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MAN: Uno, dos, tres, cuatro.
Everybody, please hurry up.
You'll miss your flight.
No! Nahum. Uh, why is he doing this?
He says he's lost his St. Christopher medal.
He won't travel without it.
No. You have to make this flight.
Their visas expire tonight. It's very serious.
NAHUM: Vámonos.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
Gracias, Señora Conroy.
Señorita Conroy.
Oh.
-Goodbye. -Gracias.
[ Horn honks ]
It's pandemonium in the streets of the capital,
and the tanks first were here early this morning.
The army has taken over the nation's television stations.
They've been under marshal law.
ANNA: Oh, there you are.
It's chaos, with just the tanks.
The tanks are rolling through.
Gangs of people on the streets everywhere.
[ Piano plays intro to "A Walk in the Rain" ]
♫ When life takes its toll and fate treats you bad ♫
♫ You used to be king, but now you've been had ♫
♫ Alone with your fool, you think you'll go mad ♫
♫ It's nice to take a walk in the rain ♫
♫ A stomp through a storm is what I'd advise ♫
♫ When people you trust tell nothing but lies ♫
♫ And kidnap your friend and gouge out his eyes ♫
♫ It's nice to take a walk in the rain ♫
♫ You say your daughters are evil plotters ♫
♫ A pitter-patter shower will keep you sane ♫
♫ When all has been said and all have been slain ♫
♫ It's good to take a walk in the rain for several hours ♫
♫ Helps to have a howl in the rain without your clothes on ♫
♫ Nice to take a walk in the rain ♫
[ Cheers and applause ]
Subtitling made possible by RLJ Entertainment
So.
Well, I haven't cried in a week.
I think that's worth noting.
Look, it's not a big deal.
50% of men age 40 to 70 experience erectile dysfunction.
It's a highly treatable problem.
You got that off the Web, didn't you?
You just Google "***" and wade through the ***.
Eventually you get to Bob Dole.
Remember? He made that public-service announcement.
Mnh-mnh, he -- he made an ad for ***,
and I don't need medication.
I'm just -- I'm under a lot of stress.
And what the *** were you thinking
inviting Barbara to move in with us?
-I thought she'd say no. -She did say no.
Then you asked her a second time.
Well, I thought she'd say no a second time.
She's my best friend,
and she was very, very good to me when we were in New York.
Anyway, this isn't about Barbara.
This is about you accepting the fact that you're older now.
I'm older now.
We're not in the Young Company anymore.
[ Groaning ]
Vocalize your pain.
[ Groaning intensifies ]
Or pleasure.
No one will judge if they're the same.
Now, imagining each vertebrae as building blocks
as you start to roll up ever so gently.
[ Clears throat ]
And rolling faster.
And *** the rolling. You're standing.
Et c'est tout.
Remember -- keep your pee clear.
Water is your friend.
There they are, our new roomies.
That one is some kind of a future star.
She's like the ingenue part. Carpathia in "King Lear."
Ohh.
[ Both chuckle ]
PAUL: There they are, boys and girls of the musicals.
Well, they're flexible. I'll give them that.
That stick figure, that stick insect -- that's Megan.
She's the lead, a triple threat, they say.
What -- cute, sexy, and bendy?
You think she's cute?
Eh, I think she looks sick. I'll bet she's bony.
I think you're an idiot 'cause she's totally your type.
What? I do not have a type.
And if I did, it would no-- I -- Shut up.
You don't find her attractive?
Hey, um, are you excited about the rehearsals coming up?
I'm nervous.
It's the first day of school.
Yeah. It's their first day, too.
What do you do on the first day of a musical rehearsal?
SOPHIE: I don't know.
Get all gay?
The Service Interval Indicator
should be right next to the fuel gauge.
Do you see it now?
Oh, yes, yes.
Thank you. Thanks.
I'm sorry. I've never had a car like this before.
Is there anything else I can do for you this morning?
Uh, no, no, that's fine.
That's good. Thank you.
Thank you for using BMW Assist, and have a great day.
Thank you.
Actually -- Actually, today is a big -- It's a big day.
I'm starting a new project.
It's a play, a musical.
I'm very excited about it.
Actually, I'm producing it.
Great. Good luck.
Thanks.
What's your name?
-My name? -Yeah.
-Uh, Emily. -Oh. Emily.
