Special Affects

I was given tickets recently to a production of a work of musical theater which I had already seen (also comped...) I mention this only to note that I saw the performances in question more than once, with time for the performers to grow into, ossify in or re-think their roles.
I like a great deal a great deal, terrific score, exciting story, romantic, and contains a few small elements that are implicitly, if not explicitly, spiritual, almost religious.
But the piece is not my subject.
The leading lady, and the leading man for that matter, were almost affectless, there was such a lack not just of urgency, but really of involvement in the proceedings that came through in many if not most of the line readings.
When I was acting, there was a lazy but effective direction one heard given all the time - "Raise the stakes." In other words, let your character have some emotional investment in what is happening, or may happen, care.
I'm not talking about melodramatics, I hope I have cured myself of an affection for that both as an actor and audience member.
I remember course work in Restoration comedy with a fantastic actress/instructor who chided me, I like your choices, or rather I DON'T like your choices but I like that you made some. But they're the wrong ones -- this girl doesn't have the energy to expend being that upset over being thwarted, her father forbidding her to see her beau is no more nor less vexing than her maid mismatching her hair ribbons for her.
But this piece is set in an era of overt passions and grand gestures, with types who are warm, not cool.
And I'm not talking about subtlety, about screen performances onstage, (although one sees that often enough -- hello? the body mic' is not going to do all your work, you know... and the close-up you're poised for? doesn't mean much to those of us in the cheap seats.)
This plot features kidnapping and horror and murder and insanity and hopeless, impossible love and the sudden and shocking possibility of dreams long deferred tantalizingly close to fulfillment.
And without actively misreading lines, some of the principals conveyed that it all mattered somewhat less than J Alfred Prufrock's cuffs or peach. Instead of murderous furor we saw pique; instead of adoration, affability.
They could not rise above the near affectlessness of their demeanor IRL to become anyone but the 21st century young adults or aging adolescents they are.
I may have mentioned before that I have done indie darling Zoey Deschanel (sp?) an injustice, I thought she was a dreadful actress.
So blank, such a flat speaking voice, almost zombie-like at times....
But I now think she is simply an avatar of her generation, captures the affect of her peers perfectly, and, within the minuscule range accuracy would demand, displays great range.
There's a very funny commercial now flacking some travel destination, where a voice over such as you would expect in a documentary about tracking down some elusive, wild animal turns out to be talking about a teen-ager's smile.
We're teen-agers, it's our job to despise and refuse to interact....
Directing this spring, I found the overwhelming majority of kids, (in otherwise, not those with performing experience, or natural performing ability,) or to fall into one of two categories -- the deliberately obstructionist, you can't make me do this and if you make me do this you make me me like it; and those who are willing, but have seemingly lost their skill at showing enthusiasm or pleasure or anger by more than infinitesimal variations in their facial expression or tone of voice.