… “On The Flipside of Thiiings!” … This is one of the catchy and original ditties featured in Flipside. One thing about watching the behind-the-scenes action and listening to a lot of the catch phrases and songs is that they get stuck in my head… And the hope is that they will infiltrate your brain and leave an indelible mark, as well.

Yesterday’s rehearsal featured (my) first experience hearing some of the music and voice work over the sound system in The Hollander performance space. The cast had on these nifty ear pieces (a more streamlined version of the fast-food drive-through ones employees wear when they take your order and more akin to the ones pop-stars don, to pretend they aren’t lip syncing).  Sound designer, Martin Carrillo is really giving sound-sonic realness with the system and I suspect this is HartBeat Ensemble’s most sophisticated main-stage play to date.

The gang focused on Brian Jennings’ (Have I mentioned how outstanding and fun to watch he is?) role as undercover Narcotics agent, Nick and Cindy Martinez in a dual role as a hustler named Delgado and as Bo’s girlfriend Silvi. The character of Delgado is an interesting one. Written as a notorious drug dealer turned informant, Delgado will be featured in a series of flashbacks Julia referred to as “hauntings” to torment the character of Nick. Without intending to give too much away, Delgado will be juxtaposed against scenes featuring Bo, as Nick recalls his relationship with Delgado being similar to the one he has developed with Bo. Nick is besieged by foreboding that Bo won’t fare well hustling yayo, as he recalls memories of Delgado’s life as a prolific dealer and the subsequent outcome he sowed for himself. Riveting stuff.

The laugh out loud, Blooper moment of the day featured Brian Jennings’ rear area making an urgent … chirping… sound during an intense scene. “Brian’s ass is chirping!’ Julia Rosenblatt guffawed. But alas, it was only his phone (I hope).

One thing I’ve been noticing (and I believe I’ve mentioned this in a previous post)  is Director Greg “Tate” Tate’s attention to fluidity and the tiniest of details. I must admit, a few times while watching a particularly good scene being rehearsed, I grew somewhat frustrated when Tate’s booming voice would interrupt. His concern for detail and what seems like the minutiae, actually makes perfect sense! Yesterday during a particularly passionate moment between Chinaza and Cindy, where Silvi discovers her boyfriend Bo is a drug dealer, Tate cut into the moment… demanding… extracting… yanking… pushing the actors towards ecstasy. I likened it to the phone ringing right before a pivotal moment with a paramour (stop judging). However, Tate’s prodding was fitting after he insisted, “The story has no relevance to the arc without the passion!” And perhaps this is what makes his direction effective and that good. He wants the Flipside actors to tap into their core to tell this story… even at the risk of snot and tears flowing out of every orifice, as opposed to them just going through the motions and mouthing the script. Don’t get it twisted… the actors are good… But good isn’t enough in this instance, for Tate needs them to be superb. It’s essential to the script and it’s important to the message that’s being conveyed. At the end of the day, it’s not about preaching… Flipside never does that… it’s about challenging the current drug policy and illustrating its impact on people’s lives. April 28th – May 21st… you’ll get to experience it for yourselves.