Anti-OTP: John/Cyrano

[john_ofdarkness]

John's managed to cadge a script from one of Cyrano's actors, and he's currently got it propped up on a music stand near the piano. Atop the piano itself, he has his own book of blank staff paper, onto which he occasionally transcribes a particularly good bit of improvisation. He's been in need of a new project lately, and there are very few comedies that wouldn't benefit from a little incidental music.

Comments

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

It shouldn't, since John calls everyone that, but still. "You needn't be so sensitive about it. People might think you're compensating." He turns back to the piano, putting his glasses aside and playing what he's begun to think of as the overture.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

Compensating? That earns him a sort of frown. But. He moves to be able to see John's hands on the piano, and pays attention to his work - those are handsome hands, skilled, clearly.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

Sorry; John can't help the snark. It's like breathing by now. When he's finished the bit he's drafted, he'll look up again, inquiringly. "A bit of music before the show?"

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"Si la musique est bonne...." He smiles, "An overture does sound like it would be rather a good mood-starter."

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"I'm offering my services." Leaning back a little, half-straddling the piano bench, brows arched as though the offer is not entirely musical.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

A bit of an eyebrow, but not a refusal - merely surprise at how straightforward an approach this is.

"And they might well be accepted, Monsieur," he gives a curt nod.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"Might they."

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"Perhaps, if the main piece is as talented as the overture, and as gallantly offered," but that's clearly praise, John.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"I'll do what I can." He takes what praise he can get. "Have you got your Fanchon a tune for that song near the end? It might be nice to do a bit of subtle accompaniment."

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"I've not, but I have no idea that Lamora can press a melody, if you ask me." He chuckles - he's actually pretty sure that Locke can't sing.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"Damn. Did you write the song out, make it a recitation rather than a melody ...?" He's thinking now about how to give it the air of being a song, even recited a la Tony Curtis in Spartacus. And now he's thinking about oysters and snails and a bath scene that was exactly his kind of creepysexy.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"Recitation was the intention, in truth. I suppose you have a plan in mind, already?"

And what that plan might be about is completely up for interpretation.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

Ignore the epic fail of that HTML. O_o

"Something like a plan. Give me a few minutes to think of a decent melody--unless you have one in mind?"

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"The playwright would never dare impose his whim, Maestro..."

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

A smirk. "As a playwright, I don't believe it." He leafs to the song, humming under his breath. He has a thin singing voice, made worse by his smoking habit; he's not bad at humming, though, and soon enough he has something like a passable tune. He chords for it almost carelessly, more good old-fashioned music theory than an attempt at creating an emotional effect with the music. It's hastily put together, but hints that a better version might be forthcoming.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

It's definitely different from what 18th century Cyrano is used to, but he can tell that there is talent there, and the tune is fitting, no matter how fastly crafted it can me.

"Impressive improvisation," he says, when John takes a pause. "Perhaps to test it with a recitatif...."

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"A recitatif will sound worse than a melody, if your actor can't sing." He's seen some absolutely terrible productions of Patience that have convinced him of it forever.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"I would have to take your word for it," he murmurs, taking the script and re-reading the concerned page distractedly. "But let us try it, to see."

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"Do you sing, duck?" Implication obvious: I sure don't.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"Not opera, for sure." Translation: I won't sell records, but I won't break the windows either.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

"But you can manage a recitatif on the notes I've played, can't you?"

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

"Just spare me the rotten tomatoes." He chuckles.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

So John will slowly plunk out the notes that he wants (yanking a semblance of a recitatif out of chords for the melody), jotting them down and letting Cyrano follow along, going back and reviewing every so often so that neither he nor Cyrano forgets.

[cyranosavignien.livejournal.com]

Cyrano will listen and hum the thing - committing the recitatif to memory, and use the moments of review to perfect it.

It's not grand art by any means, but it does the trick.

[john-ofdarkness.livejournal.com]

Once he's satisfied that Cyrano has the pattern of notes down, John asks, "Ready to try it?"