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DISCLAIMER AND SPOILER WARNING:
This post contains major SPOILERS for Nicholas Nickleby, both in terms of a shocking scene and how a stage effect is achieved.
Caveat lector.
In the story of Nicholas Nickleby, the character of Smike, a crippled and mentally-handicapped orphan, is tied to a whipping frame and beat with a riding crop by the sadistic Yorkshire schoolmaster Wackford Squeers. This happens onstage, in full view of the audience, and in our production it is clear that the actor playing Squeers, Scott Ripley, is literally beating Jason Powers, the performer playing Smike, with an actual riding crop. The scene is harrowing, and rarely is there a dry eye in the house by the time it's through.
Clearly, even were Mr. Powers the most dedicated of method actors, most people could not sustain being actually savagely beaten with a riding crop every night but Monday and twice on Sunday, so to speak. Of course there's a trick to it.
( Read more... )
This post contains major SPOILERS for Nicholas Nickleby, both in terms of a shocking scene and how a stage effect is achieved.
Caveat lector.
In the story of Nicholas Nickleby, the character of Smike, a crippled and mentally-handicapped orphan, is tied to a whipping frame and beat with a riding crop by the sadistic Yorkshire schoolmaster Wackford Squeers. This happens onstage, in full view of the audience, and in our production it is clear that the actor playing Squeers, Scott Ripley, is literally beating Jason Powers, the performer playing Smike, with an actual riding crop. The scene is harrowing, and rarely is there a dry eye in the house by the time it's through.
Clearly, even were Mr. Powers the most dedicated of method actors, most people could not sustain being actually savagely beaten with a riding crop every night but Monday and twice on Sunday, so to speak. Of course there's a trick to it.
( Read more... )
