More Than Meets The Eye...

It was autocourse day today - we were supposed to do a scene from King Ubu, but as we were only told about it on Wednesday, none of us were ready with the text. So it was a bit of a quiet Friday. However a few people showed something.

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Lee presented his idiot transvestite trying to imitate Paris Hilton. 

He had this big exciting intro music, which was ridiculous and funny. Philippe got him to be excited about AIDS with the energy of the music, and in the background have Sam walk across the stage with her drip and hospital gown outfit. In this way it makes what Lee is doing more Bouffon. Whereas before it's more of a character.

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Akron, dressed like 'Murry Antoinette', and Yuichi dressed as a Geisha, presented a scene they'd put together quickly. 

It was totally unclear, and crazy. But funny. Because Akron is mad, and Yuichi (with his lack of English language) doesn't have much of a clue what's going on. Philippe interviewed them afterwards, getting them to explain the process, and what Yuichi understood they were doing (translated by Michiko) and this was a good laugh. They were a good strange idiot couple together.

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There were a few improvisations from the text No Son of Mine between Elizabeth and Mary, meeting after a long time. Ben was great just being a dork dressed as a woman...

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And I got up at the end and presented a number I've been working on all week. I'd written a text in which Bishop Brian Tamaki preaches about the importance of giving to his people at Destiny Church. He promises them Salvation from God...if they purchase a Destiny Church T-Shirt for just $29.95. And he says God will forgive them and give them eternal love...for only $15.99 when they buy a copy of his biography More Than Meets The Eye.

I had Vicky come on with me, dressed like Hannah Tamaki, and I'd made the T-Shirt and Biography and other items to sell for God's services. 

I was really hesitant to present however, because I'd only just learnt the text and was afraid I wouldn't do the writing/number justice if I screwed it up before really knowing it. But I wanted to show in front of the combined first and second years, and I told myself that the worst thing that can happen is that I learn something. So I did it.

And it worked. People were laughing, the images were good, the text wasn't too bla bla bla. But Philippe stopped me just a bit after I'd got to the selling part (I'd worked hard to be subtle up until here). He said we think I am Brian Tamaki the way I played it. "We believe you." So I was more of a character than a Bouffon. He then got André to come on stage and to imitate me playing Brian. I'd say a few lines of text, and then André would imitate that (dressed like a homeless man). Vicky also imitated which was funny because her pronunciation of Maori names like Matariki and Tama were all jumbled up and bad. Then he got them to laugh a little as I said my text. So I say "God will save you. He will watch over you and he will save you" and beside me are two nasty looking people laughing away. And Philippe got us to build the laughter. Till we were all cracking up on stage whilst I yelled out promises of God's love. And in this way it became Bouffon. Really dark.

Philippe said it's good to trick the audience at first - to pretend to be normal - but then after five minutes we start to kill Brian Tamaki and his church and by the end we have totally destroyed him. He said it could be a big big number with more and more Bouffons coming on stage, presenting things to buy, and laughing. So I'm going to adjust it and write in this way. Because I really like it!