Scenes from a Studio Stage
Synopsis: 2-T decides to wing it on his own for one night, one performance. Not just singing, either. He's learned how to play the piano. Although he wants to go it on his own, how long he's on his own is not specified.
2-T walked up to his mark and grabbed the microphone. Next to him stood a true antique; an old fashioned piano. Not a keyboard, not a computer, nothing technological. Just a simple piano. It was a small upright one; whether or not it was a really good one, he did not know. Lilly had dug it up from the storage complex outside of town and had taken the liberty of tuning it. She had also given him lessons; he could play well now. Despite the fact he only had eight fingers, that didn't set him back.
He took his eyes off of the contraption and faced the crowd. For the first time in years, he was up there by himself; B-Bop and Do-Wah stood backstage, watching from the side. The humans were there too, giving him thumbs up and smiling.
He gulped as silently as he could and spoke.
"Hello, there. My name is 2-T-Fru-T, and I-"
The huge crowd laughed to themselves. They were here for Nigel Rampant, the British pop sensation who had been singing since 2049. Not some up-and- comer short kid in an alien suit.
"And I am a member of 'Boyz to Martianz'. Now, since one of our band members has been stricken with a sore throat-"
Do-Wah laughed. None of them had sore throat; Lilly had convinced him to go up by himself.
"I... I thought I'd try for a solo gig tonight." 2-T blushed as the crowd laughed again. He tighten his grip on the microphone. He looked like an idiot, he wouldn't make it...
Angela waved from the curtains. 2-T smiled shyly, deciding he would do this concert for his friends, if not for him entirely.
"Keep in mind that this song was not written by me or anyone in the group; this song was written by Billy Joel..."
The crowd turned their heads to eachother. The same question repeated itself many times.
"Who is Billy Joel?"
"Who was popular 60 years ago," he murmured, his mouth turned away from the mic.
'Doin' good.'
Lilly was speaking to him telepathically, like she did every now and then. 2-T felt braver.
"Okay, here I go." 2-T placed the microphone into its slot on the piano stand and took his place. He checked his keys, played the intro...
And everyone fell silent. They, being born so late into the century, had never heard a true piano. 2-T took a deep breath.
*A bottle of white, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I--face to face *
People began to whisper; the song wasn't that fast. He could see that people were starting to get up.
Meanwhile, B-Bop peeked out from behind a curtain. "They're leaving!" he cried.
"Oh no!" Angela squealed.
"Lilly! Do something!" Do-Wah pleaded to Lilly, who was sitting on a catwalk high above 2-T's head.
"This is going to ruin his self esteem!" Mike added.
'Don't worry, I've got it under control,' Lilly telepathed. She waved her hand, and a few people sat back down.
*A bottle of red, a bottle of white
It all depends on your appetite
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant. *
2-T then picked up the pace and started playing with a faster tempo. People gasped; the piano reverberated a sound throughout the concert hall like they had never heard before. It didn't have the hollow, cold sound of synthetically created pop music.
*Things are okay with me these days
Got a good job, got a good office
Got a new wife, got a new life
And the family's fine*
2-T began to sing louder; his high-toned voice barely registered on the microphone.
*We lost touch long ago
You lost weight
I did not know
You could ever look so nice after
So much time. *
2-T's finger slipped on a key and hit a wrong note. He quickly corrected the error, but he was afraid someone had noticed. He started to shake, and he lowered his voice again.
*You remember those days hanging out
At the village green
Engineer boots, leather jackets
And tight blue jeans*
Lilly jumped down from the catwalk, wearing... engineer boots, a leather jacket, and tight blue jeans. 2-T stared for a split second before he got back to his piano.
*Drop a dime in the box play the
Song about New Orleans
Cold beer, hot lights*
Lilly leaned over his shoulder and sang the next line with him.
*My sweet romantic teenage nights*
2-T had regained his confidence; he was singing louder, and hitting the keys harder. Lilly had slipped offstage; she ran into Mike on the way, who high-fived her before she vaporized into thin air, like she did all the time.
2-T started playing his favorite part; the heavy chords, the fast notes, putting a real feeling of energy into the music. He had to pratice this part over and over before he got it right. Then, after that, he got extra good at it because Cedric always wanted to here it over and over and over....
