Nina and Mark returned to find the entire cast in an uproar. "Oh, Nina!
Thank goodness you're here!" Amanda shouted. "It's alright, guys! Nina's
here!"
"Oh, good!" John sighed. "We were awfully worried."
"Why?" Nina asked.
"Diana tripped on the stairs at her apartment and broke her arm!" Andy explained.
Rob broke in. "She phoned us from the hospital."
"Fantine's in the hospital?" someone behind Nina repeated. "That's ironic."
Nina's heart skipped a beat. How long had Scott been standing there?
"Oh! You get to be a lovely lady with us, Nina!" Danielle said happily.
John smiled. "It's been a while since I saved you from Rob. After the show we'll all visit Diana, alright?"
"Sounds good, John Val-john," Rob said, punching him in the arm.
"No, it's me who knocks you out, Inspector," John protested.
"Alright everybody! Costumes! Convicts and townspeople. Javert, get your highly impressive hat," Mark called.
"Yes, m'sieur revolutionary," Rob said, bowing.
Nina rushed into the dressing room and grabbed the drab factory dress. Fantine! Excellent.
When the opening notes echoed throughout the theatre, Nina hurried to the wings. The first scene was one of her favorites.
She watched two of the convicts particularly: Scott and Mark. It was obvious that Scott's voice was much more beautiful, and he was drop-dead gorgeous. Mark, on the other hand, was certainly cute... in his own way. Had she misread the look in his eyes? Perhaps she had. Mark was only a friend.
Wasn't he?
"I know she'll wait! I know that she'll be true!" Mark sang.
A constable kicked him over, and Nina could not help but flinch. She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity.
Soon Rob was handing John his yellow-ticket-of-leave, and the convicts were marching offstage. John sang his soliloquy and the stage began to turn, bringing a few of the ensemble toward him. Nina ducked back in the dressing room to have her long brown hair done up under Fantine's blonde wig and bonnet.
John finally tore his yellow-ticket-of-leave into shreds, and the poor of Montreuil-sur-Mer entered. Nina took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
"You'll do fine," Scott reassured her.
Her stomach dropped to her toes. That was all she needed to throw her concentration – thoughts of a hopeless love for Scott.
Hopeless... love...
Perhaps it wasn't all she needed.
"Good," Nina told herself. "Picture this. You've borne Scott's child, but he's gone. You love him, and now he left you with this baby. You couldn't get work anywhere because of her and have left her with a complete stranger..."
She moved onstage with the other factory girls. Sam, as the foreman, proceeded to harass her. He pulled up her dress a little and she ducked away to open her letter.
"And what have we here, little innocent sister?" A swing performed in Nina's usual role.
In a matter of minutes, Fantine was out in the streets. "Scott left me with a child..." Nina reminded herself as her solo began.
Scott stood in the wings as Nina slowly removed her apron and bonnet, tossing them aside. The blonde hair hung all the way down her back.
"Then it all went... wrong..." Nina continued, slowly turning to face the audience.
He was captivated. Never in his entire career in Les Misérables had he heard such a believable performance of I Dreamed A Dream. Scott couldn't even look away when Danielle joined him in her lovely lady costume.
Mark also stood backstage, watching Nina from the place she would exit to. The emotions she displayed were heart wrenching. He could feel her pain in every note, and see the agony all over her face. When the song finished, the audience was silent. Mark held his breath: what did that mean?
As if on cue, the entire theatre burst into a screaming applause. Nina slowly left the stage.
Mark was the first person she saw when she reached the wings. He looked shocked.
"Nina," he breathed, "that was the most... I've never..."
She smiled at him, and Mark noticed tears in her eyes. "What's this?" he asked quietly.
Nina wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm just in character, I guess."
The applause continued throughout the sailors' part at the beginning of Lovely Ladies. They finally quieted down, but there were several more cheers when Nina re-entered.
As Nina joined the lovely ladies, hardly an eye in the theatre was dry. Several of the actors onstage were even blinking back tears.
Backstage, Mark ran the back of his hand over his eyes. Nina seemed so pitiful and lost out there as she threw away the last shreds of her dignity by joining the whores.
Mark was not the only man in the wings who wanted to rush onstage and rescue Nina. For the first time since he had joined the cast, Scott was not watching Danielle.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
RoseMisr- Sorry I don't remember the exact site. It's really funny, though. Lots of good stuff, such as LM bumper stickers ("I brake for falling policemen" and "my gamin can beat up your convent student" are two of my favorites.)
La Pamplemousse- Yeah, she had a Ponine range but thought she could somehow get Cosette... I don't know, maybe she's crazy.
eponine-meliara- You should feel bad for Scott. That's my point in the chapter. But, yeah, he is a little doltish.
Forseti- Just like Christopher Mark Peterson, who gave Mark his name! Yay CMP hugs! He hugged me while he was wearing his vest!
Elyse3- Yeah... this story definitely follows one of the Mizzie plots. Ooh... hope that didn't give away too much...
