Acting Out

By Rachel O’Neill

SECOND PLACE in February Competition

‘Ok, ok. Thanks for that. Fabulous read through.  I’m super excited and hope you are too’. Peter closed his script and beamed at his cast.

 I caught the eye of the actor who would be playing Anthony, a little grizzled, stocky, a twinkle in his eye. Nice. As the kids would say, ‘an absolute snack.’

 He carried on. ‘Right, you two are with Zoe, our wonderful intimacy co-ordinator. I want this production to sizzle. Forget it’s a middle-aged romance, I want to centre the passion.  It defines them.’ Peter became serious. ‘It undoes them’. A beat. ‘Ok, the rest of you guys with me. Rehearsal room three’.  He led the way.

 Again, the eye contact. He winked. I felt a flush creep over my face. How was I going to get through the weeks of rehearsal, and months of performances with this amount of sexual tension? Albeit middle-aged sexual tension, as our director helpfully pointed out.

 I’d have to deal with it. The last few years had been lean. A Christmas show that put the ‘pants’ into panto two years ago, and a dancing carrot in a supermarket ad last month. I wasn’t so much ‘resting’ as comatose.

 Zoe was speaking. ‘So are you ok with Anthony putting his hand here? After the kiss?’ She indicated my left boob. ‘Peter’s keen to foreshadow the asp scene’. ‘Ah! The pretty worm’, he responded. ‘What can Shakespeare be getting at?’ He looked at me. My knees jellied. Christ, he was hot. I giggled. But he didn’t let up. Teasing, then serious, like he’d conquer the world for me. Like I was his world. Zoe choreographed intimate moments while we locked eyes and souls.

 Peter stuck his head through the door. ‘How goes it, Zoe? So super having a husband and wife duo to work with. Makes all that sexy stuff so much easier.’ My love and I looked at each other. And grinned.

Thank you for making me smile. The characterisation is excellent. It’s lively clever writing with a great twist, which I didn’t see coming, thanks to the skilfully placed humour. Well done.