So many things go into creating a character. Most people think that they themselves are different enough for any character, and sometimes creating a character is more difficult for the kind of character you have. Maybe the character is just like you, and you can just do and say whatever you want, you're repeating these lines so it's not like you're saying what you would normally say. But after playing a 12 year old, I've gotten so many great compliments on creating Randolf, the young boy in "Bye Bye Birdie" who needs the attention from his father and the love of his parents.
In the beginning of this play, I was so embarrased from the solo in the "Kids reprise" song, and was so quiet while singing, but tonight I got a little reward for what I've done. The teacher talked about somebody who sang in his basement, needing privacy, practicing, and then gave me the reward. I was shocked. My parents were proud. But yeah, it was like winning the Oscar or something, except it was a piece of wood with a bird glued on it. It was awesome.
But I'm gonna talk about my character that I've had so much fun playing. The first night, I didn't get any laughs, but I didn't really feel the laughs until much later when everybody came up to me when the cast was lined up for the audience to see. I felt so good about myself.
First of all, the hair. I had planned on doing my comb-over since I got the role. I didn't actually do my hair like that until the performance nights, surprising everyone. My part, in my hair, is on a different side than most people, I believe. Also, little boys don't have hair hanging down in front of your face, so I gelled it back, a style which I really don't like on me, but hey, people agree that it makes me look younger.
For the scene in which my family comes in from grocery shopping, there were several days in a row where I had nothing and just put my hands together and acted like I was carrying something. Finally, one day, Ben asked me what I was carrying, because it didn't look like anything because my hands were rounded. "Umm...a canteloupe." Ben laughs everytime he sees the canteloupe, because my mom bought me one for the actual performance.
In that same scene, the teacher wanted me eating something while everybody around me is talking. Kind of like last year, as the Bishop, who was always eating a fruit. I don't know who thought that the teacher had some fetish with me and eatin. This year, I'm eating about 10-15 saltines within a few minutes with no water. Apparently it's funny, although I've never thought any of it was funny, except when I meet the people backstage when I get done with my scene, and they laugh at me.
The comic book I read was originally going to be one of my dad's, which might have actually been from the 1950's. Instead, I had a comic book that, on the cover, had Batman being eaten by a dinosaur. In the book, it shows how Harvey Dent became Two-Face. So I get to read that on stage while Mary is singing her "How Lovely to be a Woman" song, which is so great. That's my first scene as Randolf, and I'm just there, no talking, much like my saltine scene. But my second scene includes a couple of lines from my character, including "Oh, I hope you don't mind, but I cut out the stories on Conrad," which is after I hand the paper to Ben, who opens it to see most of it cut out. That always gets a laugh. All I did was cut out all of the color pictures from it.
Ben sings "Kids" before I do, and he's asking for a weapon because he's going to go "shoot" Conrad for taking his daughter away. I run off and then slide back out to say "Here's your pea-shooter, pa." That line changed to "Here's your water-gun," but Ben didn't have a water gun, and I didn't have one either that was good for the 1950's. So he brought in a hammer and a monkey wrench and let me decide. The hammer was so cool, and that was my first choice, so everybody expecting that line in the audience (the teacher only), was expecting the hammer. But Ben's line "What am I gonna do with a ____" would have been too dumb if it was a hammer, because we know what to do with a hammer. The monkey wrench got huge laughs every time.
The voice was quite easy, I just made my voice higher. At first I was really worried about how my character would seem to other people, because I might sound gay, but sometimes what you do with your body gives signals more than what you say. So I moved around a lot, got into stuff on the set, like the saltines. A lot of people don't change their voices, but last year I had to have an english accent, and this year I was a child. Both who eat in the play, when nobody else does during any performance.
The wardrobe was kick ass with the 50's clothing. My favorite costume, what I wore on Thursday to school (like the rest of the cast who wore costumes), was my cordoroy pants with my cordoroy jacket. It is very cool, and most everyone liked it. People compared me to Kelso from "That 70s Show" before Fez from that show. I liked wearing it, it was tight.
For my other characters, the billboard sign guy, who put up the sign "Conrad Birdie DRAFTED," key to the plot, wore overalls, which I don't like. My cordoroy suit was actually only worn in one scene during the play, a dance scene in which I'm not Randolf, but Randolf wears everything but the jacket. The mad guy in the train station waiting for his train was in the background and didn't really have anything to do with the main plot, but filled in spaces for the "American Boy" scene. He wore a huge leather long coat and a matching leather hat.
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I'm on the verge of tears right now, thinking the play is all over. Last night the play was cancelled because of the stupid weather, but that was for the best because we get to do the play again next weekend. I love this play, and if I knew it was going to be this much fun, after all that hard work, I would have voted for it. The set is amazing, but mostly, the actors. I love everybody I've worked with because it hasn't ever felt like work. I'm so sad that it's ending. Without Drama class, I am now in Government, which is a class that will kill my GPA, I'm afraid. No it won't, without drama, I'll have a lot more time to do dumb school work. I'm not even that excited for Video Production. I need funny skit ideas. "Celebrity Jeopardy" would be cool, but the actors gotta be funny.
Oh God, please let there be more than this to look forward to. Next weekend I'll be seeing my drama friends again because of the play. Wow, this has never happened before, a play going on a week longer than it should be. At least we're not performing everynight, that'd kill me.
I can't believe I'm saying this, but I might do the class for a whole year next year, just because I can't stand not being in it. Drama is my life, which is quite surprising when there's Video Production. I just don't like that class sometimes, because the people in it suck. Doug's awesome, Robert's awesome. Chelsey's been hangin out with the upperclassmen more recently, but it's all good. Our new groups suck, at least for me. At least Chelsey's in the group, but it's group C, which labels me as C-grade work. When I was with group A, I didn't do too much because I wasn't friends with the people, even though I got along great with all of them. I didn't know what was going on.
That last part was boring rambling, but I hope you didn't think the character part was boring. If you are interested in drama, think about your characters more.
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