CHARACTER RESEARCH- First Impressions

The Play
After reading the play for the first time these are some of my observations and reactions. The play could not be more complicated, with one person fooling another, who is already being tricked, who isn't meant to be because they are masked as someone else. There couldn't be more twists and turns or switches in the story lines. The play sits on the extremes, not on the borders, not in the middle, but in the extreme: you are either in love or shunned, married or refused at the alter. Until the very end, I thought the resolution would never come- there just seemed to be too many problems. 

However, as a Shakespearean comedy I see a lot of potential. In characters such as Dogberry and the Watchmen you find your comic relief from the tragedy of Hero and Claudio. The play doesn't take you on a linear journey, it instead dips in and out, picking out things here and there that come together to formulate one plot and about 100 other sub plots.

I suspect a play like this will need a lot of character research; I am slowly starting to realise what people may mean when they tell me that this blog is the biggest of them all. When you add on the context of the piece, in reference to both Shakespeare and the Gulf War, the characters and their ever changing relationships and the unpredictable plot of the piece, the research both in the rehearsal room and in my own time, I'm sure will amount to a lot.

Beatrice
How do I describe my first impressions of Beatrice- a force to be reckoned with. I think she is a representation of the opinionated, forceful witty voice that is inside all of us but is often suppressed by etiquette and social airs and graces. She is a feminist, who will not give herself to a man or indeed anyone, just because that is what a proper 'lady' would do. Her fire and passion throughout the play is something I am immensely looking forward to playing. As a women I think it will be a wonderful experience to play such a strong character even in a classical form. She has a lot to say and I see it as my job to let her say it.