Exit Stage Left
By Chris James
Chapter Seven
Tony burst through the backstage door fifteen minutes after Dennis hung up, he must have red-lined it the whole way over. The production's rental truck was sitting in the dock with the roll up door open and Kenny was looking at the paint on the set.
"Look at the size of those stones, that's what it was supposed to be. That stupid designer didn't put any scale marking on the sample."
He was talking to Alan Truman who just wasn't listening.
"You did it wrong, Kenneth... you should have called us," Truman said.
"Call you about what? We didn't know it was wrong; there was no way we could have known. It's a designer error, plain and simple. What you ought to worry about is that he didn't make it clear to the other theatres in the circuit."
Kenny was right, and Dennis was about to put in his two cents when Tony arrived, and Truman turned to him.
"Your people screwed up," Truman said.
"If they did I'll fire them, what did they do?" Tony asked.
"They painted the stage the wrong way, let me show you," Truman said.
He took Tony over to the truck and pointed at the set. "See the size of those stones, that's what they were supposed to paint on the stage floor. Now come look at the stage."
Tony followed Truman and Barry down the aisle to the stage where they stopped. "See, they're all too small... .this has to be repainted."
Kenny and Dennis had followed them down to the apron. Tony looked at Kenny who did nothing more than hand over the sample card. Tony looked at the card and then back at the stage.
"I don't get it, they did a good job of reproducing this," Tony said.
"The scale is wrong, they didn't read the drawings."
Kenny handed over the set drawing which was little more than a line drawing of the floor plan. Tony looked at that and nodded. "It says a scale of one half inch to the foot on the drawing."
Truman nodded. Tony looked at the paint sample and turned it over, there was nothing written on the back. "The scale isn't written on this card. Don't designers always write the scale of things on every page?"
"They do, but Kenneth should have called if he had any questions."
Tony turned to Kenny. "Did you have any questions?"
"No, and it would have been nice to have color swatches to match the paint."
"I have color swatches with mine," Truman said, and then realized he'd stuck his foot in his mouth.
"So you have a complete color sample and we didn't get one? Does your sample card have a scale written on it?" Tony asked.
Truman held out his hand and Barry gave him a folder. Out came a sample card much like the one Tony held. It was turned over and revealed... nothing, it was blank.
"I'd say you have a designer issue, that's not our problem," Tony said.
"We can't do a show on this stage... it needs to be redone," Truman said.
Tony took a breath and blew his top. "Truman you are the stupidest little prick tease I ever met, we are not going to repaint the stage. You have a design problem here, that's not my issue." Tony looked at his watch. "I have a technical call for ten o'clock. Either you unload that set and put it in place or I'll call Clarence Connelly and tell him the show is off because of your incompetence."
Dennis knew Clarence was the star, and now he knew the man was producing as well. Truman looked like he as going to explode, unfortunately he was standing next to the piano and slammed his fist down on it in frustration.
"You damage my piano and it'll cost you a year's pay, now go backstage and let me talk to my people," Tony ordered.
Truman shot him a glance and headed up the aisle, slamming his way through the backstage door.
"Keep an eye out, I want a list of everything he breaks," Tony said. "This is senseless, you painted this in good faith, and they fucked up. It actually looks real good, what do you think... Dennis?"
Dennis smiled. "The show would look better if we repainted their set to match; I've seen better paint from third graders."
Tony smiled. "Clarence slid this one in past the union; the set was probably built in a non-union shop. Maybe Truman painted it himself, who knows. How long did the stage take?"
"We started at eleven-thirty, finished around seven this morning," Kenny said. "Matt and John came in and helped for a while, Gina brought us food."
"You have a good team, you must be beat."
"We'll catch a nap after rehearsal and sleep tonight. Thanks, Tony," Kenny said.
"I hate fuckups like Truman; you have your work cut out for you this week."
Kenny grinned. "Not me, I assigned Dennis to babysit him."
Tony looked at Dennis. "Lucky you, just make sure no one finds the body."
Dennis smiled. "I guarantee it."
Tony laughed and strode up the aisle towards his office.
