Singin' in the Rain

Three weeks later and opening night was finally upon them. Tech rehearsals had gone fairly smoothly. She'd had to drop one of her flutists from the orchestra, but the other two had been sure to balance everything out. They had warmed up and tuned their instruments about fifteen minutes before the doors opened. Kelsi was about to head down to the orchestra pit when Luke stopped her.

"Kels!"

She turned and gave him a stern look, "Aren't you supposed to be in 'places' right now?"

He chuckled, "Always thinking about the show. I just wanted to say break a leg and get my good luck kiss."

He stuck out his chin and pointed to his cheek.

She giggled and placed a lingering kiss on his cheek, "Break a leg."

"Thank you, and now I'll be heading to my place," He said with a wink as he rushed off.

She made sure her musicians were in place before she headed toward the pit from across the floor of the house. The follow spot followed her to the pit as it had before "Twinkle Town" and the applause began. She paused when she reached her piano and bowed to the audience. She motioned to her orchestra and then sat down in front of her piano. She lifted her arms and then brought them down to start the count. She cued the percussionist and then swiftly brought in the brass section. The actors had until the end of the overture to shake off their nerves and find their places. At the end of the overture the curtain would open and the show would officially begin. As she approached the grand ending of the overture she said a silent prayer for the show and all of it's actors. The curtain swept open and the stage was set to resemble the Grauman's Chinese Theater, and Bethany began to speak her lines. She'd been given the role Dora Bailey.

"Hello out there! This is Dora Bailey talking to you in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater in Hollywood. And what a night! Every star is here tonight to make Monumental Pictures' 'The Royal Rascal' the outstanding event of 1927. We are breathlessly awaiting the arrival of it's two great stars: Lina Lamont and Don Lockwood," She announced as Luke approached her, completely in character. "And here's Don's closest friend and confidant, Cosmo Brown. He's the man who plays the piano on the set to get Don and Lina into those romantic moods. Would you like to say a word?"

Luke puffed up his chest proudly and Kelsi couldn't resist grinning at him, "Well, certainly Dora, I'd like-"

"And here they are!" Bethany interrupted. "Oh ladies and gentleman, I wish you could see it! Such a gorgeous couple! It's no wonder they're a household name all over the world like steak and eggs; Lockwood and Lamont. Don, now you can tell me confidentially, are these rumors true that wedding bells are soon to ring for you and Lina?"

Kelsi smiled as Ryan and Sharpay joined the scene. Ryan looked extremely handsome, and Sharpay had never looked more glamorous. Kelsi desperately wanted to laugh at the deliberately cheesy smile on Ryan's face.

"Well, Dora, Lina and I have no statements to make at this time. We're just good friends."

Kelsi put her focus back on the music as the underscoring began to pick up speed. She was directing in two and quickly cued the smooth underscoring for Don's "Dignity" monologue. This was tricky. It had to be timed just right with Ryan's lines. There was a lot of jazz in this portion of the show. They would play a jazz riff and then go silent, and then play another jazz riff. Finally they reached the first number. She motioned to her fiddlers as the number began, and finally felt comfortable enough to lift an eye to the action on stage. Ryan and Luke were perfect with their harmonies and steps. She smiled brightly as she watched them. So far so good.

After that number the show moved on to the short film version of 'The Royal Rascal' which Ms. Darbus had let Jason and Martha work on together. Everyone had been very impressed with the outcome and Kelsi was careful to keep the underscoring at the same pace as Jason's film. She let out a sigh of relief as that part of the show finished. Kelsi couldn't help but crack up with the audience the first time that Sharpay spoke with her accent. It was perfectly annoying and humorous. Gabriella was nearly flawless as Kathy, and the audience took to her as soon as she stepped out on to the stage. Kelsi decided that she couldn't be prouder of her friends than she was at that moment.

