Chapter 36

Rachel was on pins and needles waiting in the wings for her cue. So far, the production had gone on without a hitch. Next to her stood Jesse St. James, dressed for "the B

ll", his next scene, and they were holding hands and grinning like idiots. A moment later, there it was; Jesse released her hand, whispering, "Break a leg, Rachel," and off she went, wand hidden in an inner pocket of the cloak.

Rachel loved her entrance:

The curtain pulls back at the side of the stage to reveal her standing at the "window" of Cinderella's kitchen, which was a set with (of course) no front wall. They chat for a moment, and Marsha (Cinderella) exits, presumably to let her godmother in for a cup of tea. Once she leaves the set, Rachel snaps her fingers, the stage goes black, and sound effects of footsteps and a door opening are heard. When the lights go back on, Rachel is seated in the kitchen, and Marsha enters, (supposedly) thoroughly confused as to how she got there.

Through her director's guidance and Cindy's mentoring, Rachel had incorporated two primary goals into her portrayal: (1) to remain in the moment, acting and reacting as if it was really happening and (2) if possible, break the "fourth wall" to further connect with the audience. So… she briefly looked out in the audience, eyebrow cocked a bit, sly grin on her face, as if to say "well, folks, get a load of this!", raised her right hand, and snapped her fingers, and the stage suddenly went black. Once she was seated, she smiled inwardly; as she had glanced among the crowd, she saw a face that reminded her of her Daddy.

She immediately realized it was a combination of nerves and wishful thinking. She had spoken with her fathers that morning; both of them expressed their pride in her accomplishments, encouraged her pursuits, reminded her they would see her next Wednesday, and reassured her that they were coming to New York the following weekend (after Thanksgiving) to attend a performance (or two). They had sent her an arrangement of peach roses and white daisies and a card shaped like an old-fashioned walking cast with a note "Break a Leg" penned inside, along with their signatures. Noah had already procured their tickets, which were tucked away safely at home in a dresser drawer.

As the scene unfolded, Rachel and Marsha delivered their lines, sang their solos, and blended harmoniously during the duets. The girls had established a warm rapport, even after only two weeks, and it was evident in their performance. At one point, Rachel removed her simple cloak, revealing her elaborate dress and wand, and the audience reacted, giving Rachel the satisfaction that they were, in fact, along for the ride.

In a few moments, Rachel began to "transform" the pumpkin, mice, et al. into their evolved states. Marsha's body double was in place, back facing the audience, as her costume change occurred offstage. Rachel used her wand to its best advantage; whether twirling it like a baton, punctuating the air, or keeping time with the orchestra, she was able to keep the audience engaged in the action. The wand "tricks" may have appeared extemporaneous, but they had been carefully choreographed in order to ensure that each bit of business was precisely timed with the music, lighting, smoke machine, and appearance of each "enchanted" object. Marsha swapped places with her body double and emerged (to applause) fully dressed, stepped into the "carriage", and they completed their number. Rachel explained the "curfew", and Marsha exited the stage. Rachel then turned to the audience and smiled; she snapped her fingers and the stage went black again, effectively ending the scene.

Rachel ran offstage into a warm hug from Jesse, the sweet sound of clapping and cheering ringing in her ears.

"Congratulations, Rachel!" he commended her, "that was awesome!"

"Thanks, Jesse," she acknowledged, exhaling deeply; "it was amazing! You'd better get in place, you're on next," she reminded him.

Jesse left, and Rachel could now relax…for a while. She wasn't onstage again for at least half an hour, and her other appearances weren't nearly as extensive. She remembered what Cindy had said about being the "catalyst" and had concluded that she was right. Even if Marsha had a (substantially) larger part, and, quite frankly, was the emotional center of the show, she was enjoying being the character who "stirred the pot", so to speak, and she was more than satisfied, especially for her first appearance in a Tisch production.

All too soon, the play ended, and the cast was presented for their curtain calls. Rachel was fortunate enough to have been paired with Jesse, who also had a featured part, and they walked out hand in hand. He and Rachel bowed/curtsied to the audience, and then to each other amidst thunderous applause. By the time they arrived onstage, the crowd was already on their feet, so technically they received a standing ovation. Each of them was grinning from ear to ear, immensely happy with their efforts that evening as well as finally comfortable in their status as friends. They waved to the audience and moved to the side to make way for the remaining performers.

Rachel was on an emotional high unlike anything she had experienced before, even when she had played "Maria" the previous year, or after McKinley's win at Nationals. She hung up her dress and cloak and removed her wig, placing it on the bust for tomorrow's performances, and then washed away her stage makeup, watching the remainder of the "Fairy Godmother" run down the drain for the night. She released her hair, combing it out, and finished dressing in her street clothes, a contented smile firmly planted on her face

Rachel left the theater, spying Noah standing to the side and running into his open arms.

"Baby, you were fan-fuckin-tastic!" he commented enthusiastically.

They kissed, and once the kiss had broken, looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"Oh, Noah, that was so much fun!" she exclaimed.

"You're a natural, Rach; no denying it," he agreed. She buried her head in his chest, taking his presence in.

"I'm so glad you were here tonight, Noah," she proclaimed.

"Wouldn't be anywhere else, Baby," he avowed.

Rachel raised her head and looked around; "Noah, where's Kurt?" she asked concernedly.

Kurt called out, "Over here, Rachel," and Rachel turned in the direction of Kurt's voice…

Author's Note: To Be Continued… ;-) Feedback is always appreciated.