STAGESTRUCK - The Complete Series (17 page)

On the morning of my Jersey Boy audition, I woke to the aromas of coffee and sizzling bacon. I smiled as I stretched in the bed, happy that I had Max to take care of me and keep me calm. I was still naked from our shower, so I pulled on my bathrobe and padded into the kitchen.

“It smells amazing in here.” I told Max with a smile. He stood behind the stove, spatula in hand.

He greeted me with a warm smile as he flipped the bacon. “Good morning sweetheart.” He said. He sat the spatula on the stove and wrapped me in a soft embrace. “Did you sleep well?”

“So good,” I told him. “I feel so safe in your arms…”

“That’s because you are, Kate.” He told me. He kissed the top of my head and returned his attention to the stove. “I thought that the smell of breakfast would be the best way to wake you,” he explained. “And I wanted to make sure that you had plenty of fuel for your day.”

“Thank you baby, this is perfect… bacon is my favorite.” I told him as I poured a cup of coffee.

“I know,” he laughed. “It was the only thing in your fridge. Breakfast will be ready in about ten minutes, why don’t you take a quick shower? Your hair is pretty… disheveled.” He grinned.

I checked the microwave clock and saw that I had an hour and a half before I had to be at the theater. I gave Max a quick kiss and then escaped back to the bedroom to choose my audition clothes. I wanted to make a good impression, but I didn’t want to look like I was trying too hard. Jersey Girls is filled with dance numbers, so I decided on a fitted pair of yoga pants, a slimming tank top, and a light sweatshirt. The clothes were causal but expensive; more importantly, they were functional and wouldn’t distract from my performance.

I took a three minute shower, dressed, and blasted my hair with a dryer. I pulled it into a sleek, simple bun before dusting on light make-up and declaring myself ready. I returned to the kitchen; Max was sliding crisp bacon onto two plates.

“You look like a star… like you’ve been doing this for years.” He said when he spotted me in the doorway. “Hungry?”

“I’m starving.” I told him. I turned to the table and saw a stack of newspapers. “Where did those come from?”

“I ran down the street and picked them up.” Max explained. “I always start my mornings with the papers… I pulled the Stage section out for you.” He shuffled through the papers and handed me the theater section.

“Thank you, baby.” I told him as I took a seat. He placed a plate and a fresh cup of coffee in front of me and settled into the opposite chair. He started with the front section of The New York Times; we read and ate silently and I was amazed at how calm I felt.

I swallowed my last bite of bacon and glanced at the clock. “I better get going.” I announced happily. Max stood and moved our empty plates to the sink. “You’re welcome to stay here,” I told him, “you can relax and finish your papers.”

“If I go home now, I can ride into Manhattan with you.” He smiled. “I don’t have to be at work until five; you should come over after the audition and tell me all about it.”

“That sounds like a fantastic plan.” I said with a smile. I grabbed my bag and we set off for the subway station. We rode to Manhattan in silence; I needed the quiet to focus and psych myself up for the audition. Max seemed to sense that, and I felt comforted by his presence: when the audition was over, whatever the outcome, I’d have Max to hold me.

The train pulled into the station and we held hands as we stepped onto the platform. “Can I walk you to the theater?” He asked.

I shook my head. “I need to get focused…” I explained. “I’ll come to you straight after.” We stepped out onto the sidewalk and he wrapped me in a tight hug. “I’d wish you luck, but you don’t need it.” He whispered into my ear. “Just be yourself… you’ve got this in the bag.” He planted a firm kiss on my lips and we parted ways.

I stepped into the Jersey Boys’ theater and my stomach twisted in knots. I’d expected to meet a handful of people: Hank, maybe a producer, and the actors I’d be running lines with. Instead, it seemed the entire cast of the show was seated in the front section. I took a deep breath and made my way down the aisle; halfway to the stage, Dylan Matthews spotted me. He smiled and rushed to greet me.

‘Great, this is exactly what I need.’ I thought as he approached. If the rest of the cast hadn’t been gossiping before, they would be now.

He sidled up next to me and draped an arm over my shoulder. “Kate, I’m so glad that you’re here.” He told me. “You made the right decision. Chicago is fantastic and all; I did a run as Billy Flint a few years ago. But you’re much better off here. Play your cards right and I’ll make you famous.”

