Another Springtime

Tonight I ventured way out of my comfort zone...all the way to Malvern East...or East Malvern...or Darling...whatever it's called...for a first rehearsal for a play reading that's on this Saturday (Sept 20) at Clocktower Theatre, Brighton. The play is that classic drama 'Another Springtime'.

Yes, you heard me right...we're doing that play.

Of course I'm joking. No one has heard of this play or should have heard of this play or even want to see this play...in that it's not exactly a classic or anything of that nature...it's out of print even...but it still has a lot of charm. I enjoyed reading it with the cast and found it had some moving parts, but 'A Drama in Three Acts' is pushing it slightly...'A Melodrama in Three Acts' would be more appropriate.

It's the type of play where the first time you hear the title of the play in the body of the play you go, 'Ahhhh...that's why it's called Another Springtime!'...the second time you hear it...you go, 'Ahhhh...that's a bit much'...and by the third time it comes along it's just plain corny. It's like those old episodes of The Bill where the episode was called something like 'Crime and Punishment' or something and then just as the episode is about to end and they've nabbed some criminal someone is bound to have a conversation consisting of: 'Well that's another one put away, and hopefully this crim realises that's the way it goes with Crime and Punishment.' And then The Bill theme song would play and you'd see those two coppers walking down the cobbled stone street in time with each other. You could rely on it...set your clock to it even. Ba-dum, ba-dum, bum, ba-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da.

The play was apparently written in the 1940s by the great and noted playwright Rodolfo Usigli...I jest. That is his name...but noted and great...I don't know. Sounds more like a porno actor from a Third World country.

And it's apparently Mexican...and set in Mexico. We will be donning orange makeup and speaking with outrageous accents and trilling and rolling r's all over the place. Another joke. We will be speaking in neutral British accents...except when we get to words like 'hacienda' pronounced ah-see-yen'-dah...so much so I'm sure people will be wondering what these poor British people are doing stranded in Mexico...or rather May'-hee-coh. And no makeup...unfortunately.

All joking aside...I'm glad to be doing it. I've never done a play reading before so it should be interesting and fun to see how it all goes...and to work with a bunch of people I don't know but who seem more than ably talented to do justice to the play should be a highlight for me.

I'll be playing Raùl (pronounced Rah-ool' - with full trill on the r) - Arturo's older son, who is about 27 years old. He is a young man, well-built like his father. Wow...what a description...gives a person so much to work with!

I seem to have a penchant for playing Mexicans...this time last year I was wiping off my orange makeup and pencil moustache as Manny Munoz/Pancho Vargas...and now...I'll be donning the histrionics of another Mexican...although Raùl is far less outrageous and funny than Manny...and doesn't have a song...except maybe in his heart...saving it once more for...Another Springtime.