Kenny sighed. "I need another coffee, how about you?"
"Crew call is in forty minutes, I'll go for it," Dennis said.
Dennis walked backstage and bumped into Gina sliding out the door with a grin.
"What?" Dennis asked.
"I guess you guys won, Truman is back there in the star dressing room blasting someone over the phone," She said.
"It better be the designer, he caused all this. Want a donut?"
"Coffee run?"
"Yeah," Dennis replied.
"Only if the cinnamon cakes are fresh," Gina said.
Dennis could hear Truman yelling and remembered what Kenny said. It was indeed nothing but Camel-snot.
He returned to the theatre with two boxes of fresh donuts and a gallon of coffee. All that went into the maintenance office where Truman wouldn't see it. Dennis walked into the theatre and saw Mike and Pat standing with Kenny on the stage.
Pat smiled. "You guys did an excellent job, just the wrong thing, huh?"
"Garbage in, garbage out," Dennis replied.
Mike had a handful of colored gels. "How's about we get the ladder out so I can do this before the set gets in. Where are those piano people?" He asked.
"I called, they should be here any minute," Kenny said.
Matt and John arrived, with another boy in tow. "That's Bobby," Kenny said. He sent Matt and John for Mike's ladder. The piano guys arrived and the large heavy instrument was gently taken away, they didn't even scratch the painted floor.
Things happened quickly after that. Lights were changed, prop tables spread out and the set came off the truck in twenty pieces. The whole thing was levels and stairs, platforms and tiny walls. It was all wood and painted like stone except it lacked any soundproofing characteristics. Dennis hated clunky sets; this was definitely one of those.
They carried the pieces down the aisle and set them in place, locking them together with the bolts provided. The center platform was about two feet high and for some reason there was a trap door in the center.
Mike came over and looked, then opened the trap door. "I guess this is where the fog machine goes, it's on the spec sheet."
Dennis looked around the set. "Where are the ports? How does the fog get out?"
Mike looked around, and then smiled. "Good question, maybe they forgot to make them?"
Pat was up in the overhead grid installing a receiver for the wireless microphone Connelly would wear. Dennis remembered the incident with Todd and the pulled microphone plug.
"How come you don't use more wireless systems here?" Dennis asked.
"Not sure this one will work either," Pat said. "We have some cell phone towers too close by, microwaves screw up the signals on a random basis. A wireless system here is like Russian roulette... we'll see, sometimes it works."
The schedule had three hours for technical setup; they were done in half that time. The cast rehearsal was due to start at one and run until five if they needed it. Today they would use the upright piano in the orchestra pit. Tomorrow the union musicians would arrive at two in the afternoon and rehearse for three hours before breaking for dinner.
Dennis and the others arranged the changing set pieces around the walls of the theatre. Small walls that slotted into the platforms for the battlement scenes, small banners on poles for the formal interior scenes. Chairs and tables, crates and barrels, all the little things that would indicate a change of place for the audience.
Each of the crew was given a list of the set changes and their assigned pieces, now they would await the rehearsal. Gina had two prop tables, one on either side of the backstage doors where the actors would grab their props. Mike finally carried a box onstage and Dennis looked on with curiosity.
"The fog machine," Mike explained. "Truman says they start the machine, open the trap door during a blackout and the fog rolls out covering the platforms, at least that's the way it worked before."
"I hope they remember to close the trap or someone will fall in," Dennis said.
Mike smiled. "911, baby... the ambulance crews all know where we are."
Mike set the machine up and dropped a cable under the turntable so it could be plugged in. Truman had been gone for over an hour and was due back before the actors arrived. The van from the hotel showed up, the cast unloaded, and still no Truman.
The cast for a touring show were generally young performers. This one had a few older members for the various speaking parts and the two secondary leads. The lady playing Guinevere was Margaret Collins, a New York regular who had been in a dozen major productions on and off Broadway. The man playing Lancelot was a tall handsome Jerry Blaylock, and Dennis could swear he'd seen the man in some pinups on a gay website.
