These are photographs for University of Minnesota's 2004 production of Black Comedy by Peter Shaffer. Use these photos as inspiration for a 500 word reflection on your character in the play. How would you develop your character to fit into this scene. What gestures, body mannerisms, speech inflections would you use to express your character's inner motivation. Finally, what is your character's prime motivation? What does she/he most want throughout the play. How would you identify with this motivation and express it through your characterization?
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The colonel is a very deep and interesting character to act, due to the incredible and complex behavior that he delivers. Although he appears to be a badass, arrogant, confident, and strict figure, there is more inside him. There may just be a passion for his daughter. The way he talks to the boyfriend of his daughter, really expresses the emotions that he has hidden deep within. It appears to be a strict, and badass character, although he may as well be all this, he is still more inside. The character would best be played with what he tries to physically deliver, which is not the emotions that are hidden inside, but instead the badassery, Facial gestures must include frowns, grins, high posture, and overall a confident look, seeing that he wants to frighten his surroundings and impersonate the fact that he is, in fact a leader, a colonel. When this character, was assigned to me, i tred my best to do what he would actually do which was be a confident, arrogant, strict badass, and i did this through my epic british accent, delivered through a deep commander like voice. The main goal for the colonel, may be to get everything back into condition, and also use his inner emotions to express the fact that he really cares about his daughter, and he really wants the best for her, which may not be clear to all seeing that it is hard to read his character that displays the opposite emotions of a caring person. The body mannerism of this character is also a key factor that one must strongly focus on, to perfect when acting him out, seeing that with weak body actions the audience can easily misinterpret what is trying to be delivered, and can be totally thrown off the actual character, and his main purpose in the story.
ZIV MAOZ - Black Comedy is a one-act play and was first performed in 1965. The play is, suitably enough, a black comedy in which the effect loss of light would have on a group of people who all hold things from each other is explored. It's a farce set in a London flat during an electrical blackout, and is written to be staged under a reversed lighting scheme: that is, the play opens with a dinner party beginning on a darkened stage, then a few minutes into the show "a fuse blows", the stage lights come up, and the characters are seen shambling around apparently invisible to one another.
Brindsley Miller and his fiancee Carol Melkett have "borrowed" some posh furniture from neighbour Harold Gorringe's flat in order to impress Carol's father, Colonel Melkett. Brindsley, an artist, is afraid that the Colonel will not give up his daughter to a starving artist. Things go awry when the lights go out, leaving Brindsley helpless as characters arrive, one by one. First is Brindsley's elderly neighbour, Miss Furnival. Colonel Melkett, unimpressed by the blackout, arrives, and Brindsley's worst nightmare comes true as Harold returns early, and Brindsley tries desperately to return the furniture without Harold noticing.
Brindsly is trying very hard to impress the colonel due to his deep feelings to wards his daughter. I think I would act Brindsly as a very nervous character. for example when he needs to put all the stuff he took from Harold's apartment. I would make my voice very up and down and move my body a lot since I'm embarrassed.
Clea's character serves the purpose of contrasting with Carol's, who is Brindsley's really girly and naive fiancé. She is portrayed as a bit dim, whereas Clea is the clever and cunning ex-girlfriend. When she first comes into the scene, we see that she is not a passive character, but an active one, as she asserts herself by slapping Brindsley for making rude comments about her. Her posture in this scene needs to be rigid (she's mad). Throughout the rest of the play we see other sides of her character when she wants to continue her relationship with Brindsley. We see that she is still a forgiving and emotional character. This reveals her motivation throughout the play: she has come back to rekindle her relationship with Brindsley and is committed to this (as we see she is willing to hide out at that house while he has a party with his fiancé’s family and others). However, when she comes back down (fed up with waiting), it shows that, again, she is not a passive woman and goes after what she wants. Once again the cunning side of Clea comes out when she must act as Brindsley’s maid/housekeeper. In doing so, she mocks Carol by saying mean things about her. Her body language must show that she enjoys mocking her. Snide smiles, extravagant hand gestures and very over the top acting to show that she is really relishing it. The cockney accent must be very thick and heavy. Overall, the actress playing Clea must be able to relate to her desire to achieve her goals and her drive to really go after them. Although not a morally perfect character, she does portray a powerful and assertive woman, providing a nice role for any actress to interpret and add her own personal strength to.