The crowd went nuts. They screamed and hollered "DO IT AGAIN!" "AGAIN!" "DO ANOTHER ONE LIKE THAT!" "DO ANOTHER... ONE OF THOSE THINGS!"
*Brenda and Eddie were the popular steadies
And the king and the queen of the prom
Riding around with the car top down and the radio on
Nobody looked any finer
Or was more of a hit at the Parkway Diner
We never knew we could want more than that out of life
Surely Brenda and Eddie would always know how to survive. *
Angela squeaked and jumped with joy.
"He's doing great!" Mike laughed.
"But Lilly interrupted," Cedric pointed out.
"But he didn't start playing well until Lilly jumped down there," Angela retorted.
"Hmmm...." B-Bop thought to himself.
He leaned over to Do-Wah. "Do-Wah, go get your guitar."
Do-Wah grinned and ran off.
*Brenda and Eddie were still going steady in the summer of '75
When they decided the marriage would be at the end of July
Everyone said they were crazy
"Brenda you know you're much too lazy
Eddie could never afford to live that kind of life."
But there we were wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye. *
B-Bop slid into the view of the audience, surprising 2-T. He stopped playing (although some of the music still played in the background.)
"Mind if I cut in?" B-Bop asked. 2-T laughed and shook his head, and got back to his piano.
B-Bop started to sing the next few verses. He had a much better singing voice than 2-T, at least for this type of song.
Do-Wah also ran onto the scene, holding his favorite guitar. He strummed along to the music.
*They got an apartment with deep pile carpet
And a couple of paintings from Sears
A big waterbed that they bought with the bread
They had saved for a couple of years
They started to fight when the money got tight
And they just didn't count on the tears. *
*They lived for a while in a very nice style
But it's always the same in the end
They got a divorce as a matter of course
And they parted the closest of friends
Then the king and the queen went back to the green
But you can never go back there again. *
2-T and B-Bop began to sing together, as a duet. Do-Wah played his guitar for all he could muster, but not daring to sing, so they wouldn't break their cover. 2-T played with a true enthusiasm now, better than he played during the entire concert.
*Brenda and Eddie had had it already
By the summer of '75
From the high to the low
To the end of the show
For the rest of their lives
They couldn't go back to the greasers
The best they could do was pick up the pieces
We always knew they would both find a way to get by
That's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie
Can't tell you more than I told you already
And here we are wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye. *
By the last verse, Do-Wah couldn't stand it. He sang with his two friends, as loud as he could without drowning the other two out.
A bottle of red, and bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant.
Finally, as 2-T plunked down the last few notes, he couldn't take it. He shed a few tears, covering one side of his face with his hand. His friends had helped him in his time of need. He would've broken down by the middle of the song if it hadn't been for them.
Angela ran from backstage, hugging 2-T like he was going back to the Bogstar in the morning. "YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
Mike and Cedric followed their only female friend and congradulated 2-T as well. Do-Wah and B-Bop nudged him on the back with their fists.
The crowd went crazy, yelling nonsense and full sentences in a frenzy until someone started a chant.
"SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!"
2-T seperated himself from the herd of friend enveloping him. He was blushing, and his cheeks were wet with tears; he wiped them off on his sleeves. He snatched the microphone out of its stand and spoke with full force in his voice.
"FORGET A SOLO ACT! MY BEST FRIENDS, EVERYBODY!"
The crowd roared, most just screaming, but a noticeable few screamed "HELLO!"
Cedric smiled, raising his hands into the air. He tried to scream, but he grasped his throat. He sneaked a wink to B-Bop, who raised his thumb in the thumbs up gesture.
"Alright, peace out, everybody!" B-Bop took his turn to the microphone. "I'm B-Bop-A-Luna! This is Do-Wah-Diddy, and this is, the man of the hour, 2-T-Fru-T! This is our man, Cedric! THANK YOU ALL!"
As the kids left the stage, Do-Wah made one last announcement. "Oh, and give it up for Nigel Rampant!"
********
"You know, in retrospect, I didn't really do what I was supposed to," 2-T lamented. "I mean, I was supposed to go up there, by myself, and sing the song. And I only made it part way through without help."
