Chapter Four: In which Rehearsals are Under Way
Two days later, rehearsals were well under way. Thomas Kent, the mystery boy who had run off so fast during auditions, was back. He was playing to role of Romeo. Though the play was being practiced, Will was still hard at work on the script. He had given directions to Ned to oversee production while he was busy with the writing.
Ned stood to the side of the stage, watching as the dancers went about on the stage for the scene at the Capulet party. Thomas Kent, who was playing Romeo, as well as Sam, one of the admiral's men, who was playing Juliet, were dancing, as well as some others. "Gentlemen upstage, ladies downstage," Ned directed, in time to the music. The actors tried to obey, but it seemed as though Thomas and Sam were having some trouble. Ned called out again, "Gentlemen upstage, ladies downstage, are you a lady, Mr. KENT?" the music stopped. Thomas looked sheepishly at the floor. Ellen watched all of this from the area above the stage, where she was working on the costumes. She was nearly done with the Montague costumes, which were some of the hardest, since they all had to be exactly the same. She felt just a bit sorry for Thomas, though it was his fault that they'd had to start over down below.
"All right, start again, from the top!" Ned grumbled impatiently. Everyone did it right this time.
"Will!" Ned walked to the edge of the stage to talk to Shakespeare, who had just come out from backstage.
"Something wrong, Ned?"
"No no. The speech here, is wonderful. 'Oh, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.' It's dramatic, and a goodly length. But then he disappears for the space of a bible." Will smiled and held up another handful of pages.
"Ah, but here. You'll like this. Such a stage fight as you never saw before! He dies with such passion! 'A plague on both your houses!'" He smiled and walked off.
"He dies?" Ned pondered aloud as Will walked off. Backstage, Ellen smiled. Good job, Will," she thought. It was about time somebody killed one of Ned's characters off.
The next day, the first kissing scene between Romeo and Juliet was being rehearsed. Sam and Thomas stood, reciting their lines to one another. Sam said his line, but there was a pause. Thomas seemed distracted, as though he were looking at something else.
"It's your line," prompted Sam. Thomas snapped back to reality.
"Suffering cats!" Ned groaned loudly from stage left. Ellen, who was sitting backstage on the lower level today, muttered as she sewed.
"Let them be, Ned. The play is far from finished."
"I don't see you on the stage. This is none of your business, Shrew."
"No more than it is yours, Donkey."
"Wench."
"Womanizer."
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that." Ned looked back at the action taking place on stage. They were at the kissing part. Margaret nudged Ellen.
"You shouldn't be so hard on him, Ellen."
"You don't know that fool like I do," Ellen whispered back.
"No no! It's not done like that. Like this!" Will ran up to the stage to interrupt Thomas and Sam. "Say your line again, master Kent." Thomas said his line, and Will planted a great smack that was nearly ten times greater than the one demonstrated on stage.
"See if you can do it more like that," he said, then ran to the upstairs room to do some writing.
"Lucky you were here, Will," Ned called as Will left, "We might be doing everything wrong." Ellen rolled her eyes. She was going to make a comment, but he'd left already. He looked as though he, too, were headed to the upstairs room.
"Keep working, Margaret, I need to go and check on something," Ellen said, setting down her mending. She kept close but silent behind Ned. Was he going to confront Will about the display onstage? After all, his behavior had been a little, well, odd. Or did Ned think the play was bad? Was he pulling out? Ellen didn't like Ned, but he couldn't leave. Not now, while the players and Will still needed him. Ellen crept up by the stairs. The door was wide open so that she could hear the conversation.
"Will," started Ned,
"I know, I know, it's terrible," Will said.
"No, I think it's quite good. But the title. Romeo and Juliet. How's that for a title?" Ellen was surprised. Ned being modest? She tried and tried to picture it, but, for some reason, she couldn't see it.
"You are a gentleman, Ned," Will sounded just as surprised as Ellen. Ned turned and walked down the stairs, but replied,
"And you are a Warwickshire shithouse."
Ellen sniggered, and stepped to the side so that he wouldn't see her. She watched as he approached Margaret. They were talking about something or other. Margaret laughed. Then Ned did something that Ellen had never thought him capable of. He leaned over, and kissed Margaret on the cheek! Ellen felt color rising in her face, but she pushed it down. Somehow she didn't like seeing that, but she wasn't about to let it get in the way of her work. Ellen approached Margaret, and acted as though nothing had happened. What was wrong with her?