But when they reached the moment when Don serenaded Kathy Kelsi had to look away. Watching Ryan moon over Gabriella was still not something she enjoyed. Instead she focused on the music. "You Stepped Out of a Dream" was a beautiful song and would be even if they were no lyrics. So she tuned Ryan out and focused on the instruments. Finally they reached one of Kelsi's favorite moments in the show, and not just because her boyfriend happened to be hilarious in it. "Make 'em Laugh" started and Kelsi found it tough to focus on directing the orchestra. Luke was hilarious and his voice was outstanding. Some of his moves were very impressive as well. He was very acrobatic.

Charlie Kline, the guy who had been Ryan's main competition for Don, had been the person she'd ended up giving the "Beautiful Girl" number to. He had an outstanding voice and definitely deserved the number. After the beautiful girl number came "You Are My Lucky Star" which Gabriella was practically perfect in. She had definitely worked hard to mature her voice for the song. She'd used lots of vibrato and Kelsi thought it came out wonderfully. But once again after that Kelsi had to plunge into the music as "You Were Meant for Me" started. She really should be getting over this by now. She had a boyfriend after all. Well an unofficial boyfriend. They were just a question away from being official. Her chest ached as she listened to Ryan singing the lyrics. A part of her that she had been trying to bury wished desperately that he was singing that song for her.

"But I'm content. The angels must have sent you, and they meant you just for me," Ryan sang as the song came to an end.

Kelsi sighed, and mentally shook herself. This was not the time for this. The next number quickly came around and she was happy that she could focus on how talented Luke was. She smiled brightly as "Moses" started and Ryan and Luke began their dance. Luke might be the only person in the school who could give Ryan a run for his money. She couldn't help but marvel at the fact that neither Ryan nor Luke's feet seemed to touch the ground for more than a split second. The number came to an end and Kelsi couldn't resist the urge to clap wildly before the reprise of "Moses" began.

The reprise took the audience through the scene where the director and Lina kept having trouble with the microphone. Sharpay and Jeff were hysterical in this scene. Jeff had been the other guy up for Don and he had been cast as the Director. Kelsi felt her nerves build as they reached "Good Mornin'". It was one of the more complicated dance routines, but it had looked great at rehearsals.

"The picture can be saved!" Ryan exclaimed as Don. "I tell you, kids, if we pull this off this day will go down in history for me. March the 23rd!"

"Ah ah ah, your historic day is not the 23rd. it's the 24th," Luke added with a wave of his finger.

"What do you mean the 24th?"

"Cause it's 1:30 already. It's morning!" Luke exclaimed as Cosmo.

"Yes, and what a lovely morning!" Gabriella yelled excitedly as she began the song,"Good Mornin'!"

"Good Mornin'!"

"We've talked the whole night through."

"Good Mornin'"

"Good Mornin' to you."

Kelsi directed in four and mouthed the words as Luke, Gabriella, and Ryan sang them. This was by far her favorite number from the show. She smiled softly as Gabriella attempted to keep up with Luke and Ryan. She was definitely not bad, but Luke and Ryan were more experience and trained than she was. Both Ryan and Luke had tried to tone it down so they wouldn't overshadow Gabriella too much. All in all the number showcased the excellent team work the three of them had put into the number and Kelsi was thrilled that it went so well. The next number was the signature number for the show, and was going to prove difficult for the stage crew. They had rented a rig that would actually rain onto the stage. It was very impressive, but difficult to run. Troy had been trained on it during tech rehearsals. The scene started and Kelsi sent out a prayer of thanks as the rain began to fall down onto the stage. Kelsi lead her musicians in "Singing in the Rain" while wearing a large successful smile. At the end of this number the curtain would close for intermission.

"I'm dancin' and singin' in the rain," Ryan sang as the song ended and the curtain closed. Kelsi was surprised at the volume and length of the applause. It was amazing. She took a deep breath and then spoke to her orchestra.

"Alright guys, ten minute break," She announced. "Get some water, a breath of fresh air, or whatever else you need. We start the Entr'acte in ten minutes."

They nodded as they exited the pit and headed backstage where a few parents of cast members would be handing out free water bottles to the cast and crew. Kelsi made her own way backstage to congratulate everyone on an outstanding first act. She stopped by Sharpay's dressing room, Gabriella's dressing room, the massive dressing room where the girls in the ensemble got dressed and then peeked in the massive dressing room where the guys in the ensemble got dressed to quickly tell them how amazing things were. She was going to go see Ryan next and then Luke. She knocked on Ryan's door and he quickly answered. His eyes widened and he seemed surprised to see her.

