Final Progression

Following the suggestions, we made some changes. The biggest change is that we replaced part of the Tom's ending monologue by using an Amanda's monologue. We also changed the blocking to fully show the cast members to the audience in the ending monologue to emphasize the essential of the play as a memory. There are some subtle changes, too. For example, we changed the placements of some props and added music to specify the emotion of the scenes. As individuals, we also worked on the movements. As Tom, I tried not to turn or sway.

We changed the monologue in the end mainly because we cannot change the original product. However, we did find a valid and persuasive Amanda monologue in the end. It is about how Amanda had 17 gentlemen callers and married Tom's father. This monologue is going after Tom's line "...in my father's footsteps, attempting to find what was lost in space. I travelled around a great deal." This heartbreaking monologue about how Tom's father left family works well at this point. One of the reasons is that it served as a draw back to remind the audience how the departure of the father damaged the family. As an add-in in the Tom's monologue, it amplifies Tom's guilt towards the family, which makes the later regret seems more realistic. Another reason is that this Amanda's monologue is echoing the line: "what was lost in space." By implying Amanda (or the family) is the one that lost, the monologue shows that Tom is not only regretting that he left Laura, but also regretting for Amanda in some degree, which I think makes the play more complete. When I said "what was lost in space," I would turn my face aside towards to Amanda. At the same time, Amanda is delivering her monologue showing her weakness and her desire of sense of belonging. As Amanda is away from Tom, and the light between them is dimmed, it shows that Amanda or the perception of affiliation is what Tom is looking for subconsciously but can never reach, too. I think the adding of this Amanda's monologue is the biggest advantage of our production because it accomplished multiple goals at the same time. The weakness of this change is that we don't have a picture of Tom's father on the wall. The picture is an important element as a towering reminder of the painful past of the family. The presence of the picture can lead to better complement of our production.

As an individual, I also tried to create emotional memory in the monologue. In the second half of the monologue, I practiced picturing the "perfume shop" in my head when I was walking and delivering lines. In my interpretation, I think this is the time that Tom is reconnecting the family and his wounds again. At first he sees only the shop and the window, it is beautiful and dreamy. It makes him forget his pain. However, when he sees the glass bottles, he is gradually recalling his guilt. I tried to picture all the image in my head on stage, which made me feel that I was doing something real. However, sometimes, and in the final production, the timing with Laura touching Tom's shoulder can be a little offbeat. I did not work with Grace in this part. One reason is that I forget she can be crucial in this part of acting, and another reason is that I really don't know how to control the timing while the acting is in my head when I am sinking into a memory. 

P.S.: I watched the movie "Perfume", the memory comes from this movie, if I needed to cite it.