Original artwork, not a still
You mean they actually rehearse? I thought they just got drunk, stuck on a silly hat and trusted to luck.
— Blackadder ‧ 1983
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Blackadder treats an actor's job as an elaborate way of showing off in a costume. The silly hat makes the insult concrete, while the question about rehearsal supplies the feigned innocence. It is especially apt in an episode where theatrical performance, superstition and actual political danger become difficult for the Prince to tell apart.
Context reviewed
In context
Spoilers for BlackadderShow the scene
In ‘Sense and Senility’, the fourth episode of Blackadder the Third (1987), the Prince Regent employs actors to help him improve a public speech. Blackadder has little patience for their theatrical grandeur or their professional rituals. Discovering that actors rehearse gives him a chance to dismiss the whole occupation. His supposed explanation of how performances work reduces the stage to drink, headwear and optimism.
Sources (2)
- Sense and Senility — episode subtitle transcriptBlackadder the Third — Sense and Senility; quoted conversationReference checked
- Blackadder the Third — WikiquoteSense and SenilityReference checked
Context reviewed
