Big Apple Dreams (10 page)

I didn’t know that Evan was behind me until his hand was on my shoulder, his laugh in my ear.

“Having fun?”

I turned to look at his black clad form
and noticed that he looked exactly the same as the last time I’d seen him. It hadn’t even occurred to me that he was coming from work before.

“I’ve never been here before,” I said, blushing slightly. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s a lot nicer than backstage, that’s for sure,” he said with a chuckle. “Are you ready to go back there?”

“Totally!” My face hurt from all the beaming I’d been doing.

“Follow me,” he said, flashing another smile at me before turning and walking back outside.

I hurried after him, feeling as if everything inside me had stopped in anticipation of this moment.

“The door’s on the backside of the building,” he said as he lead the way forward. “Are you excited?”

“You have no idea,” I laughed. “It would only be better if Lizzy hadn’t been too sick to come.”

“Yeah, that’s a shame,” he said with another grin. “We’ll have to go see her when we’re done.”

“I live there,” I chuckled. “I have to see her either way.”

“True.”

He stopped in front of a door and grabbed the handle, holding it open for me.

I stood there, looking into the hall that was bustling with activity as the performers got ready for the show.

“You okay?” he laughed.

“I’ve never been backstage at a professional show before,” I said breathlessly. “I’m just taking in the moment.”

I waited a second longer before finally picking up my feet and crossing the threshold.

“Hey, Evan!” a girl wearing a student’s costume said warmly.

“Hey,” he said nonchalantly. “This is my friend Mara.”

“How are you?” I said, shaking her hand, while he signed in on the paper posted on the wall.

“Good!”

“Mara is an actress that moved to the city a little while ago,” Evan said, turning back to us.

“Awesome!” the girl said. “I’m April.
I’m in the chorus.”

“Not for much longer!” Evan encouraged her.

“I just found out that I’ll be understudying a couple roles, starting next month,” She said with a smile.

“That means they like you, right?” I asked.

“I’ll probably get moved up to a full lead if they like me enough,” she affirmed. “The understudy is usually the person they’re training to go full time.”

“Congratulations!” I said enthusiastically.

“Aw, thanks! You’re so sweet.”

“We have to go get some stuff ready,” Evan said, nodding me forward. “It was nice to see you
, April. Break a leg tonight.”

“You
, too,” she giggled.

“How about that,” he chuckled as we walked further down the hall. “Not even three feet in the building and you’ve already met your first up an
d coming.”

“It was great!” I said with too much excitement.

He’d been right when he said the front house was much prettier to look at than back stage, but to me the brick walls and paper marked doors were heaven. Everywhere I looked was some place I’d been dreaming of standing, or sitting, for the vast majority of my life.

We walked through a few doors and up a couple flights of stairs when suddenly I was standing on the stage of The Gershwin Theatre.

My heart practically stopped as I looked out at the house, frozen in the wings.

“Come on,” Evan laughed, grabbing my arm. “You can walk out on it after the show. We don’t want to be in anyone’s way
, right now.”

“Right,” I said breathlessly, tearing my eyes away from a long sought after sight.

I followed him through another door and we walked up more stairs until we were finally in one of the side alcoves. There were two seats and a green tinged spotlight pointed towards center stage.

“This is where the magic happens,” he said with a flourish. “I’m working the spectacular green light
, tonight.”

“You get to make Elphaba the greenest witch she can be,” I said with another grin.

“I’m assuming you’ve seen the show?” he asked as he fiddled with the light and made sure it was in the correct first position.

“The touring version,” I said with a nod.

“There’s nothing like the Broadway version,” he said, turning to look at me again. “And you’ve got one of the best seats in the house. We’re out over the audience, so you’ll be able to see everything, like if you’d been in a balcony seat.”

“Thank you so much for inviting me,” I gushed. “This is so amazing.”

“Just you wait,” he chuckled. “The show hasn’t even started, yet.”

Chapter Ten

I sat quietly in my seat, eyeing the green spot on the massive map of Oz that had scrolled down to hide the stage before the audience was let in.

Evan had set his light in place what felt like hours before the audience had started filing in. He had also donned a headset, ready to do whatever he needed to make the show run smoothly.

The lights began to dim automatically, controlled by the technician in the light booth, and a voice came over the speakers. It welcomed everyone and instructed them to turn off their phones, among other things.

I felt the rush of being at another show flow through my body as the lights dimmed even further. My heart wasn’t going to be able to take the anticipation anymore, if we had to wait any longer for it to start.

With a loud crash, the dragon that framed the stage jumped to life, its head swing
ing back and forth as smoke spewed from its mouth. The map rose up into the fly space and out of sight as winged monkeys danced across the stage. In mere seconds, I was sucked into one of my favorite stories.

I hardly noticed Evan working the spotlight next to me, I was so enthralled with what was happening on the stage. The witty humor had me laughing at every turn. The casting had been done to perfection and I couldn’t wait to see what else they had in store for us.

