The next day, the orchestra took their places in the pit, and the real work for John started. After mic-checks, James wanted to run the biggest numbers first for the day. So, the company took their places for the opening number, No One Mourns the Wicked, and the sound team got ready to move levels in case the pit orchestra's volume interfered. When the first note struck, however, and an onstage mic screamed, it was clear that John was going to have his work cut out for him.
Quickly, he shot across the board and turned a few knobs, trying to even out the proper level of the mic and once he had evened the screaming one out, the others seemed more under control and John was able to step away from the board once more. Jessica, who had taken up her post backstage, spoke into the headset, "Get it together back there, John." She laughed a little, then said, "I am glad that happened now and not during a performance, though."
John flicked his headset on. "And now we know where to keep the board at, too, so that they won't scream during a performance. How's it looking backstage?"
"Pretty good. All leads are still mic-ed alright and the headsets are working just fine for all crews. I'm working on the spreadsheet of channels for crew chiefs, just in case anyone needs to cross-communicate, or if James needs to yell at someone without finding them backstage." She laughed again.
"Thanks. Nick, how's it looking up there?" John asked, looking up at the ceiling.
"All hanging mics are in place and functional." Nick said through the headset. "I'm just hanging out up here, so let me know if you need anything."
"Everything's good on my end, too," Kelly said from her spot under the stage. "All stage mics are working good."
"Good job guys." John said. "I'll let you know if we run into any problems."
From there, rehearsal went much more smoothly. The company rehearsed a few of the bigger casted numbers; Thank Goodness, March of the Witch Hunters, and the Finale. John mostly sat at the sound board and watched and the actors dance around the stage, listening to the music and just generally enjoying himself. "Listen to those chords, Jess."
"They're brilliant, aren't they? The choral music parts are my favorite parts of this musical. However, I can't wait to see them rehearse Dancing Through Life for the first time. It's my favorite song."
"Mine's Defying Gravity, so that'll be a fun rehearsal to watch."
"Well, I can't wait to see that Sherlock guy sing and dance. I bet he's brilliant."
"You talk about him a lot. Somebody's got a crush." John said teasingly.
"You can't see me, but I'm rolling my eyes." Jessica said sarcastically, "I'm engaged, you know. I'm just saying that he's already gotten a little hype in the newspapers; being brand new to Broadway and nailing this role, there's a lot of speculation about what he'll be like as a performer."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. You're engaged?" Nick said and John could swear he heard a tinge of disappointment in the techie's voice.
"Yeah, to this guy I met in my first year college. He's a doctor, actually. A plastic surgeon. We're getting married in the summer."
"Cut the chatter, guys." James came over the channel quickly. "I need some help backstage really quick, Jessica. Molly's pimple mic came un-taped."
"Coming." And the line went silent for a little bit.
A minutes, and a fixed pimple mic later, Jessica began talking over the headsets again. "Hey, Mary just told me that Sherlock is having a party at his place tonight! Only the cast is invited, but for some reason, we're invited, too. You guys in?"
"That's sounds great!" Kelly said excitedly. "What time?"
"Wait, why are we the only crew invited?" John was confused. "That seems a bit unfair to the other crews."
"Maybe it's because we're the smallest?" Nick suggested.
"No, I think it's because Mary has a crush on John and she wanted to invite us and Sherlock didn't care cause he also has a crush on John."
"Jesus Christ, Jessica, will you chill out? You think the whole cast of Wicked has a crush on me!" John shook his head.
"No, I think Mary has crush on you, too." Nick said, "So, that one is probably the reason why we're invited. She probably bounded up to Sherlock and started talking really fast and he said yes just to get her to stop talking."
"Well, anyway, the party's going to start at 10," Jessica said, "So we'll have some time after rehearsals to get ready and such. He has a penthouse! In Times Square! It's apparently paid for by his brother, but who cares? We're going to go party in a penthouse!"
Kelly did a small, excited squeal at this. "Jess, do you want to come over to my house and get ready with me?"
"Um, I guess I can, yeah. It's black tie, apparently, so I'll have to dig out a nice dress, and you boys will have to find a nice suit."
"Maybe I'll just skip so I can wear sweatpants at home." John said, jokingly.
"No, you're going to come, and you're going to get drunk, and you're going to keep me company." Nick said. " You will not leave me alone at a posh party like that."
This made all the sound people laugh at their respective posts until an actor on stage accidentally kicked a stage mic and sent another scream through the auditorium that the crew needed to fix. However, they fixed it in a much better mood than they normally would, knowing they had a penthouse party to look forward to that night.
Author's Note: Hey guys! Sorry this update took forever, but I moved away to college on Saturday and it has been one crazy ride. I'm going to try to keep updates pretty regular and pretty often, but like I said, I just moved away to college, and my major (Human Genetics) is pretty rigorous, so no guarantees. However, I promise I will not abandon this fic. I will see it through and it'll get done. Anyway, this is just a short little chapter. Not much happens, but it sets up the next one, so I guess it's kind of important. It's about to get interesting, I promise!