"Yeah, but it's the part way you should be proud of!" Lilly flew among the OMABs and Hoverboards. She sped up so that she was side-by-side with 2-T. "Think about it! You could have broken out in the middle of the performance and made a fool of yourself!"
"Oooo," Do-Wah grimaced. "I don't even want to picture that."
"Instead, you gave a memorable performance that kids are going to remember until someone tries something different!" Lilly flipped over in midair so that she flew on her back. She also turned so that she flew feet forward; she looked very strange, flying like that. What was strange was that her hair was not affected by the change of direction; it stood fixed around her shoulders, not flying along behind her head. It deffied the laws of physics. "Who cares if you didn't make it all the way through?"
"I wonder how Nigel's doing?" Mike wondered.
*********
"Now, now, I'm sure they're around here somewhere!" Nigel tried to calm the crowd, but they were insatiable. They screamed and hollered; they climbed the stage; they threw armrests which they had ripped off of the stadium seats!
"WHERE ARE THE BOYZ TO MARTIANS!"
"MAKE THEM PLAY THAT WEIRD WOODEN THING AGAIN!"
"DO THAT AGAIN!"
"GET OFF THE STAGE!"
"ENCORE!"
"Eh....em...." Nigel sat down and hit a few discordent keys, not sounding a bit like 2-T. He played a million different keys he was not supposed to play.
"Em... I love you! Love you! Lov- wait! Lemme try this one- LO- no." Nigel winced as the racket bombarded his ears. "LA! Wait, lemme get the high-C. LALALA! No. LA- no, that's not it. LA!"
"BOOO!" "BOO!" "GET OFF THE STAGE!" "(HISS!)" "STOP THAT RACKET!" "THAT OTHER GUY HAD TALENT!"
***********
"He's probably doing fine," Angela answered.
Lilly sneered. "If only..."
DONE!
Synopsis: 2-T decides to wing it on his own for one night, one performance. Not just singing, either. He's learned how to play the piano. Although he wants to go it on his own, how long he's on his own is not specified.
2-T walked up to his mark and grabbed the microphone. Next to him stood a true antique; an old fashioned piano. Not a keyboard, not a computer, nothing technological. Just a simple piano. It was a small upright one; whether or not it was a really good one, he did not know. Lilly had dug it up from the storage complex outside of town and had taken the liberty of tuning it. She had also given him lessons; he could play well now. Despite the fact he only had eight fingers, that didn't set him back.
He took his eyes off of the contraption and faced the crowd. For the first time in years, he was up there by himself; B-Bop and Do-Wah stood backstage, watching from the side. The humans were there too, giving him thumbs up and smiling.
He gulped as silently as he could and spoke.
"Hello, there. My name is 2-T-Fru-T, and I-"
The huge crowd laughed to themselves. They were here for Nigel Rampant, the British pop sensation who had been singing since 2049. Not some up-and- comer short kid in an alien suit.
"And I am a member of 'Boyz to Martianz'. Now, since one of our band members has been stricken with a sore throat-"
Do-Wah laughed. None of them had sore throat; Lilly had convinced him to go up by himself.
"I... I thought I'd try for a solo gig tonight." 2-T blushed as the crowd laughed again. He tighten his grip on the microphone. He looked like an idiot, he wouldn't make it...
Angela waved from the curtains. 2-T smiled shyly, deciding he would do this concert for his friends, if not for him entirely.
"Keep in mind that this song was not written by me or anyone in the group; this song was written by Billy Joel..."
The crowd turned their heads to eachother. The same question repeated itself many times.
"Who is Billy Joel?"
"Who was popular 60 years ago," he murmured, his mouth turned away from the mic.
'Doin' good.'
Lilly was speaking to him telepathically, like she did every now and then. 2-T felt braver.
"Okay, here I go." 2-T placed the microphone into its slot on the piano stand and took his place. He checked his keys, played the intro...
And everyone fell silent. They, being born so late into the century, had never heard a true piano. 2-T took a deep breath.
*A bottle of white, a bottle of red
Perhaps a bottle of rose instead
We'll get a table near the street
In our old familiar place
You and I--face to face *
People began to whisper; the song wasn't that fast. He could see that people were starting to get up.
