A Tale of Two Cities : Part II
After breakfast the following day, Cooper and Grace bade each other goodbye. It did not take him long to walk the short distance to the theatre, particularly now that he knew the shortcuts. Grace had insisted that he should dress smart casual, so as to look professional, but yet be comfortable as they ran through the show, given how energetic it seemed to be. As he came into sight of the theatre, it suddenly felt like his first day at school all over again, only this time his mother was not there to hold his hand. There was also no sign of any angels, unlike on his first day at Kinky Boots, when Blaine had been there at his side. It was only to be expected, he guessed, given the time difference; it was just before 9am here, which meant it was just before 4am Eastern Time, so his brother would be sound asleep. At that moment his phone, which he had set up to work with an affiliate UK network, buzzed with an incoming message. He pulled it out of his pocket and couldn't help but smile when he read the message - 'Stop stalling CJ! I love you, and so will they. Knock them dead! xxx' He shook his head at the way that Grace seemed to know him so well, then put his phone away, checked his appearance in a convenient shop window, then letter in hand, he walked boldly up to the stage door…
A few minutes later, he was in the company of the man that he had first met on Valentine's Day in Manhattan once again, sitting in his small office backstage. The area behind the scenes here in London was completely different to what he was used to in New York; it was much more cramped, and full of little nooks, which just showed the age of the building he was in. He had the feeling as he had been guided through the corridors to the office that he was in the company of many illustrious actors from the past. Now in the office his eyes were drawn to the black and white photographs on the wall, each carefully framed, showing the casts of past shows, their names written below in careful copperplate.
"Most of these are well before my time," his host said, disrupting his thoughts. "This place has seen so many people over the years; after all, there has been a theatre on this site since 1662; this building itself dates back in part over 200 years. It was the first home of such great musicals as Oklahoma and My Fair Lady in London… Of course, that was in the days when shows would start out on Broadway, then make their way over here. I am pleased to say that things are more evenly balanced now; we British have sent a number of our hits over to Broadway, such as Les Misérables, The Audience,and Matilda…"
"And we sent you Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots of course," replied Cooper.
"Yes, that is very true. Now of course, we are about to export our finest chocolate, so to speak, and you are the perfect man to promote it."
"Having seen the show for the first time last night, I'm not so sure that I am. I mean would it not be easier just to send the show over with its current cast?"
"No, I don't think that would work at all. Now with The Audience, it worked, because it had Dame Helen as the Queen, and she looked the part, and the other members of the cast that went with her just had that quintessential British look. Now, Wonka's factory could just as easily be in Ohio as in Lancashire; in fact, the film version was actually made in Germany. If the factory is to be imagined as being in the States, then a British actor just will not cut it, no matter how good their attempt at an accent is. No, Mr Hummel-Warbler, you are perfect. You have the look, the bearing, the voice and above all, a sense of fun. Some of the people in the know are already saying that if you pull it off, and we think you can, then you will be a shoe in for the Tony. But all that is for another day. Just now, we have a meeting with Douglas Hodge, our original Willy Wonka. He is looking forward to meeting you; he was in New York last month and saw you as Charlie Price. To quote his exact words, any man that can strut in those high heels night after night and dance on a conveyor belt, will be a sure fire hit as Willy Wonka…"
As Cooper basked in the praise of an actor that he had heard of, but never met, Grace had walked the short distance north from the hotel to the British Museum. The main concourse of the museum was an exhibit in itself, the old reading room of the former British Library now surrounded by an enclosed courtyard under a high glass roof. She spent several hours just wandering from room to room, taking in the various exhibits, from the Egyptian to the Chinese; she could quite happily have taken the entire contents of the Jade Room home with her, each piece being so exquisite. Once again, she was so impressed that it was all free; the ethos was that as it belonged to the people, the people should not have to pay to see it, she guessed. She knew that back home, the Smithsonian Museums in Washington DC were free, but elsewhere, for example, in New York, you had to pay. In the UK, all the major museums in all of the bigger cities were free. She still left a generous donation, and couldn't resist buying a guide to the jade collection, so she would have images to help her recall their immense beauty.