I brushed his hand off of my shoulder and took two steps back. “Thank you, Mr. Matthews.” I told him. “I appreciate the opportunity.”

“You’re quite welcome, Ms. Harper.” He replied, amused by my formality. I resumed my walk towards the stage and Dylan followed. A short, portly man with long silver hair greeted us as we arrived at the stage.

“You must be Kate Harper,” he said, extending his hand. We shook, and he critically looked me up and down. “I hope that you’re half as good as I’ve heard you are. Excuse the crowd, but everyone wanted to see this new ingénue Dylan’s been raving about.”

I blushed. “I certainly hope that I live up to your expectations. I’m ready, whenever you’d like to begin.”

Hank nodded. “We’ll start with your vocals, and then we’ll cover some lines. You’ll be working with Dylan today, everyone else is just here as spectators.” He explained. “Feel free to take the stage, whenever you’re ready.”

I nodded and made my way up the stairs. I stopped at the edge of the stage and deposited my bag; I looked up and saw that Dylan had joined me.

“You’re singing with me too?” I whispered.

“Of course I am.” He replied with a wink. “We have to make sure we have stage chemistry.”

I felt flustered and a bit intimidated to be auditioning alongside such a renowned Broadway star. ‘He’s just a man.’ I reminded myself. ‘I deserve to be here.’ I straightened my posture, took a deep breath, and broke into my best stage style.

“Alright,” Hank directed from the front row. “We’re going to run through Walk Like a Man, the entire reprisal version. Marco will play the first verse for you to warm up, and then you’ll get ninety seconds before the music starts again. Show me that you can move and we can save our time on the dance audition.”

The piano started; Dylan and I ran through the first verse of the song and I had to admit that our voices blended perfectly. We released the last note of the first verse; Dylan winked at me at took me by the hand.

“You’ve got this.” He whispered through the side of his mouth. He squeezed my hand and my confidence soared. The music began again and Dylan wrapped me into his arms, leading me through graceful but provocative dance moves as we belted out the lyrics. As we glided across the stage together, I felt strangely connected to Dylan. Our voices and bodies were completely in sync, almost like we were extensions of the same person. I hit every note perfectly; when the song was over, I knew that the role was mine.

“Fantastic,” Hank called out. “I’m out of coffee, let’s break for ten and then we’ll run through some lines.”

Hank darted down the aisle; Dylan turned to me and flashed a heart-fluttering smile. “You were fantastic, even better than your Chicago audition. Would you like to run through some scenes while we wait for Hank to get back?”

“No thank you,” I told him in my most professional tone. “I’m going to run to the ladies room and freshen up. I’ll be back in a flash.” I escaped the stage and rushed to the back of the theater. I stepped into the restroom; three of the four stalls were taken. I barricaded myself in the empty one, sat down on the toilet, and took a deep breath.

I didn’t actually have to GO to the restroom, I just couldn’t bear to stand on the stage for the next ten minutes, on display for the rest of the cast. I took several deep breaths and wished that I’d grabbed my water bottle from my bag. I was about to leave the stall when the toilets around me flushed; three women approached the sinks.

“Okay, so she’s not horrible,” one girl sighed. “It’s still not fair that they’re auditioning her. Dylan always does this… it’s not enough for him that he gets to sweep in and commandeer someone else’s role for as long as he feels like. Now they’re letting him handpick his fucking costar!”

“Oh, Samantha,” another girl laughed. “You just hate him because it was Kyle’s role he wanted. If anyone other than your boyfriend had been benched, you’d be thrilled to have him on the show.”

“No, Samantha’s right.” The third girl argued. “I don’t care how big of a star he is, he shouldn’t get to cast his latest conquest. What’s going to happen when he’s tired of fucking her? Are we going to have a revolving door of Lorraines?”

I couldn’t just sit there and listen to them. I was up for the role because I deserved it, and I would not hide away in a restroom stall like some scared child. I flushed the toilet to get their attention before I opened the door. Three mouths dropped as they saw me in the mirror.

“Hello,” I said politely as I stepped up to the sink. The two nameless actresses blushed; Samantha stared at me defiantly.

