Waffle Recap 9-13
Night 2 of 3 at the hotel this trip.Got in line insanely early because I was coming from Brooklyn and meeting Kae there (she was coming from work in the Financial District). Less than 10 minutes after I decided to just wait in line, a group of several kids showed up. I have to say, I am not loving some of these side effects bleeding over from the Shanghai show. I have noticed that people line up much earlier in the last several months.
First looped with Steph C.’s Danvers. I am not entirely sure why. It was one of those moments where I was truly just drawn to the character and followed my instincts. Steph has never disappointed when I have looped with her characters.
Before she exited the ballroom with Lady Macduff, she helped her off the floor and held her close but was sure that Lady Macduff was close and positioned/forced to watch sexy witch lay out a very passionate kiss on Macduff before leading her away. She gave a very subtle head nod toward the pair as to say “watch what is about to happen”. It was much clearer from an audience perspective than that detail has ever been before and it really laid the ground work for an emotionally complex character Steph spent the next hour portraying.
As Lady Macduff stumbled up the stairs, I struggled to see Danvers hiding in the shadows. I knew where she was waiting but Steph used the corner and the light to almost perfectly blend into the shadows. She was almost completely invisible. It was astonishing.
The Danvers 1:1 was legitimately the best Danvers 1:1 I have ever gotten. She was intense, her delivery was perfect, her positioning throughout was spot on creating perfect visuals. I have never seen it flow quite as seamlessly as it did last night. Steph’s been a resident for a while now and her experience shows big time!
Her feelings of sympathy and love toward Duncan were fervent in every scene they had together. As he slept on the bed and she took his shirt, the audience could see the personal struggle she was grappling with. She sat on the end of the bed and threaded her hand through his shirt sleeve then cradled her neck and face as if it was Duncan holding her. It was a heartbreaking moment.
You could feel Danvers’ resentment in every scene with Lady Macduff and the milk. Step’s Danvers has no qualms with her relationship with the Macduffs. The hated as she wandered through their apartment was real.
Her scene pre-ballroom with Lady Macbeth was once again hard to watch. Taylor’s Lady Macbeth is ruthless. The level of control and manipulativeness was uncomfortable to witness. At one point when Lady Macbeth sits down in the chair, Taylor at and crossed her legs but hiked up her dress as she did so that her legs were on display to mid thigh. Lady Macbeth exhibited clear controlling behavior using her sexuality to force Danvers hand in poisoning Duncan. She pulled Danvers close when she was indecisive putting Danvers hands on her lower back and hip. The way she pulled her close intimately before kissing her only to promptly leave when the poison was administered. The scene was played beautifully making it very emotionally challenging to watch. It makes you feel sympathy for a woman who takes the utmost joy in poisoning and tormenting a pregnant Lady Macduff. There are only a few truly innocent parties in the McKittrick but so many victims.
Adam Griffith’s Taxi is a bit of an intellectual dork and I love it! He is still sinister, make no mistake, but it is truly a new take on Taxi that is very interesting. Love the glasses!
Tori’s Hecate scares me. She is terrifying and I always feel like I am in trouble. I probably am.
Molly Griffin is a terrific dancer! Check her out- her bald witch is very good already.
I have a running fear that Hecate is going to throw me through a wall. I think it started when Tara Franklin’s Hecate pushed me up against a wall during Find My Ring. You all know exactly what I’m talking about if you ever had the 1:1. I am a bigger person. I think that being a bigger person who actors sometimes recognize often results in actors becoming rough with me. I am TOTALLY fine with this. I love a good physical, rough 1:1 or interaction. Go for it, I’m game. EXCEPT when it comes to this particular wall. I am positive that I will eventually be thrown into this wall so hard that the wall will give way and Hecate’s lair will be left in shambles. Like I said, this all stems from a time when Tara (who was the smallest Hecate know to man) pushed me up against this particular wall very hard and it shook (as it always does) and I heard several things falling/breaking on the other side of said wall. I am now totally convinced I this wall is going to give way eventually and Tori does nothing to quell those fears. She is exceptionally good at being intimidating and slamming me into walls. So I’m sorry to all the other people who don’t get 1:1′s after I destroy this wall one of these days. Hopefully, I will come out unscathed.
I watched the last 15 minutes of Danvers’ loop because Steph was that damn good last night and I couldn’t get enough. We headed down to the ballroom, she held my body in an incredibly intimidating way considering she is ½ my size then as we went to walk out together, applause erupted. Not a few people clapping like I have heard maybe once or twice (and I think it is weird then) but full on robust applause. It was still dark as we headed to the stairs but I could hear her burst out laughing which caused me to let out the laugh that I was barely holding onto. The audience tonight was having none of Macbeth apparently! Fuck that guy! It was so weird. I have never heard that level of excitement over the finale before. A first after 70+ shows.