Outside again, she found a convenient café to pick up a spot of lunch, then used her Oyster card to board the number 7 bus, which would take her to the place she had arranged to meet Kurt. Selfridges had made quite an impression on her brother and his friends after all. As she climbed up the stairs and took a seat at the very front of the top deck, she could also see the appeal of the double decker bus…
Grace had to admit that Selfridges was impressive, with an array of designer goods that reminded her of the chic stores of Fifth Avenue back home. She could have spent hours just wandering around the massive shoe department for starters, and she had to admire the styles of the designer goods, although she blanched when she saw the price tag on many of them. Her quick brain made it easy for her to convert the prices from pounds to dollars, and that did act as a deterrent to splashing out on that Stella McCartney coat, no matter how much it was screaming buy me at her. The pound was strong at the moment, and that made an already expensive item even more so. And yet, she did deserve a treat, and she would be able to claim the VAT back…
"Make a note of the item number and name on the tag; try it on, just to see which size is the best fit, then order it online when you get back to the States," Kurt suddenly whispered in her ear.
"Then I would have to pay for delivery, which makes it even more pricey," Grace countered.
"Trust me; leave doing this to the end of the month, and you will be thanking me. There is going to be a drop in the price, and I don't mean that it is going on sale…" Kurt finished cryptically. Grace suddenly realised that he was saying that the dollar would strengthen by the end of June. She scoffed at first, doubting that the rates would change that much, but then she knew that he and the other angels did have some knowledge of the future… So she did as she was told, and after trying it on, she told the uppity sales girl that had been sneering at her since she came in that she would have to canvas her fiancé's opinion before she made the purchase. That was a lie of course; Cooper would not notice anything about it beyond the colour, unlike his angelic brother and his husband.
In the end, she left the store with no more than a few scarves, that she bought at Kurt's prompting; after all, a neat scarf was the perfect accessory, and also the ideal gift for her mom, her grandmother, and Pam, of course. With four scarves in a paper bag, she made her way back along the busy street, thronged with shoppers from every corner of the globe. She headed next to Debenhams, where Blaine guided her to the menswear department, and a range of items that had been inspired by the great tailors of Savile Row. She could certainly picture Cooper in many of the items, and better yet, the store actually had a sale on. She knew his sizes, and so she quickly went to work, picking up a smart three-piece suit in a pattern Kurt told her was a traditional Prince of Wales check; a pair of moleskin trousers; three shirts with traditional collars and long tails, and a nice lambswool cardigan. As she headed to the cash desk, Blaine suddenly darted to one side; she followed him, and found him standing in front of a display of bowties by the same designer. She saw one that would go with the cardigan, and added it to the pile, much to Blaine's delight.
Her purchases made, and a visit to the customer services desk to claim back her VAT later, she headed into the street again, and to the redoubtable John Lewis, another name that Nick had mentioned to her. The store was certainly more traditional than the other two - she came across a haberdashery department, and marvelled at the long lines of buttons. She suddenly noticed one that was identical to those on her favourite cardigan back home; a garment that she didn't wear anymore since she had lost one of the buttons on it… The pack of buttons was soon joined by a number of other good quality staples, all in the classic style she liked, and all well made. If that made them a little more expensive, then it was worth it for the wear that she would get out of them. Laden with bags, she headed out of the store, and found herself a bus that would take her in the direction of Trafalgar Square, which would leave her a short walk back to the hotel.
After his morning meeting and subsequent lunch with Douglas Hodge, the afternoon saw Cooper finally taking his first steps on the stage for a look at the set. The one in New York would be different, as the stage here was larger, but the concept would be the same. There were a few of the cast around, so the suggestion was made that they might try running a few lines together. The director reached for a copy of the script, but to the surprise of everyone, Cooper refused it, and asked what scene he would like to begin with. The suggestion was made that they could start with his grand entrance; Cooper nodded, and asked for his musical cue, before he broke into a rendition of It must be believed to be seen. At the end, he was given a round of applause, all those assembled impressed by what they had just seen.
"I have to be honest with you; I didn't expect you to be as prepared as you appear to be, given that you are still appearing eight times a week in your current show," the director said.
"I was once told by a very wise person that you had to put your whole heart into anything that you do; once I knew what was going to be expected of me, I started to learn the script. After all, there is a heck of a lot riding on my performance in this show. It was a daunting prospect at first, but now I'm looking forward to it," Cooper replied with a smile. The remainder of the afternoon had been a great success. Cooper was able to prove just how much he had learned to the assembled cast and crew, and by the end of it, he had all of them eating out of his hand - indeed, the current Willy Wonka had offered to go home and just let him take over for the night, an offer which he quickly and politely declined. There was only one song that he refused to perform for them; when he was asked to, he stated that he felt that he had sung enough, and that he wanted to leave something of his performance as a surprise for the opening night on Broadway. His audience might have been small, but they had been appreciative, and he had proved to them and himself that he could do it.
