybe I dropped it somewhere.

[He sighs, and runs his fingers through his now somewhat actual disheveled hair.]

action; open to whomever's at the rehersal || prose or brackets, you chose

[habitformed]

Technically, Mouse isn't supposed to be here, given that he's not part of the production proper. But he'd promised Neil that he'd be quiet and out of the way and -- in the off chance there'd be something for him to do -- helpful. His experience with literature had been limited to whatever books his father had about the house growing up, so Oscar Wilde is a bit of an non-entity to him, though Neil seems to make up for his lack of enthusiasm.

Just as promised, he's doing his best to stay tucked away so as not to do anything wrong by accident. Curiously Mouse peers up at Neil up on the stage and waves whenever he catches his attention but otherwise is silent.

action;

[had_not_lived]

The great thing about technicalities is that they don't mean much when Neil's in charge, and really the only reason Neil doesn't throw dress rehearsals completely open to anyone interested is that he's dramatic enough to want to maintain the mystery until opening night.

Neil drops off the stage to come say hello as soon as he gets a chance, grinning brightly at Mouse. Which, well, Neil's big on grinning, but that doesn't make it any less genuine.

"Hey! Anyone give you a script yet, so you can follow along?"

He won't say anything overtly about the book, which he's already paged through, but something about it has crept into his smile.

action;

[habitformed]

Neil grinning, Mouse has decided, is and always will be a good thing. He grins back, the expression half hidden by his hands as he chews on a particularly stubborn nail; with his free hand he wiggles his fingertips again, just in case Neil didn't get the last twenty five times Mouse has waved hello. Silently he shakes his head and makes his eyes large and wide, as if to ask no, should I have gotten one.

Finally relinquishing the hand with its newly ravished nail, Mouse points towards the curtains that frame the stage. "Todd," he says, explaining that the other boy was here somewhere. Not really relevant to Neil's line of questioning, sure, but Mouse felt he'd probably want to know anyway.

action;

[had_not_lived]

Neil nods at the latter, because it's not much of a surprise, still wearing an easy smile. Todd's bound to be where Neil is, or at least close, whether or not he's in the cast. He glances around and bows and stretches to grab an extra-- or at least, currently unused-- copy of the play, offering it to Mouse.

"You can glare if we get lines wrong," he says with a little teasing note in his voice.

Video

[setshimup]

The Importance of Being Earnest. A favorite of mine. Oscar Wilde. I take it you're the theatre person around here?

Video

[had_not_lived]

I hope we'll see you on Friday night, then?

I'd say I'm not the only theatre person, but... well, I guess I'm more or less the one in charge? I'm Neil Perry.

Video

[setshimup]

Martha Rogers. And barring curses, you can bet on it, Neil Perry.

Video

[had_not_lived]

I'm looking forward to it.