GRACELAND deals with many complicated issues: sibling relationships, the death of a parent, parent-child relationships, etc. So, sometimes rehearsal is a deeply profound, soul-searching place where we wrestle with a lot of "big questions." However, sometimes things just get down right goofy down in the ballet room.
Today we were working on the top of scene 7. The scene opens with one of my all-time favorite first lines, but I don't dare give that away. I will reveal Ellen's stage direction though: "JOE concocts some kind of 'health shake' in a powerful blender." Henry, ever the resourceful director, decided to take time out of rehearsal to discuss the website Will It Blend? in which a scientist conducts experiments involving a powerful blender and various random objects (a cell phone, an ipad, a golf club), determining the answer to the age-old question, will it blend? I am not sure what was more fun, watching the actual webisodes of the incredibly goofy scientist destroying a driver in a blender or watching Henry crack up like an 8 year old describing the site to the cast. A good time was had by all.
Jenny Mercein is the Assistant Director for Graceland.