The cast moved into the dressing rooms, Margaret and Jerry allotted the new co-star dressing rooms. Paul Wright who played Merlyn would have to make do in the corner of the men's dressing room. Kenny had his usual large cast setup completed, something he and Gina had determined long ago. Sometimes the small things made a cast happy, today was no exception.
Each dressing station had stack of fresh towels with the name Camelot embroidered on them. Tony had a friend who did up a hundred of these things for each large show in exchange for tickets. There was also a small gift basket for each performer with soaps and shampoo, mints and herbal teas. There was a small wet bar in each dressing room with ice and hot water, small things that provided comfort.
The card with the theatre logo gave the cast Kenny and Gina's names as contact people, and provided other information. There was a book in each dressing room with a list of things to see in the area such as shopping malls, restaurants, places to go during the day before a show. The cast was told the towels would be cleaned every night and when the show closed they would be allowed to keep them as a gift.
Such small things always paid off big and Dennis was the first one to hear about it.
"Are you Kenny?" One of the young women asked.
"I'm his assistant, Dennis."
"You have such a nice dressing space, and the towels are a lovely touch, thank you," She said. "I'm Darlene, the dance captain."
"You're most welcome, Darlene... you need anything let us know," Dennis said.
She gave him a knowing look. "You have a spare production manager around we could sure use one."
Uh oh, not even the cast respected Truman, but Dennis smiled in reply. "Sorry, you have to take him with you when you leave."
Darlene smiled back and walked through the door into the theatre. Truman arrived at ten after one, just a few moments before the star of the show. By then the cast was all on stage and Dennis was the only one back stage when the doors opened and Clarence Connelly walked in. He looked around and spotted the door with the big star and his name on it, another Kenny touch.
"Hello, I'm Clarence," he said and held out his hand to Dennis.
"Dennis King, Mr. Connelly. The cast is all out in the house, and this is your dressing area."
Clarence carried a large bag and Dennis took it from him, opening the dressing room door and carrying it inside. The man stuck his head in and looked around.
"Nice," He said. "I better go find the company."
Dennis pointed at the backstage door only ten feet away. "Right thru there."
The rehearsal was in street clothes. The dancers danced, the actors climbed up and down on the set and sang along with the piano. The wireless microphone seemed to work for Clarence as did the lighting cues for Mike. The crew carried pieces up and down the aisles, setting things in place before running back to the top. No one was caught on stage after the blackouts, it was all too easy.
They were done by four and even Truman seemed happy. It was hard to tell as he never spoke a word to anyone but the union crew. Clarence left, the vans left, and as Truman walked out the door Barry said something to Kenny. Then the theatre was quiet.
Kenny smiled. "Barry said they would be here at two tomorrow for the orchestra rehearsal. He said Truman was happy with our rehearsal today... that's it."
Dennis nodded. "I feel like a zombie."
"Me too, let's go home. Call is six o'clock tomorrow," Kenny said.
Dennis drove towards home in a fog... fog! They hadn't tested the damn fog machine. That was Mike's department; he couldn't tell the union what to do. He was planning to sleep for a few hours and then go see Ted. No, this was their only night off; maybe the boy had other plans.
He got home and called Ted, discovering the boy was out with his father. Dennis left a message. He figured Ted was trying to set up their fishing date. Dennis flopped on his bed and the fog closed in.
The phone woke him up and he rolled over to pick it up. "Hello?"
"Dennis... .did I wake you?"
"I've just finished a nap," Dennis replied. He looked at the clock on his nightstand, it said five-thirty. "I need to get up or I won't sleep tonight. How are you?"
"I was just going to ask you that, I got your message. I was out running around with my dad today, we were thinking about dinner. Are you hungry, would you like to dine with us?"
"Uh... sure, where are we going?"
"He'd like to take us to Robard's, you ever been there?" Ted asked.
"Um... no, I can't afford it," Dennis said.
"You won't have to, dad is paying... and you won't have to wear a tie, they're informal."
"OK, how are we getting there?" Dennis asked.
"You're on the way in town, we could pick you up... say half an hour?"
"Sweet, I'll hop in the shower and be waiting."
