For those of you who don't know, I'm currently rehearsing for a stage production of Pride and Prejudice. I was cast in March, and we perform in May. However, I'm really bothered by the fact that nobody has been cast as Darcy yet.
I'm pretty sure it has everything to do with the fact that the director is a 19 year-old girl who grew up reading Pride and Prejudice and watching the movies over and over again. She's got very strong opinions of what makes Darcy a perfect character, and she was probably hoping that Colin Firth would show up and audition for the play. But he didn't. I didn't initially audition for it myself--her sister asked me to show up to the callbacks because they needed men. I was one of 3 guys at the callback. She had me read lines for Collins and wasn't interested in having me read lines for anyone else--I knew then that I would be cast as Collins. Over the next few weeks, I was amazed at the number of men that were added to the cast. I didn't think men could be recruited in such large numbers for a play. All of the roles are now double cast, except for the fact that we still don't have a Darcy. This is what bugs me so much.
With only a month left of rehearsals (mind you, rehearsals are only 3 nights a week), you'd think our director would be desperate for a Darcy. And yet in that desperation, she still doesn't ask any of the men who are double cast to learn the part of Darcy. It's as if she's saying we're all incapable of playing the lead. That's a slap in the face to all of us. It's community theater for crying out loud!!!
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy being the only funny character in the whole show. I like being comic relief. But Collins is funny because he doesn't realize he's a bumbling idiot, socially awkward, pompous, and disliked. Part of me wonders if that's why the director says I'm "perfect" for this role. After all, I did try dating her sister, and don't know what caused her to lose interest. My director may have an opinion of me based on that.
This is where type-casting gets offensive. The fact that our director can't find a Darcy out of the 20 men willing to do the show says that she is a very critical judge when it comes to type-casting. Therefore, it's another slap in the face for her to say that I make the "perfect" Collins.
3 comments:
I love Pride & Prejudice! You will do a fabulous job as Collins. He is one of my very favorite characters too. Where are you playing at and when?
That is quite strange. Darcy is a pretty important character... :) I wouldn't take offense, though. I'm sure she just thinks you did such a great job reading the lines that she doesn't want to recast you, not that you are the "collins" type.
I was Mr. Collins in a version of Pride and Prejudice. I loved the part and hated myself for 3 months! Of course, I was originally cast as Darcy until the director decided she wanted to set up her daughter (playing Elizabeth) with one of my friends and moved me to Collins.
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