Today I staged the big fight in the Kit Kat Club. It begins with a conflict between Ernst and Cliff, and ends with Cliff being attacked by the Nazi guards I described in an earlier entry.
It’s important in fight scenes that the integration of my work with the director’s be seamless. Ideally it should be difficult to determine exactly where one begins and the other ends. To that end, I concentrate a lot on how personal conflicts escalate into physical confrontations. In this case there is an argument between Cliff and Ernst which eventually makes Cliff snap and punch Ernst. Much of this was already set by Rick of course, but I made some modifications with the actors both in the interest of sight lines and to make the escalation into a physical blow make dramatic sense. The technique I used for the punch itself is a variant of what is commonly referred to as “ The John Wayne Punch.” It’s a pretty big move that’s visible and effective from nearly any angle, and also works well in isolation from other techniques as the sort of thing that might come of an emotional outburst.
A bit of detailing: after the punch lands David plays that he hurt his fist punching Ernst. This is a pretty realistic moment as most people would not be able to punch a solid surface without sustaining some pain. There is also the character moment of disbelief over his own actions. Cliff goes to comfort Ernst and is rebuked, and at that moment is ambushed from behind by the two guards.
An ambush from behind is a delicate thing on stage. The cues need to be very specific in order to keep everything both safe and believable. It is also usually the case that the actor who is playing the victim is the one who is in fact actually in control of the action.
We used a variety of techniques in the beat down (another technical term), Here we replicate both impact techniques (punches and kicks), and pain compliance moves (exactly what they sound like). Because this fight happens in a very specific dramatic context, Ernst is a participant. He does not strike Cliff, but the guards offer him the opportunity. He lifts a handkerchief to his mouth which comes back bloody (a prop placed there by Rick) and motions the guards to finish Cliff off. I won’t go into a play by play just now as you should come see the show, but it is important to remember that at their best, stage fights are designed with the rest of the production in mind as a way to help move the story forward.
This beating is a slow and somewhat methodical one. This is as much a political display of power as anything else. A regular patron of an establishment is being beaten at the establishment in full view of the other patrons, and no one dares interfere. They drag him out by his hair in full view of those same patrons and still, no one lifts a finger. People are discomforted, people cannot watch, the band stops playing for a moment, but no one interferes. This lack of interference is a powerful indication of where the culture has gotten to at that point. We said at the first rehearsal that we were looking at the thin veneer of civilization. At that point in the play it is barely there anymore.
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