I Had To Have Her

So we changed the play. It’s now a kitchen-sink drama about a Spaniard who marries into an Amish community in Indiana. And it is electric. Without the electricity of course.

Seriously though, we have changed L.A. Blues. But not drastically. The problem was the opening scene. Without going into details (spoilers and all that, ask me after you’ve seen it), the play opened in a very specific style with a very specific goal. The problem with this was that neither were really appropriate to the remainder of the play. This I knew from the beginning. I wrote the scene knowing it didn’t quite work. I figured that I would work it out later (you’d be surprised at how successful that approach often is). I tried different things, from minor changes to complete rewrites. But no matter what I did, I could not get the play to work as a whole with that scene included. So I did what all stubborn people do. I left it in and ploughed on.

The first indication that I was wrong to do so was the fact that most of the cast misunderstood the purpose of the scene. Bad writing on my part, I guess. So I explained it to them, fully expecting everyone to get on board and realised that, in fact, they were wrong and I was right. But no. Feedback was given and while it was difficult to hear, it was correct. The opening scene, as was, could only have a negative effect on the play as a whole. At worst, the audience would be angry. At best, confused. Not ideal.

So, it’s gone. Not altered. Not rewritten. Gone. And the play is better for it. Minor characters have more significance and character arcs more resonance. Most importantly, the audience will identify with all of the characters in a more meaningful way. Removing that one scene changes the ending and, to an extent, the tone of the whole play. In a good way. I dearly love my original idea and will use it at some point in the future, but in a play that needs and benefits from it. One of the dangers of directing one’s own work is having blinders to the faults that may exist within that work. Having people around that can and will point this out is vital. I’m not ashamed to say I was wrong. The play is now stronger than it was. And I’m proud of that. I just wish I’d listened sooner.