"Are your parents home? I think my dad would like to meet them," Ted said.
"Uh, mom ought to be here any minute, don't know about Dad... someone will be here," Dennis said.
"Good enough, you go wake up, we'll be there," Ted said. "Love you."
Dennis smiled. "I love you too."
He dashed into the bathroom and looked at his face. Dark circles under the eyes, there was nothing for it, they still felt like they had sand in them. He showered and dressed in good slacks and a button down shirt. No matter what Ted said he had to make an impression on Mr. Cavanaugh.
His mother was in the kitchen. "How did it go last night?" She asked.
"Wasn't bad, I'm going out to dinner with Ted and his father," Dennis said.
"Oh, glad you told me, I was about to heat the leftover pot roast you missed last night. Where are you going?"
Dennis grinned. "Robard's."
Her eyebrows went up. "Oh my, you've moved up in the world."
"Mr. Cavanaugh likes the place, he can afford it."
She shook her head. "It's not that we're cheap, Dennis. Your father is just thrifty, when will they be here?"
"Any minute, I think they'd like to meet you. Ted and I have been thinking about taking a fishing trip. I'm sure his father wants to do the responsible parent thing... " And the doorbell rang.
Dennis ran up the hall and stopped short, took a breath and opened the door.
"Hello, Mr. Cavanaugh... Ted."
"Hello, Dennis," Mr Cavanaugh said, and then Dennis' mother walked into the hall.
"Hello, I'm Janet King," She said, shaking his hand.
"Dale Cavanaugh, you have a lovely home."
"Thank you, won't you come in?" She asked.
"Just for a minute, we have to scoot... I made reservations for seven o'clock."
They all walked into the living room and stood around, Dennis knew Ted's father wanted to get moving.
"My father won't be home for another hour," Dennis said, hoping that filled in the blank.
"We'll get together another time," Cavanaugh said. "I guess we ought to get going. It was nice to meet you, Janet. Ted wants me to invite you and your husband over to the house for a cook out, I'll let them make the arrangements."
"That would be lovely," She replied. "Enjoy your dinner, boys."
"Thanks, Mom," Dennis said and gave her a kiss.
He could tell she thought Cavanaugh was a handsome man; she had that starry look in her eyes again. A cookout, what was Ted thinking? Lord, he could see his parents freaking out now... but that might be fun.
Dinner was incredible, as was the ride over there. Ted's father drove his latest acquisition, a Shelby Mustang GT, one of the reproduction models. It sounded like a thousand horsepower under the hood, but Cavanaugh was a careful driver. Ted sat in the rear seat, which was the only drawback.
Cavanaugh asked and was told about the show that was about to open, Dennis gave them the whole scoop on what had happened. They all laughed at Truman's folly, Dennis was thinking that might be a good name for this show.
"So Ted tells me you like to fish, he thinks you ought to go down to Rio Vista. I told him I'll make you a deal. If you get down there and clean up the boat I'll pay you what I give that no good cleaning service of mine."
"I don't know the first thing about cleaning a boat," Dennis said.
"Ted does, it's just takes a little effort," Cavanaugh said. "I'll pay you each a hundred and fifty dollars."
Ted grinned. "That's more than I make at The Grove in a week."
Dennis nodded. "OK, I'll help out, but you'll have to tell me what to do."
Cavanaugh nodded. "After he gets his driving license I want Ted to take the boating class offered by the Coast Guard. He's gets certified and he can captain a boat by himself, then you guys can have some real fun. In fact you might want to take the class yourself, Dennis."
"I'm not sure what kind of time I have, but I'd like to do it... we'll have to see what I can arrange."
Cavanaugh had the prime rib and urged Dennis to try it as well. It was out of this world, Robard's was famous for it. Dennis asked about the family business and got some wonderful stories about the family. Ted blushed when his father talked about his life as a baby, no one liked to remember those moments.
"I'm sure he's told you about his attention problems, it took years to diagnose and it's finally under control. But in those early years, well... " Cavanaugh leaned his head down and Dennis could see the scar on his forehead at the hairline. "He woke me up one morning with a baseball bat."
