ACT TWO: AUDITIONS
CURTAIN COMES UP ON: Pairs of actors all practicing songs. ELIZABETH enters looking for HARVEY.
ELIZABETH
(TO A GIRL PRACTICING) Excuse me, have you seen Harvey MacKenzie?
GIRL
Who?
ELIZABETH
I'll take that as a no.
GIRL
Whatever.
ANGELINA O.S.
Well look who it is girls?!!
ELIZABETH
Ahhh grreat.
(ANGELINA ENTERS WITH A GROUP OF GIRLS)
ANGELINA
It's little Izzy...You don't actually expect to audition for my play do you?
ELIZABETH
Who said it was your play? It's my theatre.
ANGELINA
Just because you own it doesn't mean that your the star... Now Elizabeth how do except to get a lead in The Phantom of the Opera if you can't even sing?
ELIZABETH
I can sing. You don't have to be able to hit high notes to sound good.
ANGELINA
Well, obviously who ever told you that must be deaf.
ELIZABETH
You know what Angelina I'm not listening to you and your little pep squad. When are you going to grow up?
ANGELINA
Wow!(SARCASTICALLY) I'm hurt!
(ELIZABETH STARTS WALKING AWAY)
ANGELINA
Besides who are you going to audition with?
ELIZABETH
(SHE STOPS AND GOES BACK TO ANGELICA)
For your information I am auditioning with Harvey Mackenzie, who I believe is one of the best if not the best male singers I've ever met.
ANGELINA
Harvey? Harvey? Who's Harvey?
ELIZABETH
You'll find out soon enough.
ANGELINA
What's that suppose to mean?
ELIZABETH
Oh don't worry your little head off.
(She exits off to go find HARVEY)
(ANGELINA EXITS OUT THE HOUSE)
(ELIZABETH EXITS OFF TO FIND HARVEY)
(THE LIGHTS GO DOWN)
(LIGHTS COME UP ON HARVEY SINGING "The Music of The Night" BY HIMSELF)
(AS HE SINGS ELIZABETH COMES IN THROUGH THE BACK OF THE HOUSE)
(AS HE GETS FURTHER INTO THE SONG ANGELINA HEARS HIM AND SNEAKS IN THROUGH THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE HOUSE AS ELIZABETH)
(THE TWO GIRLS ARE SURPRISED BY HIS WONDERFUL VOICE SO THEY TRY TO GET CLOSER WITHOUT HIM SEEING THEM)(ANGELINA RECOGNIZES HIM, THEY WERE ON BROADWAY TOGETHER A FEWS YEARS BACK)
(AS HE GETS FURTHER INTO THE SONG ANGELINA SNEAKS BACK OUT THE DOOR AS ELIZABETH IS GOING FURTHER INTO THE HOUSE)(NEAR THE END OF THE SONG SHE GOES ONTO THE STAGE TO HIM)
ELIZABETH
Wow...
HARVEY
Sorry I got here early so I came in here to warm-up.
ELIZABETH
That was amazing!
HARVEY
Thanks
ELIZABETH
No really, I felt like I was watching the real play.
(SILENCE)
HARVEY
Really
ELIZABETH
Yeah, I would imagine you singing good too since the way your career took off.
HARVEY
How did you know?
ELIZABETH
How did I know? My mom sent me every newspaper clipping with your name in it after I left... "Newcomer, Harvey MacKenzie to play Phantom on Broadway!", "Phantom up for record number of Tony's" I actually went back for a few days and saw you perform. You were-
HARVEY
Why did you leave?
ELIZABETH
I ... I... needed to get away. So I came out here. My dad always talked about how beautiful it was. The first job I got was an usher here. It was supposed to be a temporary job until my acting career took off, and now I've been here for nine years and I own it.
HARVEY
That's good, at least we both got what we wanted... in a way.
(SILENCE, THERE EYES MEET)
HARVEY Continued.
We should start-
ELIZABETH
I can't. I can't do this play. I need to focus on saving the theater and how to pay the bills and-
(HARVEY KISSES HER)
("All I Ask of You" PLAYS AND THEY BEGIN SINGING TO IT)(AS THEY BEGIN TO SING ANGELINA COMES BACK WITH HER GROUPIES FROM THE BACK OF THE HOUSE TO SHOW THEM HARVEY, BUT THEN HEARS ELIZABETH SING HER PART)(ANGELINA IS FLABBERGASTED)(AFTER THEY FINISH SINGING THE GIRLS STAY IN THE BACK)
HARVEY
You still know it.
ELIZABETH
Yeah, I never forgot it.
(ANGELINA AND THE GIRLS COME CLOSER TO THE STAGE)
ANGELINA
(SLOWLY CLAPPING) Well, well, well. Look what we found girls? Looks like Elizabeth got a boyfriend.(THE GROUPIES FOLLOW ON LAUGHING)
ELIZABETH
What do you want Angelina, don't you have an idiot fiancé to get back to?
ANGELINA
Very funny Iz. Who's this?
HARVEY
I'm Harvey MacKenzie, I'm an old friend of Elizabeth's.
ANGELINA
Harvey MacKenzie. This is your partner? Wow... You've changed Harv?
HARVEY
Do I know you?
ANGELINA
You don't remember me do you?
HARVEY
Sorry, I usually only rememeber the smart, talented ones.
ANGELINA
(LAUGHS)Harv, it's me Angie. Remember, we were both in Phantom a few years back.
HARVEY
I didn't recognize without the make-up.
ANGELINA
(LAUGHS) Funny, come here Harv.(TAKES HIM OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE STAGE)
ANGELINA Continues
Harvey what are you doing? I thought you were one of us? Pick it's either us, Popular, smart, rich ect.,ect.,ect. or her, Geeky, abnormal, a wannabe, poor.
HARVEY
(HE GOES OVER TO ELIZABETH AND PUTS HIS ARM AROUND HER)
Well I'd much rather be a Geeky, abnormal, wannabe than anything associated with you.
ANGELINA
Harvey do you know what you're getting into? I'll give one last chance, audition with little Izzy over there and maybe have a chance at Raoul or audition with me and... the possibilities are endless, I Christine and You...Phantom. Think about it....(ANGELINA EXITS OFF WITH GROUPIES)
HARVEY
(Turns to ELIZABETH) She hasn't changed much.
ELIZABETH
She was in Phantom with you?
HARVEY
Yeah, she was Christine for a year when I was first Raoul, and then she left thank god.
ELIZABETH
(LAUGHS)You know you didn't have to stand up for me back there.
HARVEY
Yes, I did. People like Angelina need to be taught that there are more talented people in the world than themselves. And after we audition, they'll know.
ELIZABETH
Why are you being so nice to me?
HARVEY
I want to be your friend again. I am sick of all the preppiness and everything with rich, stuck-up, people like Angelina and all of them. I want to be regular like Christina, and Vicky, like... you. I want the old times back.
ELIZABETH
That is the most blunt, yet sweet thing anyone has ever said to me.
HARVEY
That's what I was going for.
ELIZABETH
(LAUGHING)You could be anywhere in the world right now, literally, and you chose to be here with me?
HARVEY
Wouldn't have it any other way.
(SILENCE)
HARVEY Continued.
Let's do get some lunch.
ELIZABETH
Alright
(THEY BOTH EXIT, LIGHTS GO DOWN)