Graffito Mystery

writing on the wall
c80 or c&o?
under raking light


A great reading night last night. Still Goldoni, of course. Read at speed, as it should be played, it is a highly entertaining play, though the argument is extremely simple.

I was very happy on two counts. The first reason is that I came up with an idea to solve a conundrum: there are not enough comedians to fill all the roles and every one of them will have to play more than one character. Massi had decided that a simple item of clothing/accessory would signal the change of character to the audience. Perfect as long as you have a little time between your appearances onstage. However, Pierre-Yves plays two of the main characters and although they manage to stay clear of each other during most of the play, they are onstage together at the end! After a longish talk about recasting and even giving up on the play altogether, I told myself "why not go completely crazy?" and suggested that PY should alternate between the two characters while remaining onstage, ie donning the corresponding items of clothing/accessory in front of the audience's very eyes! Massi pondered for about two seconds before pronouncing this a brilliant idea, very Commedia dell'arte. :-)

The second reason for my happiness is that, although I will of course not feature in the play, I will still be part of the cast. "But how?" you may wonder (or not!). Well, Massi wants me to play the capocomico, ie the leader of the company who presents the comedians and their characters, the argument of the play... Needless to say I'm delighted. Not only because it means I will get to play with my friends again, but because it means that although I am leaving, they still consider me a member of the company.

Oh, and I have a third reason (which is actually the first, but I'm telling of it last) to be happy: I'm driving to Brittany again on Friday - to J's dad's, where J's been staying to help him. We've been apart for more than two weeks...