"Oh, Dad... do you have to embarrass me with that story," Ted groaned.
His father grinned. "It's the only revenge I'm allowed, Teddy Bear."
That nickname elicited another groan from Ted and Dennis broke out laughing.
"You tell anyone and I'll... I'll, well I still have that bat," Ted said.
"Yes he does, but he's not aggressive enough to hit anyone with it, not anymore," Cavanaugh said.
"It was pretty bad, Dennis. I couldn't read more than a few lines at a time or remember things from one day to the next. Kindergarten was a disaster, but then we met Dr. Walsh."
"Walsh treated with medicine and dietary changes," Cavanaugh said, "it made a world of difference. Once Ted reached adolescence his body made some adjustments as well... "
"I reached puberty, my chemistry changed. Now that I'm a stud I feel a lot better," Ted laughed.
"Do they have a medicine to cure his ego problems?" Dennis asked.
"Don't I wish," Cavanaugh said, and they both laughed. "But he'll always be my Teddy Bear."
"Where's my bat?" Ted moaned.
Dennis liked the man, he was a good father. Like most men he was too busy with his business affairs, but Ted didn't seem to suffer. Just why the marriage had died was too personal to ask about; Dennis decided he didn't need to know.
They dropped him off at the house around ten and Dennis knew he was headed straight to bed. Ted had agreed to breakfast in the morning. Dennis said his goodbyes and saw the look in Ted's eyes.
"Butterflies, Ted... good night," Dennis said.
He listened to the pipes roar on the Mustang as Cavanaugh drove away, life was good. Teddy Bear, he would keep that to himself and pull it out when Ted least expected it. He could think of some private moments when it would be useful... unless there was a baseball bat around.
By eight o'clock in the morning Dennis was rested and ready to go, he took Ted to the Pancake Platter. Somehow the place didn't look as appetizing in daylight, but they stayed. After breakfast Dennis drove over to Cabot, hoping someone would be there to let them in. He saw cars over by Twinkle Toes Hall and knew there must be a community dance program underway.
Dennis took Ted through the performer's entrance and peeked through the soundproof doors at the stage. There were lights up and Dennis could see a ladder on stage as well.
"It's OK, we can go in," He told Ted. "Just stick with me and watch where you step."
Vince was on top of the ladder, with Pete and Frank standing on the bottom. Dennis slid out of the wings and stood there. "You know it's a sorry day when they have a carpenter lighting a dance show," He said.
He heard a laugh. "Yeah, that might be true, but all the guys who know how to light a dance show are goofing off this summer," Vince yelled down. "Hi, Dennis... you here to work?"
"Nope, I have a job at The Grove for the summer."
"Oh la de da, rubbing elbows with the stars... you sick of it yet?"
"Hey, I just got started... ask me next week," Dennis said back.
He stood with Ted and watched Vince change out the lamp on a large scoop light, and then the boy climbed down. He walked over to Dennis and they shook hands.
"Vince, this is Ted."
"New meat?" Vince asked.
"I don't think so, Ted isn't that attracted to theatre."
"Ahh, a smart man indeed," Vince said. "I got stuck with this; Brady blackmailed me, pure and simple."
Through the connecting doors Dennis was able to show Ted the main stage theatre where they had produced Romeo and Juliet. It was dark and quiet, but in Dennis' mind that show still reigned supreme and would until it was replaced with something.
"It's spooky back here," Ted said.
"Hmm, I find it comforting. From here I can see both the show and the audience without being seen. I'm really glad I chose to come here," Dennis said.
"Do you think I'd like it?" Ted asked.
"Only you can answer that. You see what I go through; it's not glamorous, just hard work. But I get such satisfaction from it... why would you be here?"
"That's obvious, to be near you."
Dennis sighed. "Ted, that's sweet but the wrong answer. I have friends here I don't see all week long, and when I do see them we're all so tired it's hardly a time for fun. I like you on the outside of all this, it gives me a life away from theatre... the best part of life. Don't come here to be with me, come here if you really feel the urge to perform in front of other people."
