Rehearsed to Death by Frank Anthony Polito

Author:Frank Anthony Polito [Polito, Frank A.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2023-02-16T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 26

After completing a full read through of the script, with Rusty assuming the role of Paul Green, Vicky released Rana and Tony from rehearsal.

The game plan for the rest of the evening? To teach our new actor the blocking for each scene in which he appeared with his onstage domestic partner, JP, playing the part of Mark Gray.

With Mrs. Marshall’s recent promotion, I became the official assistant director. I called out, secretly always wanting to do so: “Places, please!”

The actors took their positions, as per the stage directions, for act one, scene one. After permitting the men a moment to prepare, I read aloud the words that I wrote what felt like a lifetime ago.

“Sound of telephone ring as lights come up on Mark, still sitting on his bench. He checks the caller-ID display on his cell phone, answers as Paul appears.”

JP pulled a Nokia brick cell phone, circa 1999, from the pocket of the track pants he wore as his costume. “What’s up?” he asked as Mark, totally off book.

Rusty held his script in hand. To everyone’s surprise (mine included), he didn’t glance down at the text as he began acting as Paul, mobile device to his ear. “I sure do miss you. What have you been doing since I left Brooklyn?”

“Same thing I was doing when you called me from the airport.”

“Wish I was there to share your bench. How come these long weekends always seem so short?”

“We had three whole days together: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.”

As steadily as things were moving along, they came to an abrupt stop. Completely breaking character, Rusty turned to address JP, speaking as himself. “You’re not really gonna say that line like that, are you?”

JP cracked a smile, reading Rusty’s critique as a joke at first. Then the realization hit him: His scene partner was being sincere—and now he felt self-conscious. “Well, I’ve been saying it that way for over a month now. I thought it was fine.”

Rusty proceeded to lecture JP (a professional actor) on how one should give a line reading that best fits the writer’s intentions. “You say: We had three whole days together, then you list them: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.”

I noticed Rusty placed his emphasis on the conjunction. This wasn’t how I heard the dialogue in my head when I wrote it. But I kept quiet, so as not to usurp Vicky’s directorial duties. As the playwright, it wasn’t my responsibility to coach the actors.

“See, if I were playing Mark,” Rusty said, “that’s how I’d say it.”

At this point, Vicky joined the discussion. “Okay, how about we let JP recite his lines his way . . . and you, Rusty, can focus on learning yours?”

“Oh, I already know all my lines. I was just holding the script in case I went up and forgot. I know all of JP and Tony’s lines, too,” Rusty replied.

“Well, thank you for being prepared,” Vicky said sincerely.

“No problem. You never know when you might need to step in for a fellow actor.

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