“Is the day so young?”, I crack groggily, ironically beginning my day the same way I have begun every other day this past month— saying my lines out-loud, reviewing them before our 10am show. By the time I’m out of the shower I’ve finished my first Friar Lawrence scene. Quickly, I throw my clothes on and cram some Eggos down my throat while I continue running the rest of Act One. I arrive at the theater a couple minutes before fight call while washing down some Ibuprofen with a Diet Dr. Pepper and mumbling to myself “thus with a kiss I die.” My first physical activity of the day consists of ramming my shoulder into Tybalt’s midsection and diving face first onto the floor a couple of times and hoping that the two of us don’t hurt ourselves. I shave, put on my costume, check my props, and cover my alabaster pale face with bronzer. I walk up to the green room and have a brief conversation with Eeyore while Kanga (from Winnie the Pooh) adjusts her pockets on her skirt. The surrealness of the situation forces me back to my dressing room. I spend the rest of the time in idle conversation with Mercutio and hope the caffeine will kick in soon.
Here are some glimpses of the show:
• The kids scream in joyous glee in the anonymity that the first blackout affords them.
• Standing in the vom, I hear Benvolio tell my parents he sees me approach.
• I can’t get this stupid prop in my pocket during this line.
• Running down the hall, stripping my clothes off, to my dressing room to change costumes
• I have to wait for the kids to quiet down so I can get out “peace peace Mercutio peace”
• Wow, I’m doing the balcony scene
• Joking around with Friar Laurence before our entrance to the marriage
• This moment coming up never works, I’ve an idea
• Here it comes
• It didn’t work
• Sorry kids, Mercutio’s dead, the show’s a bit of a downer from here
• Breathe Avery, it makes the lines come out a bit easier
• Ha-ha, look at Juliet wail about me banished
• Crap, there’s my cue to wail about being banished
• “I hate you,” I say to Juliet, who is responsible for me being shirtless in this scene. She laughs, I give her an obscene gesture, then I open the shutters and the kids lose their minds.
• This line always makes me sad.
Turns out banishment isn’t too bad-- I change clothes and switch out my props, grab some more water and pick up where I left off in my book. Opposed to the monitor silence that I had during intermission, I am forced to listen to Act IV over the monitors. Try as I might I can’t focus on my book with Juliet and the rest of the Capulets shouting through the speakers. I try to turn off the monitors, and then get nervous that I’m going to miss my cue to enter for the final act. “Romeo,” Juliet shouts, “Romeo!” to which I shout back “what?” at the speaker. I laugh a little at my stupid joke and try to continue reading over the noise of the play.
• Did I say that line right, I think I put the stress on the wrong word, ba duh ba duh ba duh, no it scans.
• Dagger on right side, check, got wallet, letter in back left pocket, yes, poison in right pocket: ready to die.
• Please kids don’t giggle during the death scenes
• Uh-oh, which hand is the poison supposed to be in
• No, no, Juliet, don’t roll me over yet, great, I’m falling off this thing
• I wonder if they can see me breathing.
It never occurs to me that I play Romeo until the Prince says his final lines “For never was a story of more woe, than this of Juliet and her Romeo” As the lights fade to black, I grab Juliet’s hand, slumped by mine, and am comforted when she squeezes back.
To be continued...
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