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History ensemble member Nick Asbury on extreme history and remembering the moves to 33 broadsword fights...
Turning to slush
Holidays? What holidays?!
 We are engaged in performing four shows by night and restaging four different shows by day. And restaging all the understudy work as well. This is a lot of work. And my mind has turned to slush.
Since our week off, we did Henry VI Part III for the first time in 11 months on Monday morning. In the afternoon we did an Understudy run of Henry VI Part I. In the evening we performed Henry V. On Tuesday morning we did an Understudy Run of Henry VI Part II. In the afternoon a run of Richard III. We performed Henry V again. This morning we did a full run of Henry VI Part I. And this afternoon we have a Line Run of Richard II and then a performance of the same play this evening. Tomorrow we rehearse all the fights in the Henry VIs - there are 33 broadsword fights on those shows - and perform in the evening.
This, dear readers, is utter madness. Some people have taken to shouting: "EXTREME HISTORY!!!" like we're on some absurd Channel Four documentary or something. I'm also loving it.
It is extraordinary how the body acts before the conscious brain. Muscle memory kicks in and you find yourself doing and saying things on stage that I have no actual memory of before. Your body just goes stage left there and then stage right over there and upstage here and downstage there; something opens my mouth and makes the right words come out at roughly the right time. It is an out of body experience.
Mind you, we've had a few glitches in the matrix. I was saying "Nay...." to something as my character in Henry VI Part II and suddenly my mind slipped on to the Pistol motorway in my brain and off I went, saying, "Nay, rather damn them with King Cerberus and let the welkin roar!" which is from Henry IV Part II. Interesting. Geoffrey Streatfeild was warming up for Henry V at half past six last night and had a little mental blank and had to go to the props cupboard behind the audience to establish which play it was we were doing. I think he was faintly surprised and alarmed to find it was Henry V. Jon Slinger was in the middle of a Richard III speech yesterday and launched seamlessly into Richard II for a line before returning, ashen faced, back to Richard III.
It's all very exciting. And also very knackering. And we will not stop for breath now until this mad, crazy, wonderful project ends. Still the holidays were nice.
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About blogger Nick
Likes: Cricket and music. Fields and dark pubs with no music
Dislikes: Lager, crowded streets and light bars with music |
