Life on the Naughty List, or What the Elf!

26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

E ugene and I introduced everyone to the new eleven o’clock number on Monday during rehearsal. The cast and creative team were bowled over by how perfect the song was and how amazing I sounded singing it.

“Yes, but can you sing it eight times a week?” San Nicolás asked me.

“I can do it,” I told him. Admittedly, there was a voice in the back of my mind screaming, “No. No, you can’t.” But I wasn’t about to show fear.

“You’ll need to write a modified version for the understudy,” San Nicolás told Eugene and Tyreek. “And for Erika, if she’s ever not up for it.” He then turned to me. “I know you think you can do this song every performance, but it’s a stretch. I don’t think it will break you. Like Eugene, I have faith in you, but I want to have a backup plan—just in case.”

I nodded. “It makes sense to me. And if I get sick or have a head cold, it’s smart to have a variation.”

“What if we dropped it a key?” Eugene asked. “You could still belt it, but you wouldn’t have to worry about the high notes.”

“That could work,” San Nicolás said. “Work on it, and we can rehearse it later. We’ll alternate the versions during rehearsals to get you used to both. Sound good, Erika?”

“Sounds perfect!”

Eugene and I spent the next couple of hours working on the alternative version with Tyreek. “We’ll come up with some visual cue you can give the musical director at the beginning if you ever need the alternative,” Eugene said after we’d been rehearsing for a while. “Maybe you could pull on your ear like Carol Burnett used to do?”

I narrowed my eyes and said, “Maybe not,” with a snort. “But I’m sure we can come up with something. But between you, me, and the piano, never expect me to sing this version. I’ll do the original every show. I’m a professional. I wouldn’t commit to doing something if I didn’t think I could pull it off well.”

“That’s what I figured,” he said with a wink.

With both versions in the can, we started rehearsing the staging late Monday morning and continued into the early afternoon. San Nicolás didn’t want to put it in the show that night, but Eugene convinced him we had to see how it fit if we would have it ready for opening night.

After rehearsal, I went home for a short nap, had a quick bite, and some cuddle time with Bootsy before the show. We had a 6:30 call time, so I was leaving the apartment at about 5:45 to give myself plenty of time to walk there and get a hot tea on the way.

“Bye, Bootsy,” I said, calling over my shoulder before leaving the apartment. I opened the door and exited, and Kirk walked right past me, saying nothing. He didn’t stop and say hi or anything. I almost called out to him but figured he had something else on his mind.

I hurried downstairs and ran into Carissra in the lobby. “Hey, I just saw Kirk.”

“Oh?” she questioned with an odd look on her face.

“What?” I asked. “I feel like I missed something.”

Carissra looked around to see if anyone was listening and motioned for me to lean down. She quietly said, “He saw you with Asher the other night. Are you and the gay guy back together?”

“Me and Asher?” I asked with a jolt. “Oh, heck no. I’ve been down that path. We’re just friends. Like you said…he’s gay. Very gay. I won’t go down that road again. My days of being an actor’s beard are over.”

“Well, from what you’ve told me, that didn’t exactly stop you the first time…” Carissra let the implication of her statement fall in the air.

“Oh,” I said as it dawned on me. “Kirk thinks I’m back with Asher. So, he’s what…jealous?”

“Pretty much… Well, that’s my theory anyway,” Carissra said. “He moped all day yesterday. And even today, he’s still in a foul mood. The only reason I could come up with was you dragging a drunk Asher back to your apartment the other night.”

“How did you hear about that?” I asked.

“The walls in our apartment are not that thick. I think the whole floor heard Asher when you two came off the elevator. Plus, my uncle may have been muttering to himself about different things he would like to do with your ex.”

“But why would that matter? Even if I got back together with Asher, which will happen when Frosty vacations in hell, that wouldn’t impact my friendship with Kirk.”

Carissra narrowed her eyes. And even though Carissra was like half my age, I felt like I was the child being looked down upon by a parent.

“What?” I asked.

“Are you that dense?” she asked bluntly.

“Hey, that’s not very nice,” I said, defending myself.

“When it comes to my uncle, I won’t play nice. You know he likes you, right?”

And there it was, the unspoken was finally spoken and by his niece. I stammered but couldn’t form any words. Finally, I said, “I have to go to the theater.” I left Carissra looking after me as I walked into the falling snow as I walked to work. In the back of my head, I’d known that Kirk was into me. And if I was completely honest with myself, I was into Kirk. But neither of us made a move, so I figured it was all in my head. And now, here was Kirk’s niece stating it so plainly. I wasn’t ready to deal.

Before heading into the Maurer, I stopped at Hello, Coffee! I walked in and ordered an herbal tea. As much as I love my coffee, I didn’t want to drink anything that would dehydrate me before a show. While the barista steeped the tea, I pulled out my phone and texted Johnny.

Erika: I think Kirk’s into me.

Johnny: Well, duh!

Johnny: Did you not know that already?

I got my tea and headed into the theater. Before heading to my dressing room, I signed in on the callboard. Once in my private little space, I set my tea down and scrutinized my phone again.

