This, I suppose, was our first proper rehearsal. Five people were called, and all of them were there, all of them on time. And, especially for a first rehearsal, it would have to be called hugely successful.
First, however, I did have to endure a certain amount of angst. The idea was that there would be enough copies of the script so that everyone could have one. In the event, I had just one copy, of Act One alone. But both the scenes I wanted to rehearse were in Act One, so that had to be considered a bonus. And technology did come to my aid, as all of them were able to take a photo of their scene.
As it happened, for the first scene, between Lord Capulet and Paris, this was scarcely necessary, as both of them pretty much learned their lines instantly. It is a short scene, admittedly, but even so, to have both of them off-book in a scene they had never seen before was a real bonus. And we not only got the scene blocked, we were able to run it through a few times, with it visibly improving each time.
For another bonus was the presence of Khushi, who had translated it into Nepali from my English cut -down adaptation, and is now also acting as Assistant Director. For she was able to take people away to run through one scene, while I could move on to direct the other. Not only did this mean we got twice as much done in the time, it also meant just about everyone was kept busy, which is always a good idea.
The other scene was the first one between Juliet, her mother, and the nurse. Rather more complex, in that it is that much longer, and having three people on stage is that much trickier to block. But all three did a great job. Juliet displayed real teenage angst, her mother comes across as very much the bored housewife, desperate to get her daughter off her hands, and the nurse is genuinely funny. Thery were not able to learn it all, but we made serious progress. Like I say, a successful rehearsal.
My big anxiety now is Romeo. Throughout Deepak (who looks perfect for the role, and I know to be a good actor – he was the hero in the short play we took to Lucknow) has proved remarkably difficult to get hold of, not answering his phone or responding to texts. When we have tracked him down, he has assured us that yes, he is fully on board, and for a time I am reassured. Only for the same thing to happen the next time we need him. Ho hum. He is called for tomorrow’s rehearsal, with the Montagues, so we shall see.