"Kels!"

She smiled, "Hey, great show so far. It's going amazingly well."

He gave her a modest smile and nodded, "Good, so everything is sounding okay?"

"You haven't hit a flat or sharp note yet," She told him with a smile.

"Knock on wood!" He commanded urgently. She chuckled and quickly knocked on the frame of his dressing room door. "So you did learn something last show."

She laughed, "I guess I did. Anyway, I'll see you later. I'm gonna go talk to Luke."

"Oh, right…Luke," He said slowly. As she walked away her brow furrowed. Did he sound disappointed? And was it her imagination or did his face fall at the mention of Luke's name? She shook her head. No, that couldn't be right. She was definitely imagining things. She felt Ryan's eyes on her as she knocked on Luke's door. The door flew open and Luke wrapped her in a very sweaty hug. He spun her around excitedly. She laughed and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck to keep from falling.

"It's going great, don't you think?" He asked her excitedly as he put her down. "This audience tonight is amazing! They're laughing at everything!"

"They're definitely a great opening night audience," She agreed with a smile.

"And you," He said as he pointed at her. "You are cracking me up. You keep mouthing the words along with us."

"I do?" She asked. She knew she had for "Good Mornin'" but had she done that for the other numbers as well?

"Almost every number," He chuckled. "Except for 'You Stepped Out of a Dream' and 'You Were Meant for Me'. You didn't even look at the stage during those songs."

"Oh, um, yeah- I just really love the orchestrations for those," She told him. She supposed it wasn't really a lie. She did love the orchestrations for them, that was true. She automatically felt guilty for withholding the whole truth, but telling Luke about her seemingly never ending crush on Ryan would only make things worse for everybody. After that statement she heard Ryan's dressing room door close. She glanced down at her watch and swore.

"I've got to get back to the pit. It's been ten minutes already!" She exclaimed. Luke kissed her quickly on the temple and told her to break a leg before she scurried off to the orchestra pit. She took her place in front of her musicians, and was slightly embarrassed about being the last one back to the pit. She lifted her arms and began the Entr'acte. As she'd left backstage the actors were scrambling around to find their places for the next scene.

She chuckled as Luke appeared immediately after the curtain opened. He looked comically frazzled.

"Lina Lamont. 'Would You'. Take…73," He said as he made his voice crack as if in pain.

Sharpay kicked off act two outstandingly with her completely off key performance of 'Would You'. Not long after that another short film of Jason's began to play across the back of the stage and Gabriella as Kathy was recording her voice over Lina's footage. Again, it was obvious that Gabriella had put a lot of work into her voice for this show. She sounded more trained and mature.

And Kelsi excitedly moved on to Sharpay's number "What's Wrong With Me?". It was truly hilarious, and Kelsi couldn't wait for the audience to see it.

"I'm beautiful, ain't I? Yeah. And I'm talented, ain't I? Yeah. And if you was a man you would fall in love with me? Yeah. And would you ever be unfaithful? NEVER," Sharpay said to herself as she looked into a mirror. "I just don't understand it! What's wrong with me? Why doesn't he kiss me? He has a chance for a romance! What's wrong with me?"

The squeakier Sharpay's voice became the more amusing her performance was. The audience was thoroughly enjoying it as well.

"Why is he causing such friction when he could be MR. LAMONT! What's wrong with me? Why all this confusion? I'm quite a girl, A REAL CULTURED PEARL! What's wrong with me? I ain't so dumb cause a peach is a plumb! What's wrong? What could possibly be wrong there? What's wrong with me? NOTHING!"

Kelsi chucked as the score went on through the end of the number and the set transitioned. Kelsi took a deep breath as the "Broadway Ballet" began. This was a long and lavish number. Molly Johnson, who had been up for Kathy against Gabriella, had been cast in Cyd Charise's dancing only role. Molly was the best female dancer in the school. She had been trained in ballet and tap since she was a little girl. Kelsi gulped as the thirteen minute number began. She couldn't imagine how straining it was for Ryan. He had to dance, sing, and act while all she did was wave her arms in time with the music. Jeff Valliant, who had also been up for Don, had been cast as the Broadway Wannabe at the end of the number, and he did a great job at standing out in his small appearance.