Meanwhile, B-Bop peeked out from behind a curtain. "They're leaving!" he cried.
"Oh no!" Angela squealed.
"Lilly! Do something!" Do-Wah pleaded to Lilly, who was sitting on a catwalk high above 2-T's head.
"This is going to ruin his self esteem!" Mike added.
'Don't worry, I've got it under control,' Lilly telepathed. She waved her hand, and a few people sat back down.
*A bottle of red, a bottle of white
It all depends on your appetite
I'll meet you any time you want
In our Italian Restaurant. *
2-T then picked up the pace and started playing with a faster tempo. People gasped; the piano reverberated a sound throughout the concert hall like they had never heard before. It didn't have the hollow, cold sound of synthetically created pop music.
*Things are okay with me these days
Got a good job, got a good office
Got a new wife, got a new life
And the family's fine*
2-T began to sing louder; his high-toned voice barely registered on the microphone.
*We lost touch long ago
You lost weight
I did not know
You could ever look so nice after
So much time. *
2-T's finger slipped on a key and hit a wrong note. He quickly corrected the error, but he was afraid someone had noticed. He started to shake, and he lowered his voice again.
*You remember those days hanging out
At the village green
Engineer boots, leather jackets
And tight blue jeans*
Lilly jumped down from the catwalk, wearing... engineer boots, a leather jacket, and tight blue jeans. 2-T stared for a split second before he got back to his piano.
*Drop a dime in the box play the
Song about New Orleans
Cold beer, hot lights*
Lilly leaned over his shoulder and sang the next line with him.
*My sweet romantic teenage nights*
2-T had regained his confidence; he was singing louder, and hitting the keys harder. Lilly had slipped offstage; she ran into Mike on the way, who high-fived her before she vaporized into thin air, like she did all the time.
2-T started playing his favorite part; the heavy chords, the fast notes, putting a real feeling of energy into the music. He had to pratice this part over and over before he got it right. Then, after that, he got extra good at it because Cedric always wanted to here it over and over and over....
The crowd went nuts. They screamed and hollered "DO IT AGAIN!" "AGAIN!" "DO ANOTHER ONE LIKE THAT!" "DO ANOTHER... ONE OF THOSE THINGS!"
*Brenda and Eddie were the popular steadies
And the king and the queen of the prom
Riding around with the car top down and the radio on
Nobody looked any finer
Or was more of a hit at the Parkway Diner
We never knew we could want more than that out of life
Surely Brenda and Eddie would always know how to survive. *
Angela squeaked and jumped with joy.
"He's doing great!" Mike laughed.
"But Lilly interrupted," Cedric pointed out.
"But he didn't start playing well until Lilly jumped down there," Angela retorted.
"Hmmm...." B-Bop thought to himself.
He leaned over to Do-Wah. "Do-Wah, go get your guitar."
Do-Wah grinned and ran off.
*Brenda and Eddie were still going steady in the summer of '75
When they decided the marriage would be at the end of July
Everyone said they were crazy
"Brenda you know you're much too lazy
Eddie could never afford to live that kind of life."
But there we were wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye. *
B-Bop slid into the view of the audience, surprising 2-T. He stopped playing (although some of the music still played in the background.)
"Mind if I cut in?" B-Bop asked. 2-T laughed and shook his head, and got back to his piano.
B-Bop started to sing the next few verses. He had a much better singing voice than 2-T, at least for this type of song.
Do-Wah also ran onto the scene, holding his favorite guitar. He strummed along to the music.
*They got an apartment with deep pile carpet
And a couple of paintings from Sears
A big waterbed that they bought with the bread
They had saved for a couple of years
They started to fight when the money got tight
And they just didn't count on the tears. *
*They lived for a while in a very nice style
But it's always the same in the end
They got a divorce as a matter of course
And they parted the closest of friends
Then the king and the queen went back to the green
But you can never go back there again. *
2-T and B-Bop began to sing together, as a duet. Do-Wah played his guitar for all he could muster, but not daring to sing, so they wouldn't break their cover. 2-T played with a true enthusiasm now, better than he played during the entire concert.