"No, you're right... I'm still too shy for that, too insecure," Ted said.
Dennis slid his arms around Ted and pulled him in. "Are you insecure about us? Aw, sweetie, I'm in your life and you're the best part of mine. I'll support you no matter what you choose." And they kissed.
It was fair to say Dennis had planned nothing when he brought Ted backstage, but they ended up on a couch in the greenroom actor's lounge with the door locked. At least this time Ted lasted a while longer but still gave up a heavy load. The difference was that he brought Dennis off with his hand and they both lay back with a sigh.
"Next time I'm going to use my mouth, you have to tell me how to do it," Ted said.
"I thought we'd explore things a lot further when we got on your dad's boat," Dennis replied.
"I'm looking forward to that. I'm sorry I didn't check with you first about washing the boat, it won't be that bad."
"I'm not afraid of the work, I just don't know how to do it," Dennis said.
Ted leaned over and kissed him. "We'll do just fine."
The Grove crew had no responsibilities for the orchestra rehearsal that afternoon, Pat would cover that. When Dennis and Ted arrived the theatre was quiet, everyone was off at dinner. They had stopped for sandwiches on the way in and now sat down backstage to eat. One by one the crew showed up and Ted finally went out to the lobby.
Mike and Pat rolled through the door laughing. Mike motioned for Dennis to follow them up to the booth.
"We have a present for Truman," Mike said, and he pulled out a folder full of papers.
"What's that?" Dennis asked.
"Flash paper, we're going to print the announcements on it tomorrow," Pat laughed. "Truman starts to read and I'm going to set it off with this." He pulled an electric cigarette lighter out of his pocket. "Whoosh, no paper."
"You guys are crazy, he'll freak out," Dennis said.
"I have the announcements recorded, I'll just spin the disk, and his microphone won't be on anyway."
"Devious... I love it," Dennis laughed.
"I have my video camera, we'll play it back for you," Mike said. "Now, let's do this damn thing."
"I thought of something last night, we didn't test the fog machine."
"We did this afternoon, it looks like shit... that's Truman's problem," Mike said.
When Dennis got backstage the cast was in the dressing rooms and Clarence was walking around mumbling his lines to himself.
"Half hour... half hour call," Truman said as he made the rounds.
Members of the orchestra were wandering around, some of them already in the pit getting comfortable. The house would open its doors now and those in the lobby would file in to find their seats. This was opening night and Dennis knew he ought to feel the excitement, but he didn't.
The fifteen minute call came and Dennis walked out into the house to check the set pieces he was supposed to move. Gina was there guarding her prop tables, a chore she had the minute the house opened to the public.
"Are we ready for this?" She asked.
Dennis looked around, noticing the crowd now filled two thirds of the theatre. It would fill up in the next fifteen minutes.
"We're ready... are they is the real question. The rehearsal showed me nothing except Clarence has a weak voice; I hope Margaret can carry the show."
"Such a critic," Gina laughed.
"Hey, this is as close as some of these people will come to a Broadway show. These are Broadway stars, they owe it to the audience to make that happen," Dennis said.
"When you put it like that I agree. Betty was a Broadway show, this isn't," Gina said.
Dennis sighed. "Maybe they won't notice."
Gina looked at her watch. "It's almost time for places, let's have some fun."
"Optimist," Dennis said, and he walked backstage to get his flashlight.
"Places people... places," Truman called, and then he ducked out the door and hurried around the circle behind the audience to the control booth. Kenny held back beside Dennis as the crew went out to take their stations. Kenny had Clarence, Dennis was assigned to Margaret and John had the Wiz as they were calling Merlyn. They would always be there to escort the stars up and down the aisle.
Clarence came out of his dressing room and Dennis saw the costume had padded shoulders. Margaret was wearing a cloak over her dress as the opening scene was supposed to take place outside. The stage was bare except for the platforms and stairs of the set. The overture began.
Clarence paced a bit and then pulled the door open, stepping into the darkness of the house with Kenny on his heels. Margaret paused at the mirror on the wall and smiled, and then she looked over at Dennis with a nod.
