A/N: Yes, the kid who played Angelo in our production really did use an Italian accent. Naturally, another of our castmates got a demonstration, and she really did hug him and say she wanted to take him home with her.

CHAPTER 6: Mary Anne

Dear Grandma,

Hi! How have you been? I've been doing all right. Well, you're not going to believe this, but SMS is going to do another musical. I told you about Peter Pan, right? Well, this time, they're doing Carnival. Dawn and I saw the show in Stamford last month. In fact, Dawn is playing the female lead in our production.

Anyway, it's based on this old movie called Lili, and it's a real musical, because there's more than one song in it, whereas Lili just has the one song that you said you used to sing to me when I was a baby. I'm really looking forward to it. Come if you can, but if you're too busy, I'll understand. I'm not actually performing in it, but I'm the stage manager. And if I'm not mistaken, the backstage crew is entitled to have family members come see the show. I'll have to ask Mr. Cheney. I think you'd really enjoy it...

The next day after school, Dawn and I headed to the choir room, where singing rehearsals were going to be held. Even though I'm the stage manager, I still decided to be there for support. I mean, Dawn is my stepsister, right?

When we got there, Mr. Drubek was organizing his music in show order. Personally, I think he's a distant relative of Dad's, because the room, as well as his office, are so immaculate, you'd feel like you had to put on shades before entering the room. In fact, I've got two words for Mr. Drubek: Tony Randall. (By the way, Tony Randall played Felix Unger on the original Odd Couple TV show.)

Besides Mr. Drubek, Dawn, and me, there was pretty much the whole cast—except Abby, of course. Compared to rehearsals in the auditorium, you could almost hear a pin drop. I was glad, because I had some homework to do.

"I'll just be in the back, Dawn," I said as I headed to the back of the room.

"Okay," Dawn said. As soon as I'd settled in my seat, I got out my books, calculator, and iPod. In case you're wondering, unlike Dawn, who likes listening to music while doing homework, I prefer either a quiet room, or listening to nature sounds, like waves, a thunderstorm, or a rainforest. Jason once told me he likes listening to Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon album when he's trying to go to sleep.

Rehearsal started off pretty well. When they started singing "Direct From Vienna", Stacey really threw herself into her part, singing as sarcastically as she could manage. I guess it really rubbed off onto the others, because they didn't sound too thrilled, either. In fact, Jackie Rodowsky, our beloved Walking Disaster, actually faked a yawn! Fortunately, when Charlie said his "Sing, or I'll dock you two weeks' pay" line, you can bet your grandpa's poker winnings they shaped right up.

The next song they did was "Beautiful Candy". I'd already finished my homework by then, so I thought I'd listen. I'm kind of sorry I did, because Mr. Drubek was apparently less than pleased with what he was hearing. "Okay, altos?" he said. "I can see you're having a little trouble with the notes. What need you to do is really belt them out here, okay? Imagine huge, strapping women in Viking costumes and braided armpit hair all the way down to the floor. That's what I'm looking for."

Naturally, the whole room burst out laughing. Well, almost. I was sitting there with the look on my face that I usually get whenever Kristy starts grossing us out about the school lunch. Stacey, however, actually jumped up and ran toward the door, shouting, "God, I'm going to need a Pepto-Bismol the size of an Oldsmobile!"

Somehow, they got through "Cirque de Paris" without laughing.

After they finished "Cirque de Paris", Mr. Drubek said, "If you're not in 'Sword, Rose & Cape', or 'Magic, Magic', you're excused, and I'll see you on Monday." Within minutes, the only ones left were Sam, Stacey, Dawn, and the Roustabouts, and Kristy, Charlie, and David Michael had joined me in the back. I guess Charlie wanted to take his family home in one trip.

First was "Sword, Rose & Cape". I should've expected Sam to be the one to goof it up, because—well, he's Sam. Anyway, in the speech that Marco makes, instead of saying what the lines actually were, he said, "Will you dine there with the man they call Don Marco de Heminez y Juarez, and all this other stuff, and I've never been to Spain in my life, and I'm actually on the run from the IRS, so basically, I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, and I'd better slow down, 'cause I'm starting to sound like the Micro-Machines guy!"

Once again, the room was filled with laughter. This time, however, the only ones who weren't laughing were Stacey and Mr. Drubek.

"Just say the lines the way they're written, huh?" Mr. Drubek said in annoyance, sounding exactly like Uncle Jesse from Full House. That was all it took for Sam to shape up and take the song seriously. To this day, I'm still thankful that Mr. Cheney wasn't there, and that he didn't try to sing it like Neil Diamond.

Finally, they started on "Magic, Magic". The song went pretty well, up until Dawn jumped in with her lines. At first, she was having trouble staying with the beat, but she was able to keep up after a few tries.

Then about halfway through the song, Dawn started to giggle. You see, there's a part in the song where Marco yanks off Rosalie's underwear, and Lili says, "Did you see that?" Well, poor Dawn couldn't even get the words out because she was giggling too much, just thinking about what was going to happen next. I think Sam and Stacey were ready to strangle her.

Other than that, the rehearsal wasn't a total waste.

That's what I've been up to lately, besides baby-sitting, of course. I really hope you can come to Stoneybrook to see the play, and I'll try to talk Dad and Sharon into sending you a plane ticket. I know for sure that Mama and Grandpa Baker would enjoy this, and they're up in heaven, watching over us.

Well, I'm getting ready for a baby-sitting job at the Prezziosos', so I'll talk to you later, okay?

Much love,

Mary Anne