Tiodor Sosunov -
Harrold Gorringe seems to be the poor, confused type that is always tricked in the play, he seems a little too passive about everything and gets over excited about everything. He also seems like the honest type, and very conversational.
Though it is hard to make predictions about this character since he comes in a little later than other characters and we are not very deep into the play.
If I were this character I would play him in a very female manner. I would be very confident, and when I’m talking I would flail my arms about (Like a girl). I would talk in a very high pitch, excited voice, and be emotional about everything.
I would also try
The character that I briefly read, Carol Melkett, was very annoying and dim-witted in the beginning of the play. I would develop the character to fit into the scene by making her more hysterical and annoying as the play progresses, saying more “–poo” words as the play progresses. She should be all over Brindsley (hugging him too much maybe) so that he gets fed up with her. This should all be to emphasize how annoying she is and how she shouldn’t be the one with Brindsley. Her voice should either be nasal (but personally, that’s not how I see the character) or very pompous-sounding and very upper class British, so that it is obvious she is a rich brat. I would make her walk in an over-the-top manner, by maybe sashaying too much and exaggerating the swaying of the hips. Or, she could even walk with small steps, to make her seem very uptight and like an annoying bug. Different interpretations of how she is are fine, and I believe as long as she is played as an annoying person, the way she walks isn’t very relevant. It should just be obvious that she is clingy and a daddy’s-girl.
Her prime motivation in the play seems to be to get her father to like Brindsley. However, I don’t trust her. I think she might be after something more than just getting her father to like Brinsdley. What this ulterior motive is, I do not know. I don’t think she is a sinister person though, as her dim-witted personality is supposed to contrast Clea’s cleverness. The actress that plays her should just try to make it obvious that she is just a girl who was cursed with stupidity.
I do, however, identify with the character’s motivation. Not that I’ve been in a similar situation, but I understand that you’d want your father to like your lover.
-Tessa Richards
Clea is a very sensitive, dramatic, but confident character, and the ex-mistress of Brindsley. She first enters the room when it’s dark and listens as the people in the room say rude things about her. Angrily, she slapped Brindsley in the face, emphasizing that she is not afraid to act out if need be. Brindlsey recognizes who she is (by accidently feeling her butt) and tries to hide her away by luring her with kisses – evidently they have a pretty close relationship. Clea is also dramatic enough to pour Vodka all over the guests in her frustration when she finds out about Brindsley’s engagement with Carol. Brindsley panics and pretends that Clea is actually a cleaning lady. Clea, being a confident and dramatic character, plays along, putting on a Cockney accent. However, she does not miss the chance to create tension and drama in the room and begins to tell naughty little stories, revealing her affair with Brindsley. Clea was completely in charge of the situation and tells the truth about her identity, shocking Carol and the guests. To portray her character, one would need to have a very confident posture and voice. She is a woman who is not afraid to take charge of a situation and manipulate those around her for her own sake. When she is pretending to be a cleaning lady and uses the Cockney accent, I would expect it to be over exaggerated as she tells the shocking stories about her and Brindsley and emphasizing her words in a way that would slap Carol in the face. And at the same time, she would probably be walking around in a flirty manner, flaunting her pride in having an affair with Brindsley. Clea’s inner motivation is to get back at those who have spoken ill about her, and to get Brindsley for herself and she brings this out in her dramatic personality. I would also be very angry at those around me if I had just heard them say bad things about me, so there would be some anger in Clea’s voice too.
In the play Comedy in Black by Peter Schaeffer, Brindsely is the main character that is trying to get approval from his fiancé’s, Carol’s father. He is also trying to sell his art to an extremely wealthy man. If I played Brindsely I would be a lot more confident than Schaeffer portrays him, because I think for Brindsely to get a wife and get interest from the wealthy potential buyer he would need some confidence to gain their attention. I think Brindsely would be a great character to play due the all the different things that he has to do during the whole play would make he fun to play because he is never still. It also means that anyone could adapt him in many different ways to be the character they want to play him and the way it feels natural to play him. The way I played Brindsely was how I believe he should be played I acted him as if he had some confidence and could get a woman if he wanted. Not just a little person to be pushed around by his fiancés father. However, I think it is correct for the character to be nervous around the colonel but he shouldn’t just be walked over by him. Brindsely also shouldn’t panic as much as he does it the play I feel that if played he would be cooler about everything and just try to get it done quickly.
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