He had finally left the theatre just after six, as the cast and crew began to prepare for the evening performance. He would have much more to learn tomorrow; his singing was spot on and he was word perfect, but he had done it all without costume, props and choreography. The glass elevator in particular fascinated him, and having seen it in action, he hoped that he would have one of his own in New York to swoop up in, and then move above the audience in their seats below. As he left, the director turned to him and said "I am more certain now than ever that choosing you over so many other people was the correct decision. The backers wanted me to get a big name, but I refused. I told them that the show needed an actor with dedication and integrity; I have found that in you. Not many actors would know the script of the show perfectly 9 months before the previews begin. Yes, I made the right choice, and I think that we will be able to turn you into a mass market star. If you win that Tony, as I think you will, you will never be short of work again."
"I am not sure that I am good enough to earn that ultimate accolade yet, but thank you for the vote of confidence," Cooper replied.
"Young man, I will state here and now that one day, you will win a Tony; and who knows, one day you might even win an Oscar, if those idiots in Hollywood buck up their ideas and notice your talent. Anyway, we will see you at the same time tomorrow…"
As Cooper strolled back to the hotel through the busy streets of Covent Garden, he pondered the irony of the last statement that had been made to him. He had been in Hollywood, and no-one had noticed, no matter how hard he had tried. True, he had achieved a certain notoriety and fan base from a certain credit ratings commercial, and just days before the events that would change the entire course of his life, he had finally been offered the kind of role he had been fighting for for years. It was true that the show in question had flopped spectacularly in its first season, but there was always that thought in the back of his head; what if?
Still, none of that mattered now. He had made it on Broadway, and if the theatre was all he ever did for the rest of his life, then he would be happy. There was much more to life than money and status; love was much more important than either of those, and he had been lucky enough to find that in spades. He had it not just from his beautiful Grace, but from his brother's friends, who had adopted him as one of their own; from Burt and Carole, who saw him as a son; from Sam, his 'little brother', who he knew loved him every bit as much as he loved his two siblings back in Kentucky. And then there was his mom, now off the toxic mixture of alcohol, pills and loathing that had been sustained by his father, and not helped by himself or Blaine. More importantly, he loved his job, and the fact that he was never called on to point at anything. That fact proved just how arrogant and self-obsessed he had been; how much he had thought he knew it all when he had visited Blaine at McKinley. Turned out, he hadn't known much about anything at all, but he had learned…
On his return to Grace that evening, he first made an inspection of all the articles of clothing that she had bought for him that afternoon. He had to admit that none of it needed to be returned, and actually had to resist the temptation to pop on the suit there and then. After he had freshened up, they headed out for dinner. The concierge had been only too happy to suggest an Indian restaurant in Soho. They had initially just considered heading the short distance to Chinatown, just on the other side of Leicester Square, but they had reconsidered, and had decided to venture into a cuisine they knew less about, other than the odd pleasure of Nick's curried chicken lasagne. As they headed in the direction of Veeraswamy, the oldest Indian restaurant in the city, having opened in 1926, they found themselves walking through the more seedy part of town. It did not feel unsafe, until a young man came hurtling round a corner, bumping into Grace and nearly sending her flying. The young man made no apologies, just took off at speed, not noticing that he had dropped one of the DVD boxes he had been carrying.
"Are you alright, Gracie?" asked Cooper, his voice full of the concern he felt for her at that moment. "I think that he might just have stolen those DVDs; there's another guy coming, chasing him!" Cooper pointed in the direction the young man had gone, and the man flew by. Grace had said nothing, and Cooper looked to her, and then noticed that she was staring open-mouthed at the back cover of the dropped DVD. Once he looked at the box carefully, he was left just as startled, because it looked a heck of a lot like Sebastian, Nick and Jeff staring back up at him from the back of that porn DVD…
"Oh my God, CJ!" said Grace in a half strangled voice.
"I'm sure that isn't what it looks like," Cooper said hurriedly. "I mean, it does look a heck of a lot like them, but your brother and Jeff would never, in a million years, do something like that!"
Grace let a small smile appear as she realised that he was right, but she couldn't resist temptation. "You do realise by implication, CJ, you've just stated that you think Sebastian would. Maybe a few years ago, but certainly not now…"
"No, not now… I mean, after Wes died…" It was uttering his name that brought a sudden moment of clarity to Cooper's head, re-igniting a memory of a past event. A conversation that he had had with the most illustrious of Warblers just a few days before the latter's death, in which Wes had told him about what had happened with Hunter's uncle, the corrupt former Principal of Dalton Academy, and what he had gone on to do in the aftermath of the whole steroid scandal… "Right, I think I know exactly what this is, and I also suspect that the three young men in question also know all about this and just didn't want knowledge of its existence spread about." Grace looked at him with one eyebrow raised, waiting for him to give her an explanation. "Not here. We have a reservation to get to." He bent down and picked up the box, and then slipped it into his coat pocket, unobserved by the crowds of people passing by.