As the magnificent end to the first act neared, I felt another renewal of strength and purpose in following my dreams.

I will do whatever it takes
, I thought as the climax built.
I will perform on a Broadway stage.

As the final notes played and the lights shined brilliantly, I felt goose bumps crawl down my arms and tears prick at my eyes. The theatre went dark for a few seconds
, and then the house lights rose, ready to sit through the intermission.

“What did I tell you
?” Evan chuckled as he took a seat next to me. “There is nothing like Broadway.”

“You don’t need to tell me again,” I laughed. “That was amazing. I would give anything to do this every night.”

“Nah. You’d get tired of sitting here looking at my butt every night,” he teased.

“You know what I mean,” I said, blushing.
   

“I do,” he said, suddenly serious. “I’m not an actor by any means, but I could watch these shows every night for the rest of my life. That’s why I got into the business. It wasn’t for the money
, or the travel opportunities. I wanted to see the magic every night.”

He laughed and cleared his throat, embarrassed by what he’d just said.

“People think I’m crazy when I call it magic,” he explained.

“No, I totally understand!” I rushed. “Everything else melts away. There’s only the show. You don’t have to worry about how you’re going to pay your bills
, or who’s mad at you. In this room, those problems cease to exist. You can breathe and relax.”

“Exactly,” he said, excitement lighting his eyes. “Another time and a different place. It’s awesome to just let go
and be absorbed by what’s happening.”

“You see places in the world that you normally wouldn’t,” I continued dreamily. “Listen to beautiful music . . . fall in love.”

“What?” Evan squeaked out, looking at me in shock.

“With the characters,” I laughed. “What did you think I meant?”

“Nothing,” he rushed, a slight blush appearing on his cheeks. “I thought you were . . . uh . . . Chris? I mean—I didn’t think you were talking about m—”

“Oh, of course you thought I was talking about me and Chris,” I laughed, cutting his babbling off.

“Yeah,” he said, blushing deeper.

“We’ve never been to a show together,” I laughed.

“I guess it’d be pretty hard to fall in love with someone who wasn’t around,” he said sheepishly.

“Exactly,” I said with a grin.

Evan cleared his throat and went back to his light, arranging it for the start of the second act.

“So have you had any luck with your play?”

“Not really,” he sighed. “At this point, I’m thinking it might be better to try and write it myself. Then Steph won’t be able to say I stole anything from her. Besides, then I can have the story the way I wanted it to be.”

“It wasn’t before?”

“No,” he laughed humorlessly. “She added in this character that I hated. Apparently, my version lacked real meaning and hers was what would make it big.”

“How terrible!” I said. “If it was your idea she should have gone with what you wanted.”

“Yeah, well Steph did a lot of things I didn’t want her to.”

He stopped short and turned to look at me, the same odd look from the night he’d brought ice cream over on his face.

“You really like Chris?” he asked suddenly.

“Yes.” I was shocked by the sudden turn of conversation.

“Don’t let him do anything stupid. And if he does, don’t give him another chance.”

I stared at him for a moment, trying to decipher the grim tone in his voice.

“I’m sorry for whatever happened to you,” I said softly. “I know we haven’t known each other long, but you don’t seem like the type of guy who deserves bad things.”

“Thanks,” he said gruffly, turning back towards the stage and watching the audience filter back in.

I felt like I needed to say something to him to make him feel better. Even more surprising was the inclination to go to him and wrap my arms around him. Something told me that wouldn’t be a great idea at the moment, though, so I opted for my first thought.

“Evan, I—”

He turned to me, a finger held at his lips as the lights flashed to signal the beginning of the next half of the show.

I fell silent, wishing I’d somehow been able to help.
He seemed a little put off, but I didn’t think it was by me. Steph had obviously done something to hurt him. Lizzy said they’d dated . . . even then it was clear that they hadn’t ended on good terms.

Why did he agree to do the play with her?
I wondered.
Maybe it was something they started when they were still together. I hope it wasn’t what drove them apart.

The music started up again and everything slipped away as I was sucked back into the story. The second act went much like the first as I watched in wonder. As the performers came out for bows when it was all said and done, I stood in my own little spot, joining in on the applause.

Evan was still working his spotlight, amplifying the trademark green of the show. I looked from the stage to him for a brief second and felt butterflies fill my stomach as I looked at him.

He was absorbed in what he was doing, his smile telling his opinion of the show. His bl
ack clothing hugged him tightly, labeling him as a backstage technician. As if he could feel my gaze on him, he looked back at me quickly, flashing a heart stopping smile.

I blushed and looked away, embarrassed to have been caught staring.

What am I doing? I have Chris! My boyfriend, Chris. I’m happy. I like Chris.

I looked back to Evan quickly before sitting back down nervously.