Okay, well, I'm sure I'll be talking to you again,
so I'll let you know how it goes.
[ Chuckles ]
-Great. -Okay.
Uh, yes, we had some artists booked on A.C. flight 916
to La Paz via Miami.
I'm just wondering. Did they get on the flight?
Okay, well, did they get off the flight?
Yes, I'll hold.
Richard, Geoffrey, I need to speak to you two.
A human-resources meeting at 10:00.
Anna, I'm in rehearsal.
Richard?
Anna, I'm in rehearsal.
No, you're not in rehearsal.
You don't get to use the same excuse.
I am taking on the musical.
Geoffrey doesn't do administrative duties
while he's rehearsing. Neither do I.
I'm sorry, Anna. That's the new deal.
So, the new deal is that Anna does all the work?
-It's your department. -Richard.
Anna, I'm in rehearsal.
Uh, Geoffrey?
Geoffrey, just wanted to say good luck
on your first day of rehearsal.
-Oh, yeah. You too. -Thank you.
And, um, I wanted to ask you.
Could you give me some tips about dealing with Darren?
Because, frankly, he makes me a little nervous.
Ah, yes, Darren.
Well -- [ Clears throat ] Darren is an idiot.
And like many idiots, he's very proud.
So, your best weapon is flattery.
Suck up. He'll respond.
Okay.
Oh, no.
Steven Moore has died.
Oh, I don't know why you bother with that.
Well, memento mori.
Oh, you are in a mood.
I woke up this morning thinking,
"When will I ever play King Lear?"
Oh, Frank, you can't seriously want to play King Lear.
All that ranting. You'd be a wreck.
Much nicer to stay in the middle of the pack.
He looks so much older.
Well, of course he is older.
So are we.
How are you? You look terrible.
I have that feeling again.
-[ Clears throat ] -That weepy feeling?
What the *** is wrong with me?
[ Exhales sharply ]
Well, we'll just sit here like this.
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Sorry.
DARREN: I want drug-like jazz pieces.
-Why can't we have the song -- -Hi.
Good-looking group. Wow.
God, they're young. They're so young.
Yes.
You can actually, you know, feel the first-day energy
when you step in the door.
Do you have a purpose?
Excuse me?
Why are you here quietly spouting inanities?
Oh, uh, well, Darren, you know, I thought I'd really like
to learn something about this -- this process.
Oh.
Geoffrey said that if I wanted to learn anything about theater,
I should come and watch you.
He says you're the best.
And, I mean, you are the best.
I mean, I've always known that you were the best, but --
It's done very well for us, but you're the best.
Kind of a legend, really.
Nigel. [ Clears throat ]
This is Nigel Harrison, the writer.
Oh.
Hi.
And as the writer, Nigel is the eunuch in the harem.
[ Chuckles ]
Take a look around, Richard. Absorb.
We'll settle in, and Nigel will sing us through the score.
Okay. Thank you, Darren.
DARREN: Not in my chair!
GEOFFREY: Uh, Sophie?
Come on. I want you to meet Charles.
-Sorry. Charles. -Eh?
Uh, this is Sophie. She's paying Cordelia.
Hi. Nice to meet you.
Yeah. Well, forgive me, dear.
How much do you weigh?
Uh, 107, about?
Enter King Lear, with Cordelia dead in his arms.
That'll be a challenge.
[ Chuckles nervously ]
Um, Charles, I believe you know Ellen.
Ellen?
It's nice to see you again.
Oh, I've changed. [ Chuckles ]
My hair is completely different.
"The Three Sisters," National Arts Centre. I was Masha.
Uh, sorry, dear, there have been a lot of Mashas over the years.
Um, and you remember Barbara.
She was Olga. One of your Olgas.
Ah. You I remember.
Oh, how flattering.
You were the black one.
Uh, Jerry, come and meet Charles.
Come quickly and meet Charles.
Jerry is playing Kent and is your understudy.
-Geoffrey, it's 10:15. -Oh, outstanding.
All right, everyone. [ Clears throat ]
Let's grab a seat.
[ Coughs ]
I would just like to say at the outset
how thrilled I am that we have Charles Kingman joining us.
I first saw Charles act as Falstaff in "Henry IV,"
and, as he knows, it was that performance
that made me want to pursue this life in the theater.
Um, I was 11, and my father took me to the play,
which was unusual because my father detested the theater.
