Hey everyone! I've run across a minor snag in planning and I was wondering if I could garner some advice here.

In the book I'm working from, my character tends to imagine himself saying/doing something really cool, and then you see him say/do something far less cool. It doesn't move the plot along per se, so it wouldn't be a big loss if it were cut, but it does add to the comedic value of the script so I'd love to keep it if possible to add to the characterization.

My problem is I'm adapting to the stage (far less versatile than the screen in terms of special effects), so I'm wondering if you have any ideas on how to execute this in a way that makes it clear what's happening?

(x-posted to Stage Plays)

Check out the movie Bella for an example. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0482463/

Also, the television series "Scrubs" uses this conceit as one of its central plot devices.

My first idea would be to break the fourth wall.

I've seen a couple things before where the lights focus on the character speaking and s/he directly addresses the audience. So you could do something similar. The lights for down on the rest of the stage, the main character turns to the audience and says, "What I wanted to say was [something cool and suave], but what I actually said was," the lights go up and the play continues, "[Something nerdy.]"

Doing it too many times would get annoying, but a couple times could keep some of that humor you liked in the original.