I can’t have a crush on my roommate’s—best friend’s—brother. Okay, Mara. Calm down. You don’t have a crush. You’re admiring his—
my eyes went back to his snug clothing—
job. You appreciate what he’s done for the show tonight. That’s it.

I bit my lip nervously as I waited for him to be done. Finally, the curtain call ended and he stepped away from the spotlight one last time.

“So,” he said, eyes gleaming. “Are you ready to go down and see the stage?”

“Really?” I asked in surprise. “I got the feeling that you were ready to leave.”

“Where did you get that from?”

“You seemed upset,” I started.

“Oh, that,” he chuckled. “It’s fine. I’ve been waiting all night to show you all the cool stuff.”

“The show wasn’t the cool part?”

“Not even close,” he said mysteriously. “I have something that’s going to blow you out of the water.”

“Am I supposed to be afraid?” I laughed. “Because
, I kind of am.”

“It’ll be good, trust me.” He motioned for me to follow him and we left
the spotlight and our seats behind.

I was sad to leave what had become such a special seat in the house for me. The night had already been a true once in a lifetime experience for me.

Now that the show was over, I suddenly realized all of the things I’d overlooked when we’d walked through the theatre before. As we came down into the wings again, what looked like thousands of props and set pieces popped out at me, iconic pieces waiting to be brought back into the light, again. Larger set pieces hung from cables over our heads, sending thrilling chills down my spine.

There were a few more members of the running crew finishing last minute tasks
, and Evan said a few words to each in turn as we waited for them to finish. Finally, everything was put away and the stage was clear of everything except the clock backdrop.

“Go ahead,” Evan laughed, nodding towards the stage. “Walk out there and see what it’s like.”

Excitement and nervousness took over me with one step as I did what he said. I’d never set foot on a Broadway stage before. My fifth grade self was passing out in joy as another dream came true.

I stopped at center stage, right by the now empty seats. Heart pounding, breath catching, I did my best to fight the tears that pricked at my eyes again.

“All my life, I’ve dreamed of standing in this spot,” I said with a shaky voice. “The lights shining down on me and the house full of people here to see me.”

Evan walked up to me and then jumped over the orchestra pit, taking a seat in the front row.

“Well, get on with it then,” he said, waving me on. “I came to see a show.”

“Are you serious?” I laughed.

“Sing something,” he laughed. “Let’s hear those musical chops.”

“Will I get in trouble?”

“Who is going to be mad at you for performing on a stage?” he chortled.

“This is different,” I said defensively. “This is the stage of The Gershwin. In New York. On Broadway.”

“All the more reason to belt it out,” he encouraged me. “There’s no time like the present!”

I chewed on my lip, nervous excitement tearing me up inside.

“A new life,” I sang, starting one of my favorite audition pieces.

My voice echoed through the room as I went through my thirty two bar cut. It was the most amazing thing I’d ever experienced, hearing my voice like that. After a minute, I threw caution to the wind and
fully entered the song, becoming the character. In my mind, the stage was adorned with the correct sets and I was costumed correctly. The house became full of people beaming at me. When I finished, it all faded away until only a clapping Evan was left.

“You
’re amazing!” he gushed. “All those people, who didn’t cast you, are crazy.”

“That’s the best I’ve ever performed,” I said truthfully. “It’s like there was something about being here that did all of that.”

“The magic,” he said knowledgably. “You aren’t the first to discover it in that way, I’m sure.”

“I wish I could hold onto it and take it everywhere with me.”

“Evan?”

April walked in from one of the doors at the back of the stage, dressed in street clothes and a duffle bag hanging off her shoulder.

“Wow, Mara! Was that you singing in here?”

“Yes,” I said blushing.

“You better believe it was,” Evan said with a grin.

“That was really good,” she said. “Do you take voice lessons?”

“Not since I moved here, why?” I asked.

“My teacher is looking for new students,” she said nonchalantly. “If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have ever been in the vocal shape I needed to be to get moved up in the cast. If you’re interested, I can give you her number. I’ll even call and talk with her for you.”

“Really?”

“Of course! If you want to be a Broadway performer you need to keep that voice at its best.”

“Thank you so much,” I said in surprise.

“Do you have any suggestions for a studio with acting and dance classes?” Evan butted in. “I’ve been thinking about joining just for fun. I bet Mara would enjoy tagging along
, as well.”

“Of course
, I do,” April laughed. “I’ll text you the details, okay, Evan?”

“Sure, thanks,” he said, giving her a hug.

“Yes, thank you!” I smiled at her sincerely and waved as she walked back out the door to go home.

“You want to take classes with me,” I asked, turning to him with an eyebrow raised.

“Why not?” He shrugged, putting his hands in his pockets. “It should be fun. Maybe I’ll get some ideas on how to write my script myself.”

“Lizzy is going to get a kick out of that idea. Now she’ll definitely come take them with me.”