It was fortunate that the designer of Hamlet had modelled his set so closely on the human cranium. But for the concavity of the skull segment that landed on him, Jared Root would have been much more severely injured. A flat section of the same weight falling from the same height would undoubtedly have killed him. As it was, the wood-reinforced edge of fibreglass shell caught him a glancing blow on the shoulder. Though the impact of this broke his collar bone and fractured his right tibia, the hollowness of the structure meant that he suffered no head injuries.
There was no doubt, however, that Jared would not be able to continue with the show. Early estimations of his recovery time were in months rather than weeks. Tony Copeland’s production was now in the situation Frances had suggested – ‘Hamlet without the Prince’.
But, remarkably, the Tech of the show continued. Ned English – acting, Charles Paris presumed, on instructions from Tony in London – passed on the news to the company, who had been called into the Green Room once Jared Root was on his way to the hospital.
‘But how can we do it without Jared?’ objected Katrina Selsey. ‘Hamlet is in, like, quite a few of the scenes.’
‘Will can stand in.’
Charles looked across at the ASM. Oh yes, of course, as well as being Second Gravedigger, he was officially Jared Root’s understudy. And from the expression on the young man’s face, Will Portlock’s most treasured fantasy had just become reality. In the boy’s mind the A Star Is Born scenario was being acted out, newspaper headlines were writing themselves. ‘Unknown steps in and triumphs!’ Jared Root’s misfortune would provide the basis for Will Portlock’s fortune.
The visions in Charles Paris’s mind were less rosy. He’d witnessed too many shows where the official understudy had thought he’d got the job, only for the producer to ace him out at the last minute and replace him with a bigger name. It had happened more than once to Charles himself. He remembered particularly the bitterness he’d felt after giving an excellent performance in a play called The Hooded Owl at the Prince’s Theatre Taunton, only to be demoted to understudy by a better-known actor when the play transferred to the West End.
And even if the understudy did get the part, triumph was not the inevitable outcome. The review Charles’d got when replacing a senior actor sidelined with appendicitis in one of Shakespeare’s Roman Plays still rankled. ‘With Charles Paris as Julius Caesar, I was surprised Brutus and his cronies didn’t take action earlier.’ – Beeston Express.
So the Tech continued on its customary route of frustration. Actors are very good at shrinking into a kind of zombie state during Techs. Most of them understand that at that stage of a production, the focus is not on them. They may be required to stand around on stage for a long time while lighting effects are tested, and to repeat the same lines endlessly while the timings of set changes and sound cues are refined. The process is boring and it can take a very long time, but experienced actors know it’s just part of the job. At such times very few of them even attempt to give a full-power performance. They hold that in reserve for the Dress Rehearsal and subsequent exposure to an audience.
Which was why Charles Paris found it interesting to see how Will Portlock behaved during the Tech. The young actor was giving his Hamlet full-on. What was more, he knew the words – which wasn’t always the case with understudies at that stage of a production. Understudy rehearsals are meant to take place during the main rehearsal period, but frequently, given the pressure of getting the show itself on with the regular cast, they get overlooked. And, because he was understudying Polonius, Charles knew for a fact that no understudy rehearsals had yet taken place for the Tony Copeland Productions’ Hamlet.
But Will Portlock had clearly taken his job seriously. He knew every move that Jared Root had rehearsed. And, rather than just walking through a Tech, he acted the part of Hamlet as if he were auditioning for it. Which, Charles reflected, perhaps he was. After all, until countermanding orders were received from Tony Copeland in London, Will Portlock was playing the part.
Charles hoped the boy wasn’t in for a big disappointment.
He found himself standing in the wings next to Will during a long hiatus while the interior cranium lighting was adjusted for the scene in Gertrude’s closet.
‘Well done,’ he said. ‘You’re giving it lots of welly.’
‘Wouldn’t you if you were given the chance to play Hamlet?’
‘Not sure I would for a Tech.’
‘Look, Charles, in two days I’m going to be playing the part to a paying audience. I need to be full on for all the rehearsal time I can get.’
‘You may be right.’
‘Have you ever actually played the part?’
A wry shake of the head. Hamlet wasn’t the kind of part actors like Charles Paris got. Even when he was the right age for it, the nearest he’d come was Horatio. (‘Charles Paris played Horatio like a particularly slow-witted Dr Watson.’ – Oldham Evening Chronicle.)
‘Well, this is a big opportunity for me,’ said Will Portlock earnestly, ‘and I’m not going to waste it.’
‘Good for you.’
‘I’ve texted my father about it. He’s flying over from Baltimore for the First Night on Wednesday.’
Charles just hoped that the insurance covered last-minute cancellation of the flight if that became necessary.
‘I’m very determined to make a success of my career,’ were Will Portlock’s last words before rehearsal of the Closet Scene was allowed to resume.
The intensity with which they were said brought a new thought into Charles’s head. Will’s preparedness to take over as Hamlet suggested an unusual degree of forethought. And what had happened to the originally cast Hamlet had been nothing but good news for his young understudy. For the first time Charles Paris found himself idly wondering just how accidental Jared Root’s injuries had been.