She started for the door and Dennis opened it for her, and there she paused. Her hand reached out and patted him on the cheek. "For luck," She said, and went out into the darkness. Dennis followed her to the top of aisle six where she sat in a chair. Clarence would go down aisle seven and sing the opening song.
The lights faded and Dennis could see Kenny escorting Clarence onstage as Paul Wright, aka The Wiz, was escorted in place by John. The scene came up with leafy patterns projected on the stage as Arthur jumped into his dialogue with Merlyn the wizard, and then sang I Wonder What the King is Doing Tonight?
He got through the song, walked over to his mark and froze, staring off into the darkness beyond the audience. Dennis quickly had Margaret down the aisle and she made her way on stage, where she would sing The Simple Joys of Maidenhood. The audience responded to her entrance with a smattering of applause as Dennis crouched and made his way back up the aisle.
The next major song was Camelot, the best known in the show, and that also signaled a change of set, as the next scene took place inside the castle. Dennis and Kenny set their pieces at the top of the aisle and then cheated them down the slope as the blackout occurred.
Grabbing the wall pieces they hurried on stage and dropped them in place as John, Gina and Matt brought in a table, chairs and props for the scene. Arthur and Guinevere took their places and froze as the light came up in one spot on stage and Merlyn went into his scene.
The whole change had taken twenty seconds, the outside of what Kenny considered to be good work. And Act One rolled on. In Dennis' opinion the highlight of an otherwise mediocre opening was Jerry Blaylock's entrance as Lancelot. He looked magnificent in the suit of armor, even if it was plastic.
His blonde mane of hair was swept back, his tanned face barely needed any makeup, he was a hunk and the ladies in the audience immediately fell in love with him. Of course that was the point of the show; he was irresistible, even to Guinevere the Queen. And therein lay the tragedy for the three main characters; this unwanted love would bring down a King.
Intermission required a small set change which Dennis and Kenny did quickly, and then it was backstage to see how the cast was doing. Darlene was all dressed up in a period ladies costume and standing against the wall doing her stretching exercises.
"Dennis," she called and he walked over. "You really ought to put a small dance bar on the wall here; it would give me something to grip."
"A good suggestion, I'll see what we can do," Dennis said.
She smiled and patted his cheek. "Such a sweet boy, you guys try very hard to take care of us."
Dennis grinned. "We aim to be the best theatre on your tour," He replied.
"You have my vote," Darlene said, and went back to her exercises.
Truman blew through the door. "Fifteen minutes, boys and girls... fifteen minutes."
Darlene stuck her tongue out at Truman as he went by, he returned the gesture.
Act Two opened with a quiet scene on the battlements, a foggy morning where Lancelot finally reveals his true feelings for Guinevere and sings If Ever I Would Leave You, the most romantic song in the show.
The orchestra had a short overture during which Truman was supposed to cue the fog machine while the house lights went to half. It was always done this way to allow the audience to settle down. John was given the responsibility of creeping on stage during the following blackout and opening the trap door. The timing was critical to allow the fog to build up.
Lancelot would walk on stage as the fog began to spread. The scene was to take place on the lower level as fog spilled out across the stage. Truman would cut it off if it got too heavy, and then as the scene ended Kenny would shut the trap during the scene change... at least that's how they rehearsed it.
The fog machine had three settings, low, medium and high. Mike had chosen the medium setting because the trap was open long enough for a light covering of the water based fog to spread. The high setting would crank out too much and obscure the set, or worse it might leave a sheen of water on the upper platform.
In rehearsal the trap had been left open as the machine was cranked up, and as Mike said, it looked like shit happened. The fog didn't have a chance to build up before the trap opened; Truman knew that, he'd done this before. But as he reloaded the cup on the machine with fog juice he also switched the setting to high. It would prove to be his undoing.
The house lights cue was given and Truman reached over and switched on the fog machine. Mike was aware the action was happening too soon but said nothing; it was Truman's only technical contribution to the show. The house darkened slightly and Kenny escorted Lancelot to the top of aisle seven as Dennis once again had his cheek patted for luck and escorted Guinevere to the top of aisle six.
