"Girls! I want you warming up downstairs in 5 minutes! The new managers are here and if we want to keep our ballet this big we must show them that we deserve it."
Madame Giry looked at the chaos of the dressing room. Some of the girls were preening themselves and adjusting their costumes to be more revealing. She could see Meg and Christine adjusting their hair in the midst of all of it. She scowled when she saw the paper over the window in the back flicker and move. She would have to talk to Joseph Buquet again and make escalate the situation. She turned and left the dressing room to navigate her way down to the conductor M. Reyer to discuss today's practice.
"Where is my costume!?" the soprano, Carlotta, was running around in her robe yanking dresses off the rack. "Is it done!?" She screeched.
Madame Giry walked away, deciding to avoid the frazzled soprano. She navigated the moving props, the animals, and the workers to arrive to M. Reyer handing out music. He was too busy berating a young violinist to pay much attention to the director of the ballet. Madame Giry sighed and walked back to her dancers.
"Be sure to stretch," Madame Giry said.
She examined each girl to make sure she was stretching deeply enough to avoid injuries.
"It'll be good practice for later tonight..." one girl muttered.
"That's enough!" Madame Giry said.
She frowned as Christine and Meg came down the stairs, late. Meg shrugged when she met her mother's eye. When she was satisfied they would not injure themselves in practice she had them take their positions. Madame Giry went off to the front to watch the practice. While Carlotta began singing she began stretching herself. These girls, these rats, were going to be the death of her, she decided. All she needed was for Meg and Christine to marry well and then she could retire and leave this opera business behind her.
The retiring manager along with the two new ones interrupted the rehearsal. Madame Giry scowled at them as she was introduced. She stood up straighter when the son of the older patrons was introduced as the new patron of the theater. She looked over them to make sure the dancers remained focused. She was not surprised to see them whispering among themselves over the new men. She would have to keep a closer eye on them, she decided.
"Gentlemen, if you would please step this way." Madame Giry shepherded the new managers to one side to avoid the dancers.
"We take particular pride in our ballet," she said, as she watched them eye in all of the chorus girls.
"I can see why, especially that little blonde angel."
Madame Giry straightened, "that is my daughter, Meg Giry."
The two men understood, "and that brown one, no relation I trust?"
"That is Christine Daae, orphaned at 7 when she came to live and train in the ballet." Madame Giry said.
She scowled at a girl who placed her shackles around the neck of one.
"An orphan you say,"
"Yes, but I think of her as a daughter also. Sirs if you would please stand to one side." Madame Girl herded them to the far edge as the scene wrapped up.
The new managers murmured their compliments as the dancers cleared and the elephant was wheeled back into place.
"Is it always like this?" M. Andre asked. He gestured towards the men drinking on the elephant.
"Yes." Madame Giry said curtly.
They watched as the scenes were rolled up and dropped into place. Suddenly the ropes squealed as one broke free, it fell directly onto Carlotta. She screamed as she wailed on the floor. Everyone glanced up as they rushed to help.
"Buquet! For Gods sake what's going on up there?" M. Lefevre yelled.
The new managers stood in shock as they watched the chorus and the dancers murmur about the ghost.
"Ghost?" M. Andre asked his partner.
"These theater people are always suspicious." M. Firmin said.
M. Lefevre looked at the new general managers and shook their hands, "the theater is yours. If you shall need me, I'll be in Australia."
M. Lefevre walked off the stage and through the seats and exited.
M. Andre and M. Firmin looked at each other.
"Madame, these things do happen."
"No! For the past things these things do happen? And did you stop them from happening?" Carlotta was fuming and rubbing her chest. "Until you stop them from happening, this thing does not happen."
She turned and walked away yelling for her possessions and her doggy.
The leading tenor turned towards them, "Amateurs," and followed Carlotta out.
The new managers stood in shock as they turned to M. Reyer, the conductor. They felt overwhelmed with what had happened, "what do we do? We have a full house?"
Someone mentioned an understudy, "is there an understudy?"
"No! There is no understudy for La Carlotta! She has been our leading lady without fault for 3 years!" M. Reyer said.
As the scene played out in front of her, Madame Giry noticed a slip of paper come falling from the rafters. She bent down to pick it up, glancing at the seal. She took it to the new managers.
"I have a message from the Opera ghost," she said gravely.
M. Firmin rolled his eyes, "Oh God in heaven."
He dutifully read it out loud to everyone as M. Andre watched their reactions. "I am aghast at the nerve. This does nothing to our problems Andre."
"Christine Daee could sing." Madame Giry proposed.
She grabbed Christine from the group of dancers she was talking with. She dragged the shy girl to stand in front of the new managers, making sure she was standing well.
"A chorus girl? Don't be silly." M. Andre dismissed her with his hand.
"She has been taking lessons, lessons from a great teacher." Madame Giry insisted.
She pushed Christine forward as M. Andre and M. Firmin looked her up and down. M. Reyer passed in the background.
"Who?"
"I... I don't know his name Monsieur." Christine whispered.
"Let her sing for you," Madame Giry insisted.
She stared down the two managers. They cracked under her gaze, M. Firmin snapped his fingers and gave the signal to M. Reyer. He descended back into the orchestra pit and looked at Christine. Madame Giry smiled at her and nudged her forward. Christine tentatively nodded, signalling she was ready to begin. She began singing, the theater fell into a silence. She looked up as she tried to imagine her angel and her father listening to her. Would they be proud? She tried not to let her voice waver, she had never sung in front of so many people. When she finished, she closed her eyes and waited for their reactions.
"Brava!" the cast burst into a thunderous applause as M. Reyer stood shocked.
The little girl that had asked him about her father sang well. She sang impressively well, better even than La Carlotta.
M. Andre looked to Firmin, "will it be too much?"
"Too much!? No! We shall make our impressive debut! With our new soprano!"
He applauded as he stood in shock, maybe things would work out after all.
"Madame Giry, please make the arrangements to have Christine..." he waved his hand, "please make sure she is ready for the gala."