Charles' performance left me with two things.
The first is amazement
that one human being could generate that much spit.
[ Laughter ]
And the second -- [ Clears throat ]
The second was at the end of the play,
where Falstaff's great friend Hal betrays him.
Charles made me cry, um, which wasn't unusual.
Um... [ Sniffs ]
What was unusual was that my father...
My father was crying.
[ Clears throat ]
-CHARLES: Geoffrey. -GEOFFREY: Hmm?
I don't know if you remember the exercise we used to do,
the one where someone -- well, anyone --
would tell the story of the play
through their character's point of view.
That sounds like a -- That's a great idea, Charles.
Why don't you start us off?
Is everyone sitting comfortably?
[ Laughter ]
"The Tragedy of King Lear."
"East Hastings: The Musical."
Once there was an old king who, after many years' reign,
realized he was at the end of his life.
[ Low chord plays ]
This is the story of a junkie *** named Lulu
and her fight to kick the horse.
The king announced that he was going to divide up the kingdom
amongst his daughters, Regan, Goneril,
and his favorite, Cordelia.
But first he had a question for them.
"Which of you, shall we say, dost love us most?"
NIGEL: And so David, the gentle stockbroker/John --
He tells Lulu that he's leaving for Seattle.
And after one last night of passion,
he leaves her an envelope with 20 crisp $100 bills inside.
So, Lulu has a choice.
CHARLES: So, Cordelia has a choice.
Does she flatter him like her sisters,
or does she risk everything and tell her father the truth?
NIGEL: Does she escape East Hastings,
or does she get higher than she's ever gotten before?
[ Rock music plays ]
♫ I hate the needle, I hate the needle ♫
♫ I hate the needle, but I love the trip ♫
Lear's anger is boundless.
He banishes Cordelia.
He banishes the faithful Kent.
And Goneril and Regan seize their opportunity.
[ Low chord plays ]
♫ She's so high ♫
♫ She's too high ♫
♫ She's too high-igh-igh-igh- ighhhhhhhhhh ♫
They drive their father out of doors,
into a fierce thunderstorm,
and there on the heath, with his fool
and the disguised Kent begging him to take shelter,
he rages against his daughters' ingratitude.
He's gone mad.
And it's there, in the mental ward, that Lulu begins to sing.
[ Soft chord plays ]
♫ Wasn't long ago my soul was dyin' ♫
♫ Wasn't long ago I thought that life was too absurd ♫
♫ Now I've got it figured out ♫
♫ Forgive me if I shout ♫
♫ I'm tryin' ♫
♫ Tryin' to be heard ♫
♫ I'm tryin' to be heard ♫
♫ Tryin' to be heard ♫
The old man sleeps,
and when he wakes,
Cordelia is there, as if in a vision.
And the king and his daughter embrace with tears of joy.
They're sent to prison, but they're resigned --
happy, even -- because they're together.
And poor Cordelia is hanged,
and...as Lear cradles her dead body,
his spirit finally breaks.
And he dies.
And suddenly David appears.
He's returned from Seattle.
He's a record producer now.
[ Strong chords play ]
♫ We don't need the needle, We don't need the needle ♫
♫ We don't need the needle to be free ♫
CHARLES: And the moral?
Well, perhaps you could tell me.
♫ We don't need the needle, We don't need the needle ♫
♫ We don't need the needle to be free ♫
♫ We don't need it ♫
And blackout!
[ Cheering ]
GEOFFREY: [ Clears throat ] Thank you. Thanks, Charles.
Well, now we know the story.
So, why don't we start off with a --
just an easy reading of the text. Maria?
But, uh, could -- could we have a break?
A -- Of course.
Thank you.
[ Door opens ]
[ Metal clinking ]
ANDREW: But I can talk to my fishy.
My one fishy -- Pizza.
You like the red flakes, don't you, little Pizza?
And you want a little blue flakey there for you.
Oh. Sorry.
I was engrossed in the fish.
Um...
Are you looking for the Monday drop-by?
No, no, I, uh -- I was passing by and saw a sign.
Oh, well, uh, please come in.
[ Clears throat ]
What is the -- the Monday drop-by?
Oh, it's a glee club for the homeless.
Have a seat.
GEOFFREY: [ Chuckles ]
I'm sorry about that chair.
You're a little older than my usual clientele.
Your usual clientele are homeless children?