Dennis looked down on the stage and saw fog drifting out from under the platforms through every crack it possibly could. All he thought was... what the hell? The orchestra was finished and the house lights were moving down when a lady stood up in the silence.
"Oh My God... that stage is on fire," She said. It was loud enough to carry throughout the theatre.
There is one word every person involved in theatre dreads and that word is "Fire." People began to rise from their seats; Dennis could feel the electricity of panic spreading. Kenny was just leading Lancelot into the aisle when people began moving, standing up, and something had to be done.
In his wildest dreams he had never planned to do something like this but Dennis strode into the aisle and in a loud voice called out. "It's in the show... it's only an effect. Please sit down."
Kenny took up the call, it was the only thing they could do under the circumstances. "Please sit down, it's only a fog machine, there is no danger."
The relief in the audience was palpable and the people began to resume their seats. Kenny smiled and spoke to those audience members seated nearby, but when he turned around Lancelot was gone and the backstage door was slamming shut.
Mike had immediately understood what was happening and stopped the movement of the house lights. Then he reached over and killed the fog machine as Truman sat with his mouth open.
"Good going, asshole," Mike said, but Truman had no reply.
Dennis stood at the top of the aisle and felt a hand on his shoulder. Margaret patted his cheek once again. "See, you are good luck."
The upshot of the event was that Clarence was startled by Jerry's return backstage even as the young man began to rant about how his entrance had been ruined. Clarence had little patience for the tantrum and ordered him back to the stage to sing his song. Meanwhile Kenny had walked on stage in front of the entire audience and opened the trap, allowing the fog to spread in billowing clouds.
By the time Lancelot was back on stage and the act resumed it all looked wonderful. Dawn on the foggy battlements as Lancelot searches his soul for the reasons behind his feelings, and Guinevere came into his arms for a truly great song. Dennis had to give Jerry credit; he really nailed that piece of music and made it his own.
The show ended with a curtain call and then Clarence stood forward and raised his hands for silence. "Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen... thank you for your patience. I'm sorry if you felt any moments of concern, we will be correcting the problem tonight. Thank you for coming." And he was given a warm round of applause.
Correcting the problem proved easy, Truman was fired. Mike showed Clarence where the setting on the fog machine had been changed and Truman was out the door. Dennis and the crew watched the last of the audience leave and then he went looking for Ted.
"Whoa, that took balls," Ted said. "I could feel the panic spreading."
"I got balls, it had to be done," Dennis said as they walked towards the backstage door. Dennis looked up and saw Darlene standing inside the theatre. She walked over and planted a kiss on Dennis' cheek.
"That's from the cast... all of us," She said. "I guess I better be careful what I ask you for." And then she turned for the door and pushed it open, Dennis could hear her laughing as she walked back to the dressing room. He looked over at Ted.
"She asked me if I could get a replacement for Truman, she must think I'm a wizard."
"So who will take his place?" Ted asked.
"All he ever did was make announcements. Mike knows all the cues, I don't know what they'll do," Dennis said.
It was Wednesday night, the day after the emancipation, at least that's what the cast was calling Truman's fall from grace. The house lights flashed to bring the audience to their seats and the orchestra was ready to go.
"Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen... welcome to Spring Grove Music Theatre. The fire marshal requires us to make the following announcement. For your safety please note the nearest exit door and in case of emergency, walk do not run to the nearest exit. Theatre policy allows no smoking in the building, and the taking of photographs or use of recording devices is strictly forbidden.
"On behalf of the management here at Spring Grove we'd like to welcome you to our forty-first season. Please remain seated during all blackouts as scenery and performers will be moving swiftly in the aisles. And now we're proud to present Learner and Loewe's Camelot. Thank you for your patronage."
There was a smattering of quiet applause in the control booth from Mike and Pat as the house lights faded to black. Dennis blushed at the thrill of making his first announcement and turned towards the stairs to resume his crew duties. Tony said the job was his from now on. He had no idea it was going to turn out like this.
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