Chapter 38 A Big Shot
A BIG SHOT
LOURDES
After a last look at my makeup using my favorite compact, I entered a Midtown restaurant on a mission.
I wasn’t sure what to expect. The meeting would either be good or terrible.
The agenda carried my potential future—the life after my run in Victoria.
I asked for more theater work, but worried my agent would show up with film roles I lacked interest in.
“I am meeting someone,” I said. “Martha Perry.”
“Of course,” the hostess led me to through the greenhouse-like dining room. “This way.”
Martha, my agent, sipped a day drink. It took her putting her trendy red and white glasses back on to even see me. I never knew how to read her. I always worried she took me on as a charity case at Leah’s management’s recommendation.
“Oh, Lourdes, how are you?” She stood.
“I’m alright. And you?”
“Good, darling. Good.”
After two cheek kisses, we both sat.
“The reviews don’t lie, do they?” Martha slightly smiled.
That was notable!
I shrugged. “It’s good. But Leah carries the show. Color me surprised.”
“It takes an ensemble cast. Nonsense! We have interest in you. That is what I wanted to discuss.”
“Oh?”
“They are reviving Sweet Charity in London. And they are fine with a first soprano helming it if she can keep up with the choreography.”
My heart stopped. It was the musical of a lifetime—for my vocal range and dancer’s heart. My entire life, I’d chosen songs from this show for any sort of charity performance. Knowing the business’s ruthlessness, however, I tempered my expectations.
“Really?”
“They are very, very interested in you.”
I settled my napkin in my lap, but didn’t give away how much this meant. “That is interesting.”
“Caleb North seems keen to have you on.”
“Does the timing work?” I asked.
“Well, that is what I wanted to discuss. It would be a quick change with great commitment. You’d leave Victoria—I promise to get you out of there—and start Sweet Charity within three months. Their Charity fell out of the picture after the workshop, and they are scrambling.”
“For how long?” I asked.
“A very limited run—sixteen weeks. It could be renewed, of course. There is Olivier Awards buzz, naturally.”
“Natch,” I said.
I did the mental math and cringed slightly. If I got it, it meant leaving Leah—if only for a few weeks. But if Leah willingly moved to London, we could start a life together there and be near my dad. In a way, it seemed so perfect. Perhaps, too perfect?
“They’d like a tape first. After that, they may fly you out. Could you put something together in the next week? I know it’s a lot.”
If only she knew how ready I was for this! I could sing any song from the musical from this table right now. And with Leah leaving me her place for the week, I’d have a grand piano and space to practice for audition.
“Sure.” I kept my poker face. “I could do that.”
“Brilliant. I know you wanted a break.”
“It’s fine. I can do it.”
It’s the most coveted role of my career, so I can make it work.
I left the late lunch meeting back to the theater. After a quick workout, I joined Leah in her dressing room, not sure how to break the news. She sat cross-legged on her couch, eating pasta in a to-go container.
“Please tell me I do not see Alfredo sauce,” I sighed.
“What? I’m chasing it with a lemonade!”
Leah swore that chasing anything containing dairy with a freshly squeezed lemonade granted her vocal cords a so-called “ring of Jesus fire”.
“That is no cure-all. You’re at the point you have to care for your vocal cords.”
“So, I shouldn’t scream your name later?” She raised an eyebrow.
I grasped at words. “That is… not what I meant.”
“Well, the advice came from a woman who now sings at the Lyric in Chicago, so if it’s good enough for an opera singer who had the best combo belt of anyone I ever met, it’s good enough for me.”
I let out a long sigh. It was pointless arguing.
“So, what’s going on? Super-secret stuff?” She asked.
“Leah, I have a potential audition for a show.”
“What!” she bubbled, “What show, Lou?”
“Sweet Charity,” I whispered.
“Oh my God, Lou!” She hopped off the couch and threw her arms around me. “That’s the part. You gotta land it. Wait… are they doing it here? There’s one in London, but their Charity is already attached—”
“She is, yeah,” I said. “But it’s not working out for whatever reason.”
“So, London?”
“Yeah, sorry. I just… I can’t control where it takes me.”
“It’s fine,” Leah agreed. “I have family there, so it would mean we’d be close to them—and your folks. Take deep breaths. I’m not angry. I’m processing. Where are you in the grand scheme of it?”
“They are very interested. The director wants a tape. It’s Caleb North.”
“Oh my God! You’ve got this! I can take the tape!” Leah clapped. “Oh my God. I can just see it—”
I pinned my hands on her shoulders. “Darling, I am not asking you. You’re not about to make your directorial debut on my audition take. Take the screenwriter hat off for ten minutes and come back to earth.”
“Sorry. You’re right. That would be awkward.”
“You can help me with lines. That’s it.”
“Good. I will!” She was bursting, unable to resist kissing me before the wardrober arrived for us.
“Finish your food,” I said. “I just had to tell you.”
“It’s happening!” Leah vibrated.
I loved that she could just be happy for me.
It proved somehow I’d made the right choice.
I was terrified about the unknown, but she was in my corner.
I began to foolishly picture our lives in London and how happy we could be.
This would be our chance for the life I always wished we could have had if I let my guard down last time.