"Are you actually taking that? It's wrong…!"
"Which is why we have to ensure that it isn't picked up by a kid," Cooper stated, then taking Grace's arm once more, he started off in the direction of the restaurant again. Grace was left shaking her head, and continued to do so as they walked. She was still giving him disappointed glances as they reached the restaurant, were seated by the staff, and then placed their order.
Once the waiter had left, she spoke to him firmly but quietly. "So, why did you feel the urge to steal some gay porn, CJ? Is there something that you need to tell me?"
"Err, no! Look, the film in question was produced by Hunter Clarington's uncle, the guy that was in charge at Dalton during the whole steroid scandal. Wes told me before he died about how he had decided to get revenge on the school by producing a series of films set in a prep school. When everything blew up, he fled the scene the moment the police let him go, heading to Mexico. A couple of months later he returned to the States with a fake passport, and settled in California, where he set up the company that made these films. He deliberately went out and recruited young men that looked like the Warblers. He did everything he could to make the resemblance all the stronger, even putting them in a uniform that closely resembled Dalton's. Wes only found this out when this film was discovered two years ago - I'm guessing by your brother and co when they were here. In such circumstances, Wes would have been their first port of call. He contacted the Feds, and as a result, arrests were made. The studio was closed down, the website shut, and all the films were supposedly deleted. All physical copies were supposed to have been destroyed. The fact we just came across one proves they weren't. I think we will need to let the authorities back home know that, because if this film resurfaces in a few years time, even though it quite clearly isn't them…"
"…people will see it, make assumptions, and it could harm them career wise," finished Grace, now seething with rage on their behalf. "Of course, no-one told me, because Nick would have been mortified."
"Just as Wes never told me who was supposed to be in the films. He just told me they existed," replied Cooper.
"Right, first thing tomorrow morning, I will take that DVD along to the embassy and report it; get the ball rolling. If they are being distributed again, then it needs to be stopped as soon as possible. You did the right thing in getting hold of the evidence, CJ, and the fact that we saw the thief should make it easier for us to discover where he stole it from," said Grace. At that moment the waiter approached with their starters, so the conversation was shelved. She would not mention anything to her brother about the incident. The last thing he needed was an old wound opened up again, not now that everything was going so well for him and Jeff…
The following morning, as Cooper headed off for a day of dance training, Grace crossed town to the embassy in Grosvenor Square, and after a short discussion with a bewildered desk clerk, she finally got to see the head of security at the embassy. He had until recently been based in New York, and so had knowledge of the Clarington case. A few short phone calls later, the DVD was bagged up as evidence, and the case had been reopened in California. Grace had thanked him, then followed his directions to the tube station at Green Park, and resumed her original plan to spend the day at the museums in Kensington. She found that she could have wandered round the V & A for hours, every room filled with some fascinating artefact that had been gathered in the glory days of the British empire, when it had gone out and explored all four corners of the globe. The rooms that were filled with silver and gold items had just left her speechless.
She had lunch at the museum café, then crossed the road to the Science Museum, a subject which had less fascination for her, but thanks to the way that the articles were arranged, she found it compelling. The adjacent Natural History Museum was much more her cup of tea, and she made her way round the displays in fascination, enjoying every moment. It was nearly 5pm by the time that she stepped out, but rather than heading back to the tube, which she knew would be cramped and sweaty at this time of day, she walked up to the Albert Hall, crossed the road, and took a number 9 bus back to the centre of the city. She landed the seat at the front upstairs again, and looked out at the congested city. The bus crawled for a while as it passed Hyde Park Corner, then slowly moved along Piccadilly. She made a mental note to return here, if for no other reason than to visit Fortnum and Mason. She arrive back at the hotel just a few moments before Cooper, and after they had both freshened up, they headed out to the pub for dinner. It was having a promotion on curries, and so for the second night in a row they ate Indian food.