You know, I just got these fish,
and I can't stop looking at them.
I find them -- I find them oddly soothing.
Fish live in the now, as they say.
We can learn from the fish.
So, I'm -- I'm Andrew McTeague.
GEOFFREY: Geoffrey Tennant.
Geoffrey Tennant, from the festival?
Are you a subscriber?
ANDREW: No, no, it's just I've --
I've read about you in the paper, with the swans.
In small towns, things get blown out of proportion.
So...
[ Chuckles ]
[ Exhales heavily ]
-ANDREW: Take your time. -[ Pen clicks ]
Would you like some juice?
I have -- I have SunnyD.
I think I'm -- I seem to be right in the middle of a crease,
and...I don't know what -- I don't, um --
Well, I'm directing a play.
It's "King Lear."
And maybe it is the play -- I don't know --
but lately I find myself suddenly crying.
[ Chuckles ] Suddenly, for no reason.
And, um, well... there's other stuff.
Other stuff?
[ Clears throat ]
Yeah, um...
I'm having a peck of a problem holding up an ***.
I'm sorry for the word.
No, I'm a minister, not a monk, so...
Well, I should tell you right now
that I can't prescribe medication.
No, I don't want medication.
ANDREW: These kind of problems --
they're usually the symptom of a much larger issue.
Think of your life as -- as an inner tube.
If you fill it with too much air,
it'll bubble at a weak point.
You can patch that weak point,
but it'll just bubble somewhere else.
The real problem is the pressure.
We just need to find the source of your pressure.
[ Exhales sharply, chuckles ]
[ Toy squeaking ]
Oh, am I distracting you?
I'll just go wait in the pews.
What are you doing?
I'm praying. What's it look like?
What for?
OLIVER: Because I'm in need of help.
Geoffrey, why am I still here?
Oh, God, I'm depressed.
Oh, I see.
So, if I'm depressed, you have to be more depressed.
Is that how it works?
Look, I'm the one who's having the crisis here, Oliver.
Where were you?
Oh, I see.
You couldn't find your ghost friend,
so you had to resort to therapy.
-Listen to yourself. -Forget it.
Well, my condolences on your limp ***.
You leave my limp *** out of it.
Amen.
[ Telephone ringing ]
ANNA: [ Speaking Spanish slowly ]
-Ugh. -♫ Tryin' to be heard ♫
I can't handle this. Richard!
Grant applications. They're due on Friday.
Damn it! Why didn't you tell me?
I've been trying to tell you all week.
I've written something up, but you need to vet it.
Let's do that after work, okay?
Richard, this is work.
No, Anna, the work of this place is the theater,
not about the money.
[ Scoffs ]
Get your priorities straight, Anna.
Uh -- Oh, um, sí, sí, um...
If you will come to me, for now I spy a danger,
I do entreat you bring but five and twenty.
To no more will I give place or notice.
Line endings.
-What? -I can't hear the verse.
I gave you all.
And in good time you gave it.
Made you my guardians, my depositaries,
but kept a reservation to be follow'd with such a number.
What, must I come to you with five and twenty, Regan?
And speak't again, my lord -- no more with me.
God, the same bad habits you had 20 years ago.
[ Laughs ]
Nice to know you remember me after all.
Continue.
CHARLES: I'll go with thee.
Thy fifty yet doth double five and twenty,
and thou art twice her love.
BARBARA: Hear me, my lord.
What need you five and twenty -- ten or five --
to follow in a house
where twice as many have a command to tend you?
What need one?
Listen.
[ Rhythmically ] Oh, reason not the need.
Our basest beggars are in the poorest thing superfluous.
Allow not nature more than nature needs.
Man's life's as cheap as beast's.
Thou art a lady.
If only to go warm were gorgeous,
why, nature needs not what thou gorgeous wear'st,
which scarcely keeps thee warm.
But for true need, you heavens, give me that patience!
Patience I need!
You hear the verse?!
The meaning is in the verse!
We must respect it!
Please continue.
[ Piano playing strong chords ]
♫ $2,000 ♫
♫ It could get me some smack and a trip to Nirvana ♫
♫ $2,000 ♫
♫ It could get you on track of your life if you wanna try ♫
♫ That's what $2,000 ♫
Megan, I'm gonna stop you there.
You're singing to David, the man you love,
the man who pays you to have sex with him.