"Oh, good!" John sighed. "We were awfully worried."
"Why?" Nina asked.
"Diana tripped on the stairs at her apartment and broke her arm!" Andy explained.
Rob broke in. "She phoned us from the hospital."
"Fantine's in the hospital?" someone behind Nina repeated. "That's ironic."
Nina's heart skipped a beat. How long had Scott been standing there?
"Oh! You get to be a lovely lady with us, Nina!" Danielle said happily.
John smiled. "It's been a while since I saved you from Rob. After the show we'll all visit Diana, alright?"
"Sounds good, John Val-john," Rob said, punching him in the arm.
"No, it's me who knocks you out, Inspector," John protested.
"Alright everybody! Costumes! Convicts and townspeople. Javert, get your highly impressive hat," Mark called.
"Yes, m'sieur revolutionary," Rob said, bowing.
Nina rushed into the dressing room and grabbed the drab factory dress. Fantine! Excellent.
When the opening notes echoed throughout the theatre, Nina hurried to the wings. The first scene was one of her favorites.
She watched two of the convicts particularly: Scott and Mark. It was obvious that Scott's voice was much more beautiful, and he was drop-dead gorgeous. Mark, on the other hand, was certainly cute... in his own way. Had she misread the look in his eyes? Perhaps she had. Mark was only a friend.
Wasn't he?
"I know she'll wait! I know that she'll be true!" Mark sang.
A constable kicked him over, and Nina could not help but flinch. She rolled her eyes at her own stupidity.
Soon Rob was handing John his yellow-ticket-of-leave, and the convicts were marching offstage. John sang his soliloquy and the stage began to turn, bringing a few of the ensemble toward him. Nina ducked back in the dressing room to have her long brown hair done up under Fantine's blonde wig and bonnet.
John finally tore his yellow-ticket-of-leave into shreds, and the poor of Montreuil-sur-Mer entered. Nina took a deep breath to steady her nerves.
"You'll do fine," Scott reassured her.
Her stomach dropped to her toes. That was all she needed to throw her concentration – thoughts of a hopeless love for Scott.
Hopeless... love...
Perhaps it wasn't all she needed.
"Good," Nina told herself. "Picture this. You've borne Scott's child, but he's gone. You love him, and now he left you with this baby. You couldn't get work anywhere because of her and have left her with a complete stranger..."
She moved onstage with the other factory girls. Sam, as the foreman, proceeded to harass her. He pulled up her dress a little and she ducked away to open her letter.
"And what have we here, little innocent sister?" A swing performed in Nina's usual role.
In a matter of minutes, Fantine was out in the streets. "Scott left me with a child..." Nina reminded herself as her solo began.
Scott stood in the wings as Nina slowly removed her apron and bonnet, tossing them aside. The blonde hair hung all the way down her back.
"Then it all went... wrong..." Nina continued, slowly turning to face the audience.
He was captivated. Never in his entire career in Les Misérables had he heard such a believable performance of I Dreamed A Dream. Scott couldn't even look away when Danielle joined him in her lovely lady costume.
Mark also stood backstage, watching Nina from the place she would exit to. The emotions she displayed were heart wrenching. He could feel her pain in every note, and see the agony all over her face. When the song finished, the audience was silent. Mark held his breath: what did that mean?
As if on cue, the entire theatre burst into a screaming applause. Nina slowly left the stage.
Mark was the first person she saw when she reached the wings. He looked shocked.
"Nina," he breathed, "that was the most... I've never..."
She smiled at him, and Mark noticed tears in her eyes. "What's this?" he asked quietly.
Nina wiped her eyes on her sleeve. "I'm just in character, I guess."
The applause continued throughout the sailors' part at the beginning of Lovely Ladies. They finally quieted down, but there were several more cheers when Nina re-entered.
As Nina joined the lovely ladies, hardly an eye in the theatre was dry. Several of the actors onstage were even blinking back tears.
Backstage, Mark ran the back of his hand over his eyes. Nina seemed so pitiful and lost out there as she threw away the last shreds of her dignity by joining the whores.
Mark was not the only man in the wings who wanted to rush onstage and rescue Nina. For the first time since he had joined the cast, Scott was not watching Danielle.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
RoseMisr- Sorry I don't remember the exact site. It's really funny, though. Lots of good stuff, such as LM bumper stickers ("I brake for falling policemen" and "my gamin can beat up your convent student" are two of my favorites.)
La Pamplemousse- Yeah, she had a Ponine range but thought she could somehow get Cosette... I don't know, maybe she's crazy.
eponine-meliara- You should feel bad for Scott. That's my point in the chapter. But, yeah, he is a little doltish.
Forseti- Just like Christopher Mark Peterson, who gave Mark his name! Yay CMP hugs! He hugged me while he was wearing his vest!
Elyse3- Yeah... this story definitely follows one of the Mizzie plots. Ooh... hope that didn't give away too much...