They moved on to pay a visit to Foyle's bookshop. Grace lost sight of Cooper for a few minutes, and when he came back, he was carrying a book in a bag, having made a purchase. Before she could ask what he had bought, he had guided her out of the door, and onto a bus heading towards King's Cross station. Grace soon found herself standing under a sign stating Platform 9¾, posing for a photo. After a stroll next door to look around the grandeur of St Pancras, with its sleek Eurostar trains, they headed back to the hotel. The sight of those trains had made Grace think of Paris, so close by, and she wondered how the honeymooners were doing…
The following morning saw Grace leaving the hotel before Cooper, and heading back to King's Cross station with a reservation code for her train ticket to York. Her ticket retrieved from the machine, she quickly found her train and settled back for the journey of two hours north. She decided that the train was definitely the best way to see a little bit of England, as the train left the station and headed out through the suburbs and commuter towns, and into the green countryside. She revelled in the view from the window, of the small villages clustered round their old stone churches, nestling in gently rolling hills. This gave her pleasure as they passed through the rural county of Lincolnshire, but that gave way eventually to the old industrial towns of South Yorkshire, with their brick built houses tightly packed together. There were also the great looming cooling towers of power stations, built close to the coal that had once fired them.
On her arrival in York, she was once again transported into a different world. The fact that the first thing she saw as she walked out of the station was a section of the city wall made her smile. She headed in the direction of the Minster, immediately visible as it towered above the low rooftops of the other buildings in the town. The streets were lined with mainly older buildings, giving the impression that the place had changed little since it had been established, although she knew that to be untrue. It had been rebuilt, damaged and modernised many times since then. The day was warm, and it was a relief when she stepped inside the cool interior of the old church; she paused just to marvel at the view she had in front of her, inside a building that made all of those in the States seem positively modern in comparison. She spotted the Archbishop as she walked round, deep in conversation with a group of clergy, and she was tempted for a moment to walk in his direction. She knew of him and his stance on several issues dear to the heart of both herself and Nick, and she would quite happily go and tell him that. She decided against it in the end, not wanting to disturb him. It was still a pleasure to have seen him.
After the Minster, she strolled once more into the heart of the medieval city, pausing at the street signs for The Shambles and Whip-ma-Whop-ma-Gate to take pictures; she knew that the latter in particular would tickle the minds of her fiancé and her brother. Her route brought her to the Castle Museum, and she happily paid the small charge to enter and explore the city's history. That done, she had time for a quick round the shops, which were as good as she had been informed, and to stop at Betty's Tea Room, to pick up some delicious looking cake to take back to the hotel for that evening. She might also have picked up an extra one just to eat on the train back home. Her visit had been brief, but she had seen enough to know that she wanted to return to the city one day. Not just that, she was determined that she and Cooper would return to Britain and explore the remainder of the island, from the south west of England to the rugged Scottish Highlands. The latter was where Cooper's father's family had their origins, so he had once been told. That alone would give her the perfect excuse to persuade him to get on a plane again and cross the Atlantic.
Cooper had spent another day with the London cast of Charlie and after a long but successful session with the show's main choreographer the day before, in which he had learnt not only some of the more important moves he would need to make, as well as showing off his dance skills, the final day was all about the props and special effects. He had been offered the chance to try out the greatest prop of all, the glass elevator, and he had accepted. It was not simple, and whilst the audience would just see Charlie pushing a button to start it, he would be responsible for doing a few things to ensure that it did so. The steering was not strictly under his control in any case, although he had to give the impression that it was. All passed off well though, and he didn't crash it as he had feared, which left him smiling with both relief and some pride.
It was whilst he was engaged in the flying of the elevator that he caught sight of Blaine, sitting in a seat in the stalls, entranced by the movement of the elevator which had his brother spinning around above him. Cooper knew what his brother would be thinking as he did so, and if he was honest, it was in the back of his own mind too…
Blaine stayed in the theatre with him for the remainder of the day, and was there at the stage door when Cooper said his farewells. A lot of his concerns about the show had been diminished as a result of the three days, but he knew that until he had other members of the New York cast to bounce his thoughts off, he would still have his worries about the success of the production. Doubt would continue to creep in, as it always had…
"You'll be fine, Coop," came a reassuring voice. "I have been watching you, on and off, for the last three days. You're good, just like I knew you would be; and your voice is just perfect!"
"I was good at the easy songs, but…" Cooper began, but then he stopped, as he saw Blaine nod; they both knew where the problem lay. However, they decided to change the subject, and talk instead about what was going on elsewhere as they headed through the city in the direction of King's Cross station. Cooper had told Grace he would meet her off the train, plus he had to pop into St Pancras to pick something up on the way. They talked quietly, as naturally no-one could see Blaine, and mostly Cooper just listened, as Blaine told him what had been going on in L.A….