Obviously, the emotions contained
within these relationships are complex,
but I don't want you to play those emotions.
Nigel, sit. Sit.
I want you all to take note of this.
Music is manipulative on a level few of us can fully appreciate.
I visited a lab in Rotterdam,
and I saw a chimpanzee driven to a state of *** ecstasy
simply by listening to a C-major seventh chord
repeated over and over.
I saw -- I saw it with my own eyes.
Sing the duet by yourself.
Let's see how that feels.
[ Piano playing ]
Darren scares me when he gets esoteric like that.
Yeah, that was confusing.
You will step in if things get out of hand, right?
Oh. Look, I'm just here as an observer.
I'll try.
Thank you.
SOPHIE: Unhappy that I am,
I cannot heave my heart into my mouth.
I love your majesty according to my bond, nor more nor less.
Speak up.
You have begot me, bred me, loved me.
I return those duties back as are right fit.
Has no one told you you have serious vocal problems?
Hmm? Oh, come on, for God's sake. Give me the cue.
S-Sorry. I'm trying.
CHARLES: Mm-hmm.
Obey you, love you, and most honor you.
Why have my sisters' husbands, if they say they love you all?
That the way she's going to do it?
ELLEN: Charles!
-CHARLES: Yes, Ellen? -ELLEN: You're being a bully.
CHARLES: Well, someone has to tell her.
If not me, it'll be the critics.
-Stop it! -Oh.
So, you're the cast mother now, hmm?
Okay, everyone, let's cool down.
Sophie?
I'm fine, really.
I just -- Let me --
Geoffrey, it's nearly 5:00.
Oh, thank the little baby Jesus.
All right, everyone, have a relaxing evening,
and we will pick up with this fun again tomorrow.
CHARLES: Your company's soft.
We're rehearsing "Lear," for God's sake.
It's not an acting class.
[ Keyboard clacking ]
The problem is this. We made a profit.
How is that a problem?
Richard, if we made a profit,
the arts councils will reduce our grant.
Then if we have a bad year,
we have to start all over again in the funding line-up.
Then we'll call it a surplus, you know?
We'll hand out some bonuses.
We'll throw a huge opening-night party,
uh, you know, maybe start a capital campaign.
For what?
I don't know. A new theater?
A swimming pool?
You know, it doesn't matter.
We -- We made a profit.
A surplus.
A surplus, whatever.
You know, we should celebrate.
God.
Do we not have any *** around here?
Wait. What happened to those gift baskets we got
for "Macbeth"?
In the boardroom. I haven't opened them yet.
Let's go.
Jesus!
Christ!
Oliver, for ***'s sake!
Oh, hello, Geoffrey.
How's rehearsals?
God and all his angels. What is wrong with you?
You just about gave me a heart attack.
Oh, don't bother.
It's not working anyway.
What is this, a cry for attention?
Possibly.
I don't know. I don't care.
Why don't you sit down here with me
and tell me what this is all about?
I told you at the church.
I want to die.
Well, apart from the fact that you're already dead, why?
Why now?
Because it's my time.
It was my time two years ago.
I want to move on.
I want my reward.
But what if you're not getting a reward?
What if what you get is punishment?
This is my punishment, this marginal existence.
Why is this happening to me?
Was I such a bad person?
Do you really want to go there?
And in any event, it's all blood under the bridge.
I've moved on.
You really believe that, do you?
[ Sighs ]
What are you doing?
It's my new affliction.
I come and go now, kind of like a rash.
Oliver?
RICHARD: [ Sings fanfare ]
Done.
Good for you.
Hey.
I'm getting a bit tipsy.
Yeah.
To...budgets.
[ Chuckles ]
[ Both chuckle ]
How's the musical?
Oh, my God, Anna, you should hear this one girl.
This huge voice comes out of this tiny body.
I -- [ Sighs ]
I get chills just thinking about it.
It's so good to see you having fun.
You know, that's it.
I'm having fun.
For the first time in my life as an arts administrator,
I'm actually having fun.
I always suspected there was a crippled artist in you
trying to crawl out.
Exactly.
But still, come on.
Are people talking about me on the musical?
Do they think I'm an idiot?
You killed yourself turning this place around.
Yeah.
Don't worry about the talk.
You've earned the right.
Thank you, Anna.
To your musical.
May it be a big hit.
[ Both laugh ]
Thanks.