“Look, there’s no use pretending that you didn’t just hear all that.” She began. “I’m not saying sorry, just that it’s nothing personal. You have to EARN a role like Lorraine, it’s not fair to the rest of us for you to get it, just because you’re screwing Hank’s golden boy.”

“I’m got the audition because I’m good.” I told her, staring straight into her eyes. “I’m damn good… so good that Marion Russo signed me, I’m sure that you’ve heard about that.”

Samantha blushed and averted her eyes; I continued, washing my hands as I spoke. “As far as who I may or may not be screwing, that’s really none of your business. I realize that there’s nothing that I can say or do to shut your mouths and you know what? I don’t care. Your opinions are as insignificant as your careers.”

I wiped my hands dry and then returned to the stage, leaving Samantha and her friends standing speechless.

The door of Syd’s swung open and Janette stepped into the entryway. She spotted Max, Mark, Parker, and I waiting at a nearby table and rushed to join us.

“So?” She asked excitedly, wrapping me in a hug. “How did it go?”

“I think it went well.” I smiled. “The casting director kept using the word ‘fantastic’. After I ran my lines with Dylan, he said that he and the producers were going to have a meeting, and then they’d contact Marion.”

“How long ago was that?” She asked.

“About two hours.” I sighed. “I’m trying to be patient, but the wait is driving me crazy.”

“I’m so jealous that you get to work with Dylan Matthews.” Parker gushed. “Talk about a sex symbol.”

“Really?” I asked. “I guess he’s just not my type.” I lied.

“Thanks, babe,” Max laughed. “I appreciate that.”

A waitress appeared to take our lunch order; we all asked for burgers and fries, and we ordered a fresh pitcher of beer for the table.

As planned, I’d gone straight to Max’s apartment after the audition. Things had gone so well, and I was too keyed up to sit still and wait for the phone to ring. It had been Max’s idea to invite everyone to Syd’s for a wait party; I loved him even more for knowing exactly what I needed. I sat amongst my New York friends, amazed at how drastically my life had changed in such a short time. As I daydreamed, my phone started to ring; my heart leapt to my throat when I saw Marion’s number on the screen.

“It’s her!” I squealed softly.

“Answer it!” Janette exclaimed.

“Hi Marion, how are you?” I answered tentatively.

“Kate, I’m just fantastic.” She answered giddily. “I just got off the phone with Hank Mitchell. He’s offered you a six month contract as Lorraine.”

“Are you serious?” I whispered. As confident as I was that I’d earned the role, I was still surprised when I heard the offer out loud. Max beamed at me and took my hand as Janette, Parker, and Mark squealed loudly. Mark signaled the waitress and ordered a bottle of champagne.

“Yes, I’m serious,” Marion laughed. “And I haven’t even gotten to the best part yet. I negotiated one hell of a contract, if I do say so myself. Mitchell agreed to eight thousand a week, with a two thousand per week raise after three months.”

Tears welled in my eyes. “Thank you so much, Marion.” I said softly. “I can’t tell you what this feels like…”

“It feels like all of you dreams coming true.” She said warmly. “And this is just the beginning, Kate. You start Monday morning. Meet me at The Plaza for brunch at eleven in the morning. We’ll celebrate, and you can sign your new contract.”

“Thank you Marion, I’ll see you tomorrow.” I ended the call.

“You got it!” Max beamed. He leaned over and planted a firm kiss on my lips. “I knew that you had this, baby. I’m so proud.” He turned to Janette. “It looks like you and I have an opening night party to plan.”

“Hell yeah we do.” She agreed happily.

The waitress delivered the champagne; Mark popped the cork, poured everyone a glass, and offered a toast to my success. I looked at the faces around me, my new friends who were genuinely proud of my accomplishment. I felt grateful for them, but the person I wanted to share the moment with the most was missing; my happy tears turned bittersweet.

Janette, Parker, and Mark were in deep conversation about my party, but Max noticed the turn in my mood.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” He asked me softly.

“I’m fine,” I told him with a smile. “I just have a call that I need to make. I’ll be right back.”

I grabbed my phone and stepped out onto the sidewalk. I dialed the number, knowing that the call would make everything that was happening finally seem real.

“Hi sweetheart,” answered the familiar, comforting voice.

Tears filled my eyes again as I replied. “Hi Mimi…” I sobbed happily, “I did it.”