“How The Mayonnaise Works Between The Two Actors Is Very Important.”

It appears I didn’t miss much yesterday. People still haven’t presented anything new, and so yesterday Philippe did chorus work (apparently referencing Monsieur Dumas from Mélodrama too) with the class. We started with this today as well. We split into two groups,  one of all men and the other of all women. One person was the leader of each group. Philippe assigned a different piece of music for each group, and when your music was played, the leader would move/dance in a way that the chorus could follow, and they would say some text from Vaudeville whilst listening to the music. Philippe emphasised that it was to be played lightly - as if at a party. 

• It’s important to keep distance between two groups. The tension dies when they’re too close.
• Have a good voice. Listen to the music. Take your time.
• Be tall. Philippe said leading a chorus, and moving in a way they can follow, helps the actor to be tall and light.

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Katy and Duncan presented their ‘Hotel Pussy Galore’ scene again. They were trying, but it didn’t work at all. Their games are too technical, too alone. They don’t play together. And they aren’t having any fun with their games. We need to see Katy’s character love to lie to her husband. “Every woman has fun to lie.” And we need to see the cuckolded husband look absolutely ridiculous. But what they presented was “not a funny way to present a cuckold and a bitch.”

“You have to think: ‘With my body, how can I be a ridiculous cuckold?”

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“How the mayonnaise works between the two actors is very important.”

“How you play together is so important.”

“When you present something, I want to see you have fun.”

“If you have fun, we love you. You are light.”

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Mike and Ben presented the Camille and Finache scene in which Finache presents Camille with the mouth-plate that will help him speak normally again. 

The problem with what Mike presented was that we could understand the words he was saying. But “we don’t need to understand anything.” We’re not supposed to, and that’s what makes it funny. Philippe also said Camille has to be light and that Mike pushed too much. Good for me to watch from outside, because I also want to try this scene.

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Ben also presented some more writing for his Feydeau play. First, a scene between Feydeau and his wife. A flirty scene in which Feydeau tries to have sex with his wife. But it didn’t work with the play he’s writing, because we know that she is going to divorce him soon. The scene could have worked if it was set a long time ago when they were in love. But that complicates the play I think. It’s better to be set all at the later years of his life. 

Ben also presented the scene in which the wife does ask for a divorce from Feydeau. But Philippe said it is too conventional. It was a typical kind of end-of-marriage fight. “She is too ugly...She needs to be light.” He said she was from a very wealthy upper-class family, and would be more dignified than that. 

“We need a beautiful cruel scene.”