“Our Miss Brooks” premiered today and if any of you have been closely following these Madison’s Musings, you know I’ve been hesitant not only to do the OTR comedies, but often referenced “Our Miss Brooks” as an example of a show I didn’t think was a good fit with Madison. So what changed?
When I’ve listened to the comedies and have tried to see if there was a good script I could adapt, I kept hitting walls. My biggest obstacle is the clashing comedy styles of OTR and what I do with Madison. The basic premise of Madison that I use to pitch the show is that she is the “fish-out-of-water” comedic character amidst a cast of dramatic characters. This is why I have always said we are not a “spoof.” I don’t turn all the characters into silly caricatures of the original characters. I insist that all of my voice actors play the roles straight. As if they were in a drama. So the comedy comes from Madison’s observations and snarky comments on the drama. I have been concerned from the start that if Madison was, well, “Madison,” with the more slapstick style comedy characters of OTR, she’d just come off as mean and abrasive. And while I know that “mean characters” are the “in” thing at the moment, I am not a fan of that style of comedy at all. I don’t like when the lead characters get their laughs from belittling and berating others.
Side story! A few years ago when I was working as a background actor (extra) in TV and films, I worked a number of episodes of “Veep.” One shoot I was cast as a nurse in a small hospital room with Tony Hale in the bed. So I’m supposed to be busying myself in what was pretty confined quarters with me and a doctor/actor. Then in comes Peter MacNicol. Now don’t get me wrong, I loved him in “Ghostbusters 2” and still quote him all the time. But this was a vastly different role. He came in and was basically left to improvise, cursing and berating Tony’s character to the point I actually felt uncomfortable! I’m not shy about “bad language” but it was such a small space and he was so vicious! (and part of me was like… doesn’t the director want me to react to that? It’s not like it’s easy to ignore!) By the end, everyone from cast to crew were laughing so hard. I simply didn’t find that funny. It was just a very mean person being mean to a vulnerable person. I didn’t get the humor.
And that is what I don’t want Madison to fall into. Where the OTR comedic characters are light and fun and Madison is just the snarky mean girl. Because as mean girl as Madison can be, I work hard to make her likable. I do believe that it’s important to like your lead characters! So for “Our Miss Brooks” there were some moments where the characters are saying some pretty silly stuff from the original script, which makes Madison react. But by keeping the other characters a bit oblivious to Madison’s snarky comments, she’s allowed to be Madison without being a, well, bitch to the cast.
Another way Madison was able to fit into “Our Miss Brooks” is because of the principal, Mr. Conklin. Much like “Archie Andrews” with the father character (and both played by the marvelous Scott R. McKinley!) Having a foil, someone who is abrasive and demanding, gives Madison permission to be more herself. Much like Archie or Miss Brooks are in their regular episodes.
And, really, while Madison can be a mean girl, (especially in her stories about her past with her sister or ex-boyfriends) ultimately she’s just doing her best trying to fit into the foreign world of OTR. She is pretty easy going, really. Accepting the situation without a lot of complaints. I mean, she really should be trying to get out, but Madison… she’s having fun.
-Chrisi (aka Madison)