So, what about you?
I mean, what's going on in your life?
What's going on?
Are you still seeing that Canadian playwright?
No.
That ended -- Mm! Mm!
Mm! Mm! Mm!
No!
-Richard, please don't do that. -***. I'm -- I'm sorry.
Sorry.
You were nice to me.
It made me ***.
-Oh, please don't say that. -Okay. I'm sorry.
It won't happen again.
It was the Scotch.
I understand.
And you were nice to me.
It made me ***. [ Laughs ]
You can't take it personal, Sophie.
Well, it feels personal.
It's making me not want to go back to rehearsal.
He's just a grumpy old man.
No, he's mean. I hope he gets Alzheimer's.
Okay, we're gonna have a couple drinks.
We're gonna play some pool, okay?
You owe me 20 bucks.
You know, you're a very simple person.
I am a very simple person. It's true.
***.
They're at our table -- our new roomies.
Hi. Ladies, gentlemen, um...
Sorry. This table's traditionally reserved
for actors.
We are actors. We're in the musical.
Yes, true. Sorry. Uh, that's my fault.
I should have been more explicit.
This table is traditionally reserved for actors
in the classical company.
This is still the New Burbage Festival,
and that confers certain ancient rights and privileges,
and et cetera, et cet--
Anyway, bottom line is
our Shakespeare pretty much trumps your sequins.
Well, too bad.
-We were here first. -Yeah.
-Paul, forget it. -No, no, wait. Wait.
I'm sorry. I'm just trying to make a point.
I'm sorry.
We are the residents, and you are the visitors.
We're gonna be here long after
your little workshop production has closed.
It's about respect.
Paul, I'm gonna go, okay?
-What? -I'm going.
Ohh, your girlfriend's leaving.
Maybe you should walk her home.
That would be the respectful thing to do.
[ Laughter ]
Oh, my God.
He's cute, but he's a ***.
[ Laughter ]
BARBARA: [ Laughs ]
So, one minute I'm being insulted
for not being able to organize my income-tax receipts,
and the next minute
we're tearing off each other's clothes.
You know what the worst part of it is?
I still have to pay $27,000 in back taxes.
Ugh, excuse me.
I am sweating like a pig.
Phew.
Hot flashes.
ELLEN: Already?
Yup, lucky me.
When I first found out, I was depressed for two days.
And then I thought, "This isn't tragedy.
'Lear' is tragedy.
This is just...life."
Good for you.
So what if I can't have kids? Boohoo.
I can travel. I can do theater.
So what if I'm not in a relationship?
I have my battery-operated boyfriend.
[ Laughs ]
BARBARA: Ellen, you just finished telling me
you slept with your brother-in-law.
I'm not shocked.
I'm just not used to intimate conversation.
There's no one in the company I can talk to.
BARBARA: What about Geoffrey?
God, it's so romantic.
Living together, working together, sleeping together.
It is, but, you know, we have our problems.
I mean -- I don't know. Lately --
BARBARA: Tell me something.
Why doesn't Geoffrey speak to Charles
about his behavior in rehearsal?
I'm sorry. I shouldn't.
No, I -- No, no, you're right.
Maybe -- Maybe I'll talk to him.
Where is he, by the way?
Working.
Probably.
I don't know.
Oliver?
Oliver!
OLIVER: What?
Ah, there you are.
You disappeared in the middle of a conversation.
I know. I've been doing that lately.
I just fade away.
But I don't go away.
Very depressing.
Well, I have a little something that might cheer you up.
-Oh, you found a gun? -No.
I need your help with "King Lear."
I'm having a little trouble.
I don't care.
I beg your pardon?
Theater is pointless.
I see that now.
It accomplishes nothing.
You struggle to put on a play that was cobbled together
from 400-year-old handwritten fragments.
And it's full of contradictions and inconsistencies.
And the actors don't know what the hell they're saying,
and the audience doesn't know what the hell they're hearing.
And at the end, what does it get you?
Not two pickets to Tittsburgh, I can tell you that much.
You're depressing.
Let me come to therapy with you.
[ Chuckling ] No.
I need help, Geoffrey.
I've got nowhere else to turn.
No, this isn't about you, Oliver.
It's about me.
And I support what you're doing.
You're getting help while you're alive, and I respect that.
I just want to sit in, listen.
Maybe he might say something
that will give me a new perspective -- for both of us.
