Halliday carried a cigar-box around on a tripod, playing that it was a camera, and halted all passers and

aimed the thing and said "Ready! now look pleasant, please," but not even this capital joke could surprise the dreary faces into any

softening.

有2点疑问：

1）playing that it was a camera - 拿着这个当照相机玩。

如何理解play that + 一个句子？如何分析这里结构呢？ 看不懂。

2）not even this capital joke could surprise the dreary faces into any softening.

显然，原来的语序是 even this capital joke could NOT surprise the dreary faces into any softening.

请问老师，这样的句子中，not可以从could后面拿出直接放到even前吗？放到even前，需要倒装吗？

是否even...not...这样的句型都可以将not放在句首而不需要倒装？

另外even...not...和not...even句型表达语气上，理解上有何不同？not...even更加强调吗？