Cocktail hour is always an exciting one for me, and we sure do a lot of drinking in this show. The Fulton is always very specific about its props and set pieces, and I knew as I started the rehearsal process that one of things I'd be able to have input on would be what sort of beverage I'd be imbibing on stage. A little research into drinks of the time made it likely that a sophisticated lady like Margot--and, hey, why not--like me--would choose a Gimlet. Traditionally, a Gimlet is made with gin and Rose's Lime, shaken. A variation is the Gimblet, which has some soda water, and an even cuter name. I don't yet know how the props department will concoct a drink that has the glow of a Gimlet without it actually being a Gimlet, but I will let you know. Sad, but true, those drinks on stage aren't the real deal--but we'll make up for it later at The Belvedere. I actually had my first Gimlet at the Belvedere a few nights ago. Chris Thorn will be drinking brandy as Max Halliday, as will Mark Shanahan as Tony. Some port is served in the show as well. I encourage you to have a post-show cocktail--you might need one as much as Margot does after you see what goes down.
Along with drinking the appropriate cocktails outside of rehearsal, I've continued my devotion to the television series Mad Men with fellow devotee and cast-mate Chris; Mad Men began its series in the 50s and while they're in the 60s now, the vibe is still a pretty useful one for us Dialers. It's fun to do things outside of rehearsal that reflect on the life of the show, drinking what the characters drink, eating what they eat (pasta!), finding all sorts of useful purposes for a pair of scissors. . .
We had a very welcome visit from Jane Ridley, who was last seen at the Fulton as Betty in The Foreigner; though she spoke with a southern accent in that show, her own accent is British, and she was brought in this time around to give us all some elocution lessons. It was a little daunting--I wanted to be a very good student for Jane. It was nice to have another woman around--our stage manager, Djuana, and I being the only two females spending all day in the clubhouse rehearsing--and she and I got a chance to catch up since our Foreigner days over lunch at Issac's. There are several accents in Dial M--Tony and Margot share a similar, standard English pronunciation, Lesgate has a touch of cockney, Inspector Hubbard's accent hails from Yorkshire, and Max is a good old American--but one I find rather endearingly comes from the artistic, big city world of 1950's Manhattan. Steve Calzaretta supplies the voices for several characters that all speak differently--from Irish, Cockney, to Standard English. Do Lancastrians have any perceivable regional accents? People from Albany, where I grew up do, and certainly do where I come from now--the Brooklyn accent is a famous one.
After a relaxing day off--the outlets, a manicure, a short drive into the countryside, a movie--we begin a crazy week of run-throughs, costume fittings, and soon, our first day on set. . .
Weekly Blog Feature--Dialing Through Time
From the August, 1906 Pacific States Telephone & Telegraph Company
directory for San Francisco, California . . .
How to Answer a Telephone Call:
Remove the hand telephone from the hook and say "Here is Main 297" (or whatever your number may be). The party calling should say "Here is main 298," (or whatever the number may be). Much friction and annoyance will be avoided if this simple plan is carried out.