With two weeks to go until the performance, we've started working with costumes in rehearsals as we head towards the event. It's been a revelation to explore the various costume options we've amassed, with the cast sorting through them and trying them out, getting a feel for the various characters and seeing which costumes fit the nature of the role as they see it.
The vibrant reds of the outfits for the King and Queen of Hearts really pop under the lighting, and first-year Ellie Gould, who plays the Queen, revealed that being in costume very much helped her get into the part; this week, she has been striding around the stage becoming (I'm sure she won't mind my saying this...) progressively more tyrannical and bossy as rehearsals unfold...
Red is a feature of the lobster's claws which Alice, played by third-year Sophia Lyons, will wield during the Voice of the Lobster aria as part of the scene with the Mock Turtle and Gryphon. I won't give too much away here, but the moment when she produces the claws and starts to sing is a gem, and very funny indeed... Matthew Cooke's portrayal of the Mock Turtle promises to be a scene-stealing delight; each week, something new emerges as part of the character which means the cast always has to be on its toes, ready to deal with something new and unexpected as Matt yet again throws something new into the mix. And there's a unmissable moment during Will You Walk A Little Faster (said the Whiting to the Snail), improvised in rehearsal yesterday, when Alice and the Mock Turtle really do have the potential to steal the scene away from poor Alice Kincade's dainty aria as the Gryphon...
So it's been a week when things have really moved up a gear, with some sparkling characterisations really taking off and the energy filling the stage really starting to blossom. Exciting times...
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