SWEAR i’m not starting shit although this sounds like an inherently shit stirring question: what is it you like about jbw’s hanschen? i’ve watched several boots with him in but his hanschen has never really emotionally resonated with me so i’m really interested to know why you like him so much (convert me!)
DFGHDFHG its okay i love talking about this! beware this won’t be, like, a very structured post by any means but. that’s life! this is going to be mostly focusing on the vineyard scene because. his desdemona monologue is very iconic in its own right but i dont know if its within my power to make you feel emotionally connected to it
BEFORE i get to the vineyard scene, and yes im writing this out of order after writing the rest of the post because i just remembered it and it’s important: in the classroom scene just before all that’s known, take note of the way that hanschen is just as scared stiff as the other boys when herr sonnenstich begins talking to melchior. i don’t want to turn this into a dwsa vs obc post because i love dwsa but i really don’t like in dwsa how hanschen snickers along when herr sonnenstich antagonizes moritz about his mistake dfhgf it really doesn’t convey the way hanschen doesn’t trust authority and is just as afraid of being called out and punished for fuck ups as anyone else in their class (hem hem… but you’re fucked if you speak your mind)
i feel like the problem i have with a lot of other hanschens is that they play him like an adult man rather than a teenager, and jbw reallllllly captures that teenage arrogance without overdoing it imo. rather than hanschen delivering every line with an overly dramatic flair sort of as a wink wink nudge nudge to the audience that it is a ridiculous line, he delivers his whole “skim off the cream” speech with the complete sincerity of a teen boy who thinks he is saying just, the absolute most suave thing to ernst that he could say in the moment. it’s a less “theatrical” delivery for sure, but i think that’s what makes it more charming.
and i feel like i can’t make this post without mentioning gideon glick’s ernst, of course. while hanschen is usually played as an experienced character, typically with the sort of swagger of an adult man, ernst is usually played like an incredibly naive character who doesn’t understand hanschen’s advances, and as a result you usually end up with a really uncomfortable combination of a hanschen who comes across as though he’s more experienced, taking advantage of ernst’s naivete to get what he wants, and ernst doesn’t understand he’s doing it. i think gideon’s ernst walks a very fine line of being awkward, but not dumb in his responses to hanschen’s behavior. if you watch this clip, notice the way ernst repeats “just…skim off the cream?” that line is usually delivered as though ernst doesn’t realize hanschen’s meaning, and wants him to explain, whereas gideon’s delivery of it comes across more as ernst knowing that hanschen is being flirtatious, and asking for confirmation. he isn’t ignorant of hanschen’s advances, and as a result you don’t end up feeling like he’s being strung along by someone with more experience and awareness.
(another important thing to note in that video is the fact that ernst leans into the first kiss briefly, and then again meets hanschen in the middle for the second. i know this is a jbw hanschen defense post but i feel strongly about obc hernst and i rarely see that second kiss played as fully reciprocated on both sides from the get-go; it usually seems like hanschen pushing it a bit more vehemently until ernst eventually leans into it. also the way hanschen leans in slowly for the first kiss instead of him surprising ernst with it. i feel strongly about that)
BUT WAIT… THERES MORE……. in that same video, as well as right here in this bootleg, when ernst asks “and in the meantime?” hanschen cracks a smile at him and it just comes across as a very sweet moment of hanschen being completely smitten with ernst (i think all but 1 bootleg of jbw as hanschen is filmed from an angle where you cant see his face, which is probably why its a pretty underrated moment that i think shows the most like… tenderness from hanschen. getting just his deadpan delivery without the context of the rest of how he’s actually acting could definitely skew the perspective of his performance)
i know everyone rags on obc for playing that scene like a joke, but (as ive said before) i really don’t feel like it’s played as as big of a joke as other casts and productions have played it, but since it was 2006/2007 the audience responded to the gayness as an inherent source of humor so people who watch bootlegs now are kind of. tricked into thinking it was played less earnestly because of the uproarious laughter from straight audiences. the majority of the humor really just feels like it stems from the ridiculousness of what hanschen is saying, rather than the inherent humor of being gay.
of course this is a steven sater hate blog though and i won’t hesitate to complain about his absolutely dumpster garbage interpretation of hanschen, but i don’t necessarily think it has to come into play in my opinion of jbw’s choices in acting
tl;dr i love you jonathan b wright im free on thursday if you would like to hang out on thursday when i am free
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