I stared at the screen, not knowing who I should text. I realized I didn’t have Kirk’s cell phone number.

Erika: Do you have Kirk’s cell phone number?

Johnny: Are you telling me you don’t? What am I going to do with you? A couple of seconds later, a 914 area code number appeared from Johnny.

“ Hey Kirk .“ I typed. Then deleted it. I tried, It’s Erika. Got your number from Johnny . Then I deleted that one too. I typed, It’s Erika. Would love to talk tomorrow when you get home from school.

I then put the phone down and stared at it. Part of me wondered if I stared at it long enough, would that magically make him text me back faster? Finally, it buzzed, and I snatched up the phone immediately.

Kirk: That works for me. See you tomorrow.

I relaxed slightly. I hadn’t realized the amount of tension that had settled in my shoulders.

That night was the family and friends dress rehearsal. My parents weren’t flying in until early tomorrow morning, so they would miss this dress rehearsal but would be here for opening night.

When I finished belting out the eleven o’clock number with all my might, the crowd jumped to their feet. In the wings, Eugene embraced Tyreek. If they were happy and the crowd was ecstatic, we’d done it. Even Peeter, who was slightly upstage from me, gave me an enthusiastic thumbs up. I took three steps back as the flat lowered for the last scene, the big wedding.

“Girl, you did it!” Katherine said as we exited stage right into the hands of our waiting dressers, who were there to get us ready for the quick costume change into the last scene. We had almost ninety seconds for this quick-change, which seemed completely relaxed and laid back compared to the one I had earlier in the show.

“I’ll be honest,” I said as Gladys zipped up the back of my costume before handing me off to Carlos, who inspected my wig to make sure it hadn’t shifted during the song. “I wasn’t sure how people would react. The cast and crew thought it was good—“

“You were amazing,” Katherine said. “I couldn’t sing that song if I had a year to rehearse and all the vocal lessons to go with it.”

Carlos tapped me on the shoulder, letting me know I was good to go, before turning his attention to Katherine and double-checking her wig. He pulled out a can of hair spray and touched up the back part of the wig to make sure it would stick in place through the final number.

We then made our way to where we entered for the grand finale, “A Christmas Wedding.” The set looked like it was the top of a wedding cake and there would be snow on stage. A set of snow blowers created thousands of realistic-looking snowflakes, but the flakes were really a water-based foam that evaporated on contact. The snowflakes looked pretty when they fell to the ground, but the cast didn’t have to worry about someone slipping or gagging.

“Cue elves,” I heard the assistant stage manager say. Katherine and I immediately entered from our side as we met up with Peeter and Jocelyn. We became the wedding observers while Jocelyn climbed to the top and acted as the officiant. It was fitting that our Madam Tanya reigned over this affair.

We sang, we danced, and when the show was over, we held for almost five minutes as the audience applauded. We were finally given the cue to leave the stage before we lined up to go on stage to take our bows. The four elves were second to last as groups. We bowed once as a group, then we each got individual bows. The applause was deafening. We parted ways. Katherine and I went stage left, and Peeter and Jocelyn stage right as Caiden and Colleen took their final bows. Then Caiden and Colleen led the company in one last bow as the orchestra played the show’s end.

Right after our bow, a couple of confetti cannons burst over the crowd, raining down a sprinkle of confetti snow on the first couple of rows. There was more applause as the curtain lowered.

We congratulated each other backstage on a job well done. I patted a few people on their backs, but I quickly scurried off to my dressing room. Gladys and Carlos were there. Gladys helped me out of the dress, and Carlos helped me out of my wig and grabbed the mic pack. While we were getting me undressed, Serafina’s voice came over the system and said, “Congratulations cast. There’s a reception in the lobby. We will have notes tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. Enjoy the night.”

Only one more day of early mornings. After tomorrow’s opening, the show would be frozen. No more early morning rehearsals. No more new songs getting placed in at the eleventh hour. In all honesty, except for including the new eleven o’clock number, most of the show had been frozen for a week. Now, we were refining things, and Serafina ensured we weren’t changing things as we went along. The longer someone is in a show, the greater the likelihood that they’ll alter things because they’re bored or not paying attention. Sometimes the producers and artistic team look the other way. Occasionally, they get mad at you if you change too much. And most important, don’t start riffing on songs and trying new runs after a year into the run. That’s the fastest way to get called in by the stage manager for some quick rehabilitation.

Once Gladys and Carlos finished, I ran through the shower before I went outside and greeted family and friends. I didn’t have any family at this performance, but I knew many people who had been invited. Unlike a regular night where we walk the line of fans out back, this night, they had a small reception in the theater lobby. I walked out front and said hello to several people from other shows that had come to see the show on their night off. It was one of those things we all liked to do for each other in the small theater community. When us theater people have time to support another show, we do it. And since most of us work all the time, we see each other’s shows the second we get the opportunity.

I picked up a glass of champagne as a woman I’d toured with came rushing over to tell me what a fantastic job I did. I thanked her and told her I was glad that she was still kicking it after three years in Chicago . She was determined to be Roxie one day. And I didn’t doubt that she would get there. She was that good.