Backstairs Billy– Week Two

On Monday morning the rehearsal photographer is in, so the full company are called. Michael is still feeling unwell, so I run the rehearsals as planned and Marcelo comes in for moral support! We recap some of the more technical scenes and work our way through Act Two. 

On Tuesday Michael is back and rehearsals continue as normal. We start working from the beginning of the play again, this time slowing down our pace and fine-tuning each moment. This week is all about adding further depth to our storytelling, delving into the back-stories of the characters and ironing out any incoherencies or confusions the actors might have with the text to ensure the clarity of each scene. Throughout the week, costume and wig fittings are plotted and on Tuesday afternoon we have an important fitting for Penelope and Luke ahead of a big marketing shoot that will take place on Friday afternoon. 

On Wednesday we carve out some time in the afternoon for me to do a readthrough with the understudies. This will be the shape of rehearsals moving forward, which allows me to get the understudies show-ready before we move into the theatre. They’re onstage understudies, which means they’ll feature in certain scenes and transitions as footmen and maids at Clarence House, as well as learning two or even three understudy tracks. 

Friday morning involves working through a big Act Two scene, which is quite fiddly logistically. I can see the actors are feeling more confident with their characters this week, with some exciting discoveries being made. As the play is a comedy, some of the pace and rhythms won’t be determined until we get in front of an audience – our dialogue with the audience will be an essential ingredient in the making of this play.

We finish the week on Friday afternoon with a photo shoot that involves corgis, wigs, hats, flowers, costumes and much more! We get to see Luke and Penelope physically transform into Billy and the Queen Mother through their brilliantly designed wigs and costumes. We then spend the afternoon getting various shots of them, which will be used for the marketing material on the posters. It’s great to see them in costume and marks a productive end to an exciting week.