Am I Reading Into It?
Seeing as how my life has revolved around this production of Saturday Night Fever lately, I've had a lot of time off and onstage to think, to fill. So I've come up with the idea that my two characters, Pauline and Club Goer (better known by my cast mates as Nauline; thank you, Joe Moeller), are actually one in the same. I call it the Pauline/Nauline Phenomenon.
Let's be real. This production is a long run for me, and I've done the show before. I know this script inside and out. As for my characters, there is very little character information given. Pauline's arc is unclear to me, underdeveloped. Nauline's is non-existent. So what is an actor to do? I could sit there and go through the motions. Boring! I didn't become an actor to exist in auto-pilot. That doesn't fulfill me as a performer, nor does it give the audience what they deserve.
Well, one day during the show, or maybe it was rehearsal (it's all blurring together now), I was looking over at Bobby (Pauline's love interest), but I was dressed as Nauline. And that's when it hit me. What if Nauline is, in fact, Pauline. What if Pauline is so desperately in love with Bobby that she puts on a wig, goes to the club, and pretends to be this other woman just to spy on him. That made things interesting. Now, not only did I have my one song and a couple of scenes, but so much stage time to fill with spying on Bobby, trying to get information in the club, even being a little crazy. And it gave Pauline even more fuel, trying to hide her dual persona, whilst dealing with all her other crap. As an actor, a character who's a lunatic is always more fun than nothing. Not that I'm judging my character or anything, but her actions, according to me, are extreme.
This realization changed everything. Although practically none of the storyline I've created is spoken or in the script, I have an entire story I play out every night with the characters of Pauline's life. I took the material I was given and expanded on it, I created. And it feels great. I feel satisfied on stage, and it's exciting not knowing exactly what will happen each night with all the crazy people I interact with onstage. Don't get me wrong, we mostly dance (it is disco, after all), but in those little moments in between, so much can happen. I think it's those moments that bring it all together to complete the thread. Without this I would be yet another ensemble member in another musical, forever unnoticed, always forgettable.
Here she is, boys...
(Shameless Plug)
So come see Pauline/Nauline at Westchester Broadway Theatre now through January 29th! Get your tickets here.