Moon Over Buffalo PreviewCast got physical in 'Moon' rehearsals - Challenge, director says, was to keep play fresh despite extra preparationSunday, March 02, 2008
"I'm sort of worried,'' joked Thom Johnson. "Since I spend a good portion of the time in my underwear, I don't know how close I want the audience to be.'' Johnson plays aging actor George Hay, who - along with his actress wife, Charlotte - is touring small cities with second-rate, repertory productions of "Cyrano de Bergerac'' and "Private Lives.'' "He's been on Broadway, he's done Shakespeare, he's been in the movies,'' explained Johnson. "He never was really a great actor, ... but he still thinks he's on the verge of cracking it. That he'll get asked back to Hollywood and be a big movie star.'' "Moon'' premiered on Broadway in 1995, starring Philip Bosco and Carol Burnett (''That's something to live up to,'' said Wendy Wright, who plays Charlotte in A2CT's production). George and Charlotte battle each other backstage, and their marriage falls apart just as they learn they might finally get the professional break they've been waiting for. "They're a typical Hollywood/theatrical couple, outdoing each other in their narcissism, which is always fun to watch,'' said Wright. At one point, the couple's marital war is waged with swords, so director Jon Elliott brought fight captain David Melcher on board to work with Wright and Johnson. "It's just a silly little fight ... that's at the beginning of the play, but we've clocked many an hour working on this five-minute bit,'' said Wright. "Those swards are heavy, man - and they're telling me these are the light swords. So I've had issues with ... neck pain and weird things like that. They should have hired a chiropractor for us.'' Melcher also worked to help Johnson with his pratfalls. "Unfortunately, I'm the one that gets beat up the most,'' said Johnson. "I get my foot stomped on twice; I fall down three or four times; I fall off the stage; and I get kicked in a very sensitive area.'' Given such intense physical demands, Elliott tried to schedule more time off than usual for his cast during the rehearsal period. "I'm very conscious of the fact that a show like this is physically taxing, and it is fast-paced,'' said Elliott. "But trying to keep it fresh and energetic has not been a challenge for this cast at all, because they keep creating, and they keep interacting with each other in different ways. It's just a joy to watch.'' As is always true with stage farce, pacing and clarity is key; but Elliott feels as though his cast has already hit their stride in this regard. Jenn McKee can be reached at 734-994-6841 or jmckee@annarbornews.com. **************************** |