Kelsi began to relax as they neared the finale which involved another one of Jason's short films as it began with the end of the Don and Lina's new movie. After the 'audience' requested Lina to sing Sharpay had a freak out moment that was classic Lina. This is where Kelsi actually had some lines. Don and Cosmo commanded Kathy to sing for Lina and Lina stepped forward.

"Miss Lamont, what are you going to sing?" Kelsi yelled up to the stage.

"Would You," Gabriella stage whispered.

"Would You," Sharpay repeated.

"What Key?" Kelsi yelled up again.

"A Flat," Gabriella stage whispered again.

"A flat," Sharpay said. She was very clear to make it sound like "a flat" as opposed to the key of "A Flat". Kelsi bit back a chuckle as she began the song. Sharpay mouthed the words while Gabriella sang, and Kelsi watched in amusement as Luke interrupted and hammed up the stage in true Cosmo Brown fashion. The ensemble that was standing off stage began to laugh and boo uproariously. Gabriella ran into the house, and was stopped by two ensemble members who had been waiting in the aisle. Ryan spoke the lines of Don's speech and began singing "You Are My Lucky Star" and Gabriella slowly made her way back to the stage. The curtain closed as the song ended and stayed closed for an applause break, and then reopened for the whole cast to sing "Singin' in the Rain."

There was some light choreography for the song just to make it more visually appealing. The main cast slowly snuck off stage as the song transitioned into the music for the curtain call. The ensemble ran up to the front of the stage and took their bows. Bethany, Molly, and Jeff ran forward for their bows, and they were followed by Charlie and the other actors who played R.F. Simpson and Zelda, finally Luke ran on stage for his bow and then backed up into the line with the other cast, Sharpay came out and took her bow, and then Ryan and Gabriella took their bow together. The orchestra pit began to rise and she and the orchestra continued to play. It stopped short of being even with the stage and the cast motioned to her and the musicians. Kelsi vamped as the audience applauded thunderously and began to stand. When they were done she began to finish the curtain call music. At the end of the curtain call there was a medley of the songs from the show that the cast sang. The curtain closed, the orchestra pit was lowered again, and Kelsi transitioned her orchestra into the exit music that they would play as the audience began to file out. She knew the cast was rushing around through the hallway so they could greet the audience as they left. It was a tradition for the musicals at East High. The cast would stand outside and shake hands as the audience headed out to the parking lot. A few little kids would ask for the actors to sign their programs as well, and the cast always loved it.

Kelsi personally loved the exit music. It was the part of the show where she could relax and just jam with her orchestra. She smiled and motioned for them to let loose. They excitedly began to take liberties with the score, and Kelsi laughed. She shoved her pianist aside gently and began to jam with them. A few members of the audience had stayed behind and stood around the edges of the orchestra pit to watch. As the exit music ended the few people who remained applauded enthusiastically. She blushed and nodded in appreciation. A few people shook her hand and complimented her and the rest of the orchestra. Once everyone had left the auditorium Kelsi turned to her musicians.

"Great job, guys!" She exclaimed happily. "Set up your instruments for tomorrow afternoon, and pick up any trash before you leave."

She straightened up her stand and her music, and then placed her water bottle in her tote bag and headed out the door that led below the stage. She then climbed up the stairs that led into the house, and headed for the front exit to figure out what time the after party at Ryan and Sharpay's house began. She adjusted her tote bag strap on her shoulder as she approached the Ryan in the line.

"Hey," She said as she stopped in front of Ryan. "What time does the thing start at your house?"

"In about half an hour," He told her. "You're coming?"

She nodded, "Luke and I might be a little late though. We're gonna go grab some junk food first. I've been wanting a cheeseburger ALL day."

"Ah," He said in a strange tone. "Well, I'll see you there."

