Anyway, I ended up getting a part in the show! And it was pretty much a big deal because it was the lead role in the play called Angel Street. Or Gaslight if you're into watching old black and white movies with Ingrid Bergman (and I am). I've been busy (as you will see in these next few posts), so I haven't had time to blog about it.
It was an honor to be a part of this production. It was challenging, and I feel that it stretched my skills and I grew as an actress. I loved every second of being a part of it. During the show, I had some car troubles, and thankfully, my director lives close to me and was perfectly willing to pick me up more than just a few times. She's the best. Here's some pictures.
The lights come up on the scene of Bella Manningham sewing
and Jack Manningham asleep on the settee.
The maid, Nancy, is called in to light the fire and turn on the gaslights.
Jack has just told Bella he would take her to the play. She never gets to leave the house, so this is incredibly exciting to her. She can hardly believe it.
Jack and Bella are about to sit down to tea together when he notices something is amiss.
The picture on the wall has been taken down. The maid Elizabeth noticed it right away.
Jack is furious and rescinds his invitation to the play as he leaves for the evening.
Enter Inspector Rough. He suspects Jack of murder and psychological torture.
But first, he must get Mrs. Manningham to open up to him. She explains all the strange happenings going on in the house and tells her she is not the one going crazy, but that her husband is slowly driving her mad with his antics.
He tells her the fantastic story of the woman who lived in their house before her. Her name was Alice Barlow and she had some rubies. She was murdered and her home ransacked.
But he suspects the murderer never found the stones he was looking for.
As he finishes his story, the lights in the room begin to dim. She knows Jack is in the house and has returned. Jack's a scary man. Not long after, the lights return to normal and she knows he will return soon. Terror fills her being. Inspector Rough can't be found here. Or his plan to catch a criminal would be thwarted. Elizabeth hides him in the closet.
Jack returns to change his clothes.
And be condescending towards Elizabeth.
Jack leaves. The inspector and Bella begin looking for evidence of Jack's true identity.
They discover a her brooch that had been missing for a month. Her watch that she thought she had lost the week before, but most importantly, I letter from her family that had been kept from her.
Rough inspects the brooch more closely. He notices there are spaces where something should have been, and asks what was there. She tells him there were some beads in it, but they were loose and falling out, so she took them out and placed them in a vase in the room for safe-keeping.
She shows them to him and he realizes these are in fact, the Barlow rubies.
He kisses her. She doesn't quite understand what he's so excited about.
So he explains. This is the evidence he needs to lock up that scoundrel.
He tells her to go to bed and stay there. Don't come out for anything.
But she is afraid, so he gives her his flask of liquid courage (whiskey).
Jack comes home and flirts with Nancy some more.
Then he discovers the broken drawer, and is furious. He insists his wife comes down to speak to him immediately.
Bella is asked to sit in a chair near Jack, but she does not want to be anywhere near him.
He interrogates her, and is especially verbally abusive tonight.
Bella has had enough and stands up to him, but he responds with almost choking her to death.
Inspector Rough to the rescue! He sneaked back into the house to wait for Jack.
But not without first getting some back up.
Bella would like to speak to Jack before they take him away.
So they tie him to a chair. Bella pretends she will help Jack and he asks her to get a razor from his closet to cut him loose.
But she finds the grocery bill Jack accused her of losing. She no longer has any questions in her mind. He has been trying to make her think she was going crazy. Her mother did. It's not that hard to believe that she would, too.
"Jack, you are not suggesting this is a razor I hold in my hand are you? Have you gone mad my husband?"
Then she yells at him a bit. And calls for him to be taken away.
Inspector Rough apologizes to her. He must have given her the worst day ever.
But not to her. She got rid of her abuser and found out her family wants her back. Best day ever.
Here's the cast photo.
Angel Street ran from October 10th through November 1, 2014.
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Whew. That play was pretty dramatic. We needed some silly pictures, too!
And there you have it. That's the story of a man driving his wife insane and how she gets away in 1891 or something like that. My costume was too big, but everything else was too small. That's why finding me a costume is actually a pretty humiliating experience.
But I was even in the paper! Here's a picture of a picture!
That's me! I'm in the paper!
And now, for your listening enjoyment.
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