Week 3 of rehearsals for The Secret Adversary

30 January 2015

Week three has begun and time is flying by at an extraordinary rate. The company has achieved an enormous amount and now we are starting to see chunks of the play really come together.

Last week ended with the actors looking at the final scene of the play. This means that in two weeks we have looked at the whole play. Gosh.

The world of Tommy and Tuppence is really coming to life, not least because of the beautiful 1920s set and props, courtesy of our Designer Tom Rogers and The Watermill Stage Management Team, that are filtering into the rehearsal room. It’s fun coming in each morning to find new bits of set and props to play with (yesterday was feather fans, today was a table, which has been cleverly designed to represent Tommy’s perspective).

Tom and the team are also finding cunning ways to swiftly transform the actors into their many characters. Backstage costume changes include an American millionaire transforming into a Cockney thug, an evil Bolshevik into a sexy nightclub singer, and many more.

As well as set, props and costume, some of the cast also have new haircuts. Emerald O’Hanrahan has had her long hair cut into a very chic bob for Tuppence.  In the age of The Beard (if you don’t believe me google ‘Beard Baubles’), Garmon Rhys has gone clean shaven for Tommy. They’re both looking very much the part!

Today we are fitting some of Alex Silverman’s music to the scenes. One of my favourite things about this play is that there are some genuinely sweet moments, but they’re never allowed to turn sickly because of the comedy and peril that are close by, in equal measure. Such are the lives of the Young Adventurers Limited. The music and Sarah’s seamless direction are working well together to move the action in a filmic manner from one mood to another.

Whilst I’m on music, look out for the minute-long ‘Money Medley’, you might recognise a few of the numbers.

As we look ahead to running the play in chronological order next week, I am anticipating the transitions from one scene to the next. The content of the play is really looking wonderful, but backstage is a big challenge for the cast and stage management. The intimacy of The Watermill Theatre brings the audience close to the action, but also brings the actors very close to each other in the compact backstage area. Sometimes, they are changing costume, playing an instrument, preparing to bring on some set and moving to their next entrance point in the space of a few lines. This all adds to the excitement as we race towards week four!

Until next week.

Holly Mazur
Assistant Director