*Brenda and Eddie had had it already
By the summer of '75
From the high to the low
To the end of the show
For the rest of their lives
They couldn't go back to the greasers
The best they could do was pick up the pieces
We always knew they would both find a way to get by
That's all I heard about Brenda and Eddie
Can't tell you more than I told you already
And here we are wavin' Brenda and Eddie goodbye. *
By the last verse, Do-Wah couldn't stand it. He sang with his two friends, as loud as he could without drowning the other two out.
A bottle of red, and bottle of white
Whatever kind of mood you're in tonight
I'll meet you anytime you want
In our Italian Restaurant.
Finally, as 2-T plunked down the last few notes, he couldn't take it. He shed a few tears, covering one side of his face with his hand. His friends had helped him in his time of need. He would've broken down by the middle of the song if it hadn't been for them.
Angela ran from backstage, hugging 2-T like he was going back to the Bogstar in the morning. "YOU DID IT! YOU DID IT! I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!"
Mike and Cedric followed their only female friend and congradulated 2-T as well. Do-Wah and B-Bop nudged him on the back with their fists.
The crowd went crazy, yelling nonsense and full sentences in a frenzy until someone started a chant.
"SPEECH! SPEECH! SPEECH!"
2-T seperated himself from the herd of friend enveloping him. He was blushing, and his cheeks were wet with tears; he wiped them off on his sleeves. He snatched the microphone out of its stand and spoke with full force in his voice.
"FORGET A SOLO ACT! MY BEST FRIENDS, EVERYBODY!"
The crowd roared, most just screaming, but a noticeable few screamed "HELLO!"
Cedric smiled, raising his hands into the air. He tried to scream, but he grasped his throat. He sneaked a wink to B-Bop, who raised his thumb in the thumbs up gesture.
"Alright, peace out, everybody!" B-Bop took his turn to the microphone. "I'm B-Bop-A-Luna! This is Do-Wah-Diddy, and this is, the man of the hour, 2-T-Fru-T! This is our man, Cedric! THANK YOU ALL!"
As the kids left the stage, Do-Wah made one last announcement. "Oh, and give it up for Nigel Rampant!"
********
"You know, in retrospect, I didn't really do what I was supposed to," 2-T lamented. "I mean, I was supposed to go up there, by myself, and sing the song. And I only made it part way through without help."
"Yeah, but it's the part way you should be proud of!" Lilly flew among the OMABs and Hoverboards. She sped up so that she was side-by-side with 2-T. "Think about it! You could have broken out in the middle of the performance and made a fool of yourself!"
"Oooo," Do-Wah grimaced. "I don't even want to picture that."
"Instead, you gave a memorable performance that kids are going to remember until someone tries something different!" Lilly flipped over in midair so that she flew on her back. She also turned so that she flew feet forward; she looked very strange, flying like that. What was strange was that her hair was not affected by the change of direction; it stood fixed around her shoulders, not flying along behind her head. It deffied the laws of physics. "Who cares if you didn't make it all the way through?"
"I wonder how Nigel's doing?" Mike wondered.
*********
"Now, now, I'm sure they're around here somewhere!" Nigel tried to calm the crowd, but they were insatiable. They screamed and hollered; they climbed the stage; they threw armrests which they had ripped off of the stadium seats!
"WHERE ARE THE BOYZ TO MARTIANS!"
"MAKE THEM PLAY THAT WEIRD WOODEN THING AGAIN!"
"DO THAT AGAIN!"
"GET OFF THE STAGE!"
"ENCORE!"
"Eh....em...." Nigel sat down and hit a few discordent keys, not sounding a bit like 2-T. He played a million different keys he was not supposed to play.
"Em... I love you! Love you! Lov- wait! Lemme try this one- LO- no." Nigel winced as the racket bombarded his ears. "LA! Wait, lemme get the high-C. LALALA! No. LA- no, that's not it. LA!"
"BOOO!" "BOO!" "GET OFF THE STAGE!" "(HISS!)" "STOP THAT RACKET!" "THAT OTHER GUY HAD TALENT!"
***********
"He's probably doing fine," Angela answered.
Lilly sneered. "If only..."
DONE!