"You sure will," She smiled. "Great job tonight, by the way. If this role hadn't been created for Gene Kelly then I might think that it was always intended for you."

He smiled brightly at her, "Thanks, Kels, you have no idea how much I appreciate hearing you say that."

"It's the truth," She told him. There was silence for a moment as they both tried to think of something to say next.

"The, um, orchestra rocked tonight," He told her.

"Oh yeah? Well thanks, we worked really hard on the meshing the sound," She said with a proud smile.

Suddenly Luke grabbed her around the waste, "Hey, babe."

She smiled, "Hey."

"Let me go change and then I'll meet you out here, okay?" He asked.

She nodded, "Kay, I'll be waiting."

He kissed her cheek and continued on his way to the dressing room. Kelsi looked over at Ryan and noticed him studying the floor awfully closely. Once Luke was out of eye sight Ryan looked up again.

"So, you and Luke seem to really like each other."

She smiled happily and blushed lightly, "I do really like him. He's a great guy."

He cleared his throat nervously, "Well, I'm…happy that you're happy, Kelsi."

She gave him a quizzical glance, "Oh, um, thank you."

There was that tone again, and why did that sound like that was extremely hard for him to say?

"Well, I'm gonna go change. Shar will kill me if I'm not there before everyone else," He said as he excused himself and headed backstage.

"Okay, see you later!" She called after him.

"That was awkward," a voice said into her ear.

Kelsi jumped and turned to face Jason. She smacked his shoulder playfully.

"Don't do that!"

He chuckled, "Sorry, I couldn't resist. That looked really awkward."

Kelsi sighed, "It was for some reason. I have no idea why. We had another tiny awkward moment outside of his dressing room earlier too."

Jason raised an eyebrow, "That's interesting."

"It's not interesting. It's confusing. I swear I never know what that boy is thinking."

Jason chuckled, "Well, from what I hear you don't have to worry about that anymore. Ms. Nielson is about to be taken off the market according to Martha."

She blushed, "It's definitely heading in that direction. I've been slipping up and calling him my boyfriend more and more often."

Jason nodded, "He seems like a nice guy, Kels. I'm happy for you, but you do know that you're still not over Ryan right?"

She chuckled bitterly, "Yes, believe me, I know. It's very frustrating."

He nodded in understanding, "Will you and Luke be at the after party?"

"We're going to go get a quick bite first, but we'll definitely be there."

"Good, Martha and I will see you there."

Kelsi's eyes widened, "Are you and Martha-"

"No, no. We're just going as friends," He protested. Kelsi glanced at him suspiciously.

"Are you sure about that?"

He huffed and ran a hand through his hair, "No."

Kelsi let out an excited squeak, "Do you like Martha?"

"Maybe," he said. Jason held up a finger to silence the excited scream he knew Kelsi was just itching to let loose. "But don't broadcast it to the entire school."

She hugged him excitedly, "Oh my gosh, this is so AWESOME!"

He gave her a silencing glare, "Calm down, will you? She doesn't know."

Kelsi cleared her throat and stood still, "Right, sorry. I can't help it though. I mean you and-"

Jason covered her mouth with his hand, and glared at her meaningfully. He removed his hand just before Martha approached.

"Hey guys," She said with a smile. Kelsi grinned with barely contained glee.

"Hey, Mar," She said as she struggled to contain her excitement.

"Great show tonight," Martha said with a smile.

Kelsi bowed slightly, "Thank you."

"C'mon, Mar, we better go," Jason said urgently. He wanted to get Martha away from Kelsi until she calmed down. He was afraid she'd reveal something he didn't want revealed just yet.

"Oh, okay. We'll see you at the party, Kelsi," She said as Jason led her away.

"Bye, guys!" She called after them with an ecstatic smile. It's official, tonight was an awesome night, and she still had a party to go to.

Okay, I realize this was a lot of show description and not as much actual plot, but I denied you guys a full description of Twinkle Town so I thought I would make it up to you by giving you a pretty lengthy description of "Singin' in the Rain". I hope you guys enjoyed it! It took forever to write, lol.

Enjoy!

angellwings