Two days later, rehearsals were well under way. Thomas Kent, the mystery boy who had run off so fast during auditions, was back. He was playing to role of Romeo. Though the play was being practiced, Will was still hard at work on the script. He had given directions to Ned to oversee production while he was busy with the writing.
Ned stood to the side of the stage, watching as the dancers went about on the stage for the scene at the Capulet party. Thomas Kent, who was playing Romeo, as well as Sam, one of the admiral's men, who was playing Juliet, were dancing, as well as some others. "Gentlemen upstage, ladies downstage," Ned directed, in time to the music. The actors tried to obey, but it seemed as though Thomas and Sam were having some trouble. Ned called out again, "Gentlemen upstage, ladies downstage, are you a lady, Mr. KENT?" the music stopped. Thomas looked sheepishly at the floor. Ellen watched all of this from the area above the stage, where she was working on the costumes. She was nearly done with the Montague costumes, which were some of the hardest, since they all had to be exactly the same. She felt just a bit sorry for Thomas, though it was his fault that they'd had to start over down below.
"All right, start again, from the top!" Ned grumbled impatiently. Everyone did it right this time.
"Will!" Ned walked to the edge of the stage to talk to Shakespeare, who had just come out from backstage.
"Something wrong, Ned?"
"No no. The speech here, is wonderful. 'Oh, I see Queen Mab hath been with you.' It's dramatic, and a goodly length. But then he disappears for the space of a bible." Will smiled and held up another handful of pages.
"Ah, but here. You'll like this. Such a stage fight as you never saw before! He dies with such passion! 'A plague on both your houses!'" He smiled and walked off.
"He dies?" Ned pondered aloud as Will walked off. Backstage, Ellen smiled. Good job, Will," she thought. It was about time somebody killed one of Ned's characters off.
The next day, the first kissing scene between Romeo and Juliet was being rehearsed. Sam and Thomas stood, reciting their lines to one another. Sam said his line, but there was a pause. Thomas seemed distracted, as though he were looking at something else.
"It's your line," prompted Sam. Thomas snapped back to reality.
"Suffering cats!" Ned groaned loudly from stage left. Ellen, who was sitting backstage on the lower level today, muttered as she sewed.
"Let them be, Ned. The play is far from finished."
"I don't see you on the stage. This is none of your business, Shrew."
"No more than it is yours, Donkey."
"Wench."
"Womanizer."
"I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear that." Ned looked back at the action taking place on stage. They were at the kissing part. Margaret nudged Ellen.
"You shouldn't be so hard on him, Ellen."
"You don't know that fool like I do," Ellen whispered back.
"No no! It's not done like that. Like this!" Will ran up to the stage to interrupt Thomas and Sam. "Say your line again, master Kent." Thomas said his line, and Will planted a great smack that was nearly ten times greater than the one demonstrated on stage.
"See if you can do it more like that," he said, then ran to the upstairs room to do some writing.
"Lucky you were here, Will," Ned called as Will left, "We might be doing everything wrong." Ellen rolled her eyes. She was going to make a comment, but he'd left already. He looked as though he, too, were headed to the upstairs room.
"Keep working, Margaret, I need to go and check on something," Ellen said, setting down her mending. She kept close but silent behind Ned. Was he going to confront Will about the display onstage? After all, his behavior had been a little, well, odd. Or did Ned think the play was bad? Was he pulling out? Ellen didn't like Ned, but he couldn't leave. Not now, while the players and Will still needed him. Ellen crept up by the stairs. The door was wide open so that she could hear the conversation.
"Will," started Ned,
"I know, I know, it's terrible," Will said.
"No, I think it's quite good. But the title. Romeo and Juliet. How's that for a title?" Ellen was surprised. Ned being modest? She tried and tried to picture it, but, for some reason, she couldn't see it.
"You are a gentleman, Ned," Will sounded just as surprised as Ellen. Ned turned and walked down the stairs, but replied,
"And you are a Warwickshire shithouse."
Ellen sniggered, and stepped to the side so that he wouldn't see her. She watched as he approached Margaret. They were talking about something or other. Margaret laughed. Then Ned did something that Ellen had never thought him capable of. He leaned over, and kissed Margaret on the cheek! Ellen felt color rising in her face, but she pushed it down. Somehow she didn't like seeing that, but she wasn't about to let it get in the way of her work. Ellen approached Margaret, and acted as though nothing had happened. What was wrong with her?