Let’s talk about Rebecca.
Hideo was always to take place in a bar, so you’d think the bartender at The Shiny Mug would have been the first character we fleshed out. Not the case. The bartender began as a nameless man, little more than a means to get the traveler to tell his story. Then, the show expanded.
Rather than tell our story through a series of monologues, we decided it would be infinitely more interesting to stage a continuous conversation between the bartender and the traveler. As the bartender’s role in the story expanded, the character began to come into focus. He was coming out sarcastic, gruff, experienced and unfazed by the everyday trials of life in Hideo’s unforgiving world.
Armed with rough drafts of the script, we had readings to cast the various roles. Enter Lillian Yee, already a singer for the production. She read for the bartender despite the fact the role had been written with a man in mind. The character shifted. Lillian added a sensitivity to the bartender. There was less of an edge to her sarcasm, more empathy in her questions. I saw how much better the story would be with a bartender who truly believes she can help every passerby. Maybe because of something in her past. But what? And where’s she from? What does she want out of life? I started having internal Q+As about her. Asking questions and thinking through the answers seemed to be a sign she was coming together.
Turns out Lillian’s singing duties were in conflict with the part. Eventually, we found our way to an old friend of mine who brought everything we wanted to the table. Literally, since she’s a bartender.
Even at this point, the script still had her character humbly labeled “bartender,” probably because the role began as such a small one. For a dude, I’d originally liked the name Reuben. Didn’t like Ruby for a girl though. Eventually, I threw out Rebecca and everybody basically went with it.
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- Bartender Character Concept
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- Rebecca Comes to Life
I kept asking myself questions about Rebecca. I wanted to know her journey up to the point where our story begins. A character’s past is never as important to a story as a character’s present; character is about action, not backstory. But I ended up with something that made her an interesting addition to our group of characters and an interesting contrast to our traveler. Rebecca has suffered as other characters have, but her trials became a foundation for altruism. Our other characters found themselves on a darker path. But like Hideo himself, Rebecca has grown into a hero, placing the needs of common travelers ahead of herself, even to the point of being a nuisance. And I assume at least some of those free drinks could be coming out of her paychecks. Picking up the tab = heroism.
Constant conflict stews between Rebecca and her boss. On the one hand, he can’t deny her ability to make connections with their customers. But a business will only take “the customer is always right” so far. Rebecca, without a doubt, goes far beyond what the boss would prefer and it really ticks him off. I like the “can’t live with or without” tension they have as a result. He would be lost without her to keep that mug shiny. Doesn’t mean he always enjoys it.