Maybe we'll both quit the theater for good, eh?
I'm not going to him for career advice, you weirdo.
Aren't you?
Ah, ***.
It's happening again.
[ Blow dryer humming ]
Hi. What's up?
Hey. You've been in here for, uh, 20 minutes,
and I have a rehearsal to get to.
Oh. So do I.
So, you -- you can't dry your hair in your room?
Oh. There's no mirror in there.
[ Chuckles ]
[ High-pitched voice ] There's no mirror in there! Ah-ha!
[ Chuckles ]
So...
You know, I want you to think of each session as your hour.
It's about you and nobody else.
If you want to whine and complain, feel free.
So...
Take it away.
Mm-hmm.
Well, I'm not -- I don't, uh --
Maybe you could ask me a question, then.
Sure, yes, okay.
Do you think of yourself
as someone who can separate his work life and his personal life?
Or are you someone who takes your work with you
wherever you go?
[ Chuckles ]
Uh -- [ Clears throat ]
You know, yeah, I suppose I do take my work with me,
but -- but I don't really know how to stop working,
which, for me, is thinking,
and how do you not think of something?
Right. How do you ignore the elephant in the room?
OLIVER: [ Laughs ]
ANDREW: Well, you know, quite often,
work-related stress results from an unrealistic self-image.
-What do you mean? -What do you mean?
Well, you constantly fail to meet your own expectations,
and it makes for a miserable life.
Interesting.
You know, no, I think maybe it's a little bit different
for people in the arts
because when I'm not working, I don't know who I am.
But you are working. Very hard, in fact.
And one of the first things you said to me
when you came into my office was, "I don't know who I am."
Oh, oh, he's good.
ANDREW: I think sometimes you have to ask yourself,
"Is work enough, or is there something more?"
You mean I'm looking for a higher purpose?
[ Indistinct conversations ]
-Nahum? -Ah, yes.
Anna.
[ Chuckles ]
You found them.
We were just having breakfast.
ANNA: Oh, thank goodness you're out of danger.
I was so worried you'd been caught up in the coup.
Coup?
ANNA: They didn't know?
No.
There's been a coup in your country.
The generals have taken over the government.
[ Speaking Spanish ]
They said they heard there were rumors,
but they did not know that this was coming.
Then why did they come back?
Alvaro did not want to go through security
without his St. Christopher medal.
He caused such a scene that they kicked him out of the airport.
They didn't know where else to go, so they came back here.
Then it worked.
Mi medallón.
[ Knock on door ]
-Got a minute? -GEOFFREY: Sure.
I've come to talk to you on behalf of the company.
Who asked you?
It doesn't matter who asked, does it?
Ah. Barbara.
Yes.
She's an Equity deputy.
Has she found somewhere to live?
ELLEN: Uh, she's working on it.
I'm sure she is.
So, what did you want to talk about?
Charles.
He's making life difficult for everyone.
It's not fair.
The actors can't do their work.
All we're asking for is a little common respect.
That's not too much to ask, is it?
No. No.
I'll talk to him.
Okay.
Thanks.
So, how's it going -- your therapy?
Did you have a session today?
Mm-hmm, yeah.
It's fine, you know?
Did you talk to him about your...
My faulty unit?
I was trying to be a little sensitive.
Okay, well, I'll see you at rehearsal.
You know, my first was "Oklahoma!"
I was 7, you know?
"Wizard of Oz" when I was 4, 5.
Yeah, but isn't everyone's first musical "The Wizard of Oz"?
I played the leader of the Lollipop Guild
when I was in grade 2.
I drove my mother crazy.
I played Snoopy in my high-school production
of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."
-I was Linus. -No!
-Kingston Summer Rep. -Really?
-I used my own blanket. -[ Laughs ]
I lost my virginity to the girl who played Lucy.
[ Laughs ]
I lost mine backstage
at a production of "Broadway, Broadway, Broadway"
at Canada's Wonderland.
[ Laughing ] Oh, no way!
Would you two please shut up?!
I'm trying to work!
-Sorry. -Sorry, Darren.
DARREN: Let's take it from the top.
[ Both laugh ]
You do me wrong to take me out o' my grave.
Thou art a soul in bliss,
but I am bound upon a wheel of fire
that mine own tears do scald like molten lead.
Sir, do you know me?
You are a spirit, I know.
