#4 Listen To The Music

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0CYB5V9e64&ob=av2el
This is the video from the song I mention below.

I was driving this morning.  It was pouring down snow and I was somewhat concerned about my timing of arrival to one of my several mini-jobs when I came upon a standard stop light.  I suddenly saw flashing lights and the long, dreaded line of cars sporting weak, droopy flags that quickly revealed itself as a train of tears for it's beloved dead.  I saw the long, weary faces of it's drivers as it slowly poured into the intersection before me and snaked away quickly into the direction from which I had come. 

At the same moment, on the radio came a very rare and random playing of the song, "Malibu," by the band, Hole.  I've always kind of dug this song...had forgotten about it...and the lyrics could not be more tailored to the given circumstances of Blanche.

She, Blanche, has stayed in her hometown to deal with and help out all her elders pass on to the other side for a decade while her one and only younger sibling, Stella, has been gone and in New Orleans.  It is mentioned that Stella only made it home for the funerals.  I see Blanche on any given day going to her job as a high school English teacher & then running home to the house of death to care for the dying in her family...to change bedding or to feed or to comfort.  She had to escape these harsh circumstances somehow.  I don't blame Blanche one bit for finding ways to cope with this constant level of intense stress. 

In my old copy of the script, Blanche sings specific songs...hears a certain song in her head over and over...dances to songs, etc.  I believe listening to a well chosen stream of music will add to the development of my Blanche.  It is always nice to have a collection to add to an Ipod or a streaming online site...or whatever to inspire.  Music can and will inspire an actor just like the Bee Gees will inspire a person's body to have the correct heart beat coming out of heart surgery or a Nine Inch Nails tune will inspire one to love passionately or Metallica can inspire one to give up on life and slowly fade away in their mother's basement....etc.
 
Just a couple of weeks ago, a fine and observant acquaintance said to me to open up to what the universe has to say.  She actually told me to take more baths...that being submerged in the fluid element of water will help me.  That could have been a lack of deodorant on my behalf at the time or perhaps she was speaking the truth.  A favorite writer of mine, Charles Bukowski, once said that the secret to a happy life is taking baths and taking naps.  I can't disagree.  Blanche is a professional bath taker.  She takes several baths during the process of the play and sings while doing this because it is a true place of joy for her.

I am very thankful to yet another fantastic friend who gave me Lush bath products on a recent birthday.  These fun, smelly, bubbly, fizzy bath things have come in quite handy to keep me sane this winter.  Thank you, Friend!

I digress.  My point is that another way of actors helping themselves, if they are into music like I am, is to make a "mix tape" of songs that have lyrics that apply to our character's given circumstances. 

So far now, for my Blanche "tape," I have:
Say It's Only A Paper Moon (Mr. Williams actually put that in the older script for her to sing)
the Hole song as mentioned above
a rhumba song, perhaps Xavier Cugat
Blue Piano
Good Night Ladies
Varsouviana



What can you add?  Thanks.