When did you die?
Still, still far wide.
Where am I?
Fair daylight?
Oh, I am mightily abused.
I should e'en die with pity to see another thus.
I know not what to say.
Oh, look upon me, sir.
Oh, for ***'s sake, girl, will you learn your lines?!
Uh...
That -- That is my line.
It may be your line, but it's not your cue.
-You cut me off. -I'm very sorry, Charles.
It's a waste of my time rehearsing with amateurs.
Stage management, you call me when she's learned her lines.
I thought you said you were gonna speak to him.
-I did say that, yes. -When?
Well, I've been waiting for an appropriate lull in the...
[ Mid-tempo piano music playing ]
DARREN: Let's try it again.
This time, everybody dance with your backs to the audience.
Let's go.
[ Hands clap ]
You know, the thing is Darren has a vision,
but ultimately,
all the great musicals are sustained by the story.
Exactly, and this is a good story.
I mean, it's one woman's journey.
Then you've got to help me defend it.
What?
Because it's gonna get lost in all this...theater.
Okay.
Okay.
Hey, Darren.
Um, sorry to bother you. I have a question.
I was just wondering, you know --
this staging, with their backs to the audience,
and also that --
You know that scene in act two, scene three,
where it's all in the dark?
Do you think that's really serving our story here?
Get out.
Get out!
I cannot concentrate with your ill-informed yapping.
This is a creative process.
I cannot be constrained by your ignorance.
Okay. Sure. Sorry.
I'll -- I'll sit down.
[ Clears throat ] Again from the top.
Whew.
Thanks for trying.
-[ Knock on door ] -GEOFFREY: Charles?
CHARLES: Come in. Come in.
Lord, Lord, the crap you accumulate at my age.
Someone's writing a book
on the history of theater in Canada.
You look worried.
Charles, we need to talk about rehearsal.
CHARLES: Yeah? Good. What are your thoughts?
The thing is it's the cast.
They're having a very hard time, and they are afraid.
Well, so they should be.
The play is very disturbing.
It could affect your whole life.
They are afraid of you.
You are very...
What?
...intimidating.
Well, it's not my problem.
GEOFFREY: Well, yes, it is.
They haven't been with this play as long as you have.
None of us have.
You have got to give us time to catch up.
I don't have time.
Oh, Charles, come on. We've got weeks before we open.
I'm not talking about that.
I have cancer, Geoffrey.
You have cancer?
Yes.
I have two, three months.
So, you'll forgive me if my patience is a little strained.
[ Exhales heavily ]
Charles, Jesus.
Why didn't you tell me?
I was afraid you'd cancel.
GEOFFREY: Well, of course I'm gonna cancel.
Nobody should die doing a play at New Burbage -- and "Lear"?
"Lear" is far too demanding for somebody who's sick.
I mean, you're gonna need to rest.
You're gonna need to take care of yourself.
What for? I'm still gonna die.
He's right.
He could get hit by a pig truck tomorrow, and then what?
No.
[ Sighs ]
I know the part.
I've been studying it all my life.
And now I'm living it.
Help me do this...
...for however far we get.
Promise me.
OLIVER: Is this it?
Is this my higher purpose?
I don't know.
OLIVER: You have to do this, Geoffrey, for me.
For you?
Yes.
For me.
Subtitling made possible by RLJ Entertainment
[ Piano plays intro to "Call the Understudy" ]
♫ Call the understudy, I can't go on tonight ♫
♫ I'm drinking with my buddy, I'm getting good and tight ♫
♫ Before they raise the curtain, I'll be higher than a kite ♫
♫ So, call the understudy, I can't go on tonight ♫
♫ Tell the cast and crew to break a leg ♫
♫ Break a leg ♫
♫ Roll me out another bloody keg ♫
♫ Bloody keg ♫
♫ I need to ease the pain that life can bring ♫
♫ Life can bring ♫
♫ And liquor is what will hit the spot ♫
♫ The play is not the thing ♫
♫ So, call the understudy, I think it's only right ♫
♫ My diction will be muddy, I'll never find my light ♫
♫ Before the intermission, I'll be *** on a sprite ♫
♫ So, call the understudy ♫
-♫ I can't go on ♫ -♫ He can't go on ♫
-♫ I won't go on ♫ -♫ He shan't go on ♫
♫ I can't go on tonight ♫
♫ Damn right ♫