The Show Must Go On Act I (Part III)
In the auditorium, the friends and family of the young men in the dressing room had been gathering. Artie had been one of the first to be seated, and that meant that Kitty had been allowed in early too. Santana found herself and Brittany seated right next to Puck and Quinn, and she had one query the moment that they sat down.
"So, why is there no Playbill? There is always a stockpile of them for a big show like this, so what gives with the 'waiting for it to arrive' bull? My Mexican third eye is going into overdrive. Something funny is going on!"
Brittany looked concerned; Quinn just shrugged. Puck was about to say something when he suddenly caught sight of Madison with all of her generation of New Directions beside her - with the exception of her brother. "Right, so here's another funny one. Look over there, and ask yourself this - why is Mason AWOL?"
Three pairs of eyes turned to look over where he was pointing. "See! I knew that something funny was going on," hissed Santana. She glanced back to the entrance, then carried on. "Right, so isn't that the former Principal of Dalton walking in with his wife and Grace? And that's her mom right behind her!" Her voice failed her as she suddenly caught sight of the Sterlings walking in behind them with an older couple she guessed might be Nick's grandparents… It was then that it hit her. She suddenly recalled a snippet of conversation she had overheard back home earlier; a sentence that Sam had said to Rachel on the phone - "But how could it go on with half of the cast sick?"
"Oh, my, God!" she whispered to herself. It was bizarre; unlikely - but it did explain the absence of all of those young men… She looked back two rows to where Mrs Duval was sitting, just in time to see Grace introducing Carmen Tibideaux to her; then the latter made her way towards the box she was sitting in; a box where she now saw Julian and Isabelle sitting with two women, one of whom she had never seen before, but the other she recognised as Sebastian's mom.
She was about to blurt out her thoughts to the others in her row when she overheard Mrs Sterling speak to Mrs Duval. "I still have no idea why we were invited. I mean, I understand that Sebastian has a small part in the show, and he needed the support, but if that is the case, why is there no sign of our boys, and the others from Dalton?"
'They don't have a clue,' thought Santana. Whilst she was watching, she saw Elspeth appear, with Flora and a young man that she recalled had been at Dalton on her wedding day, but whose name escaped her. It was then that she decided that for once, she would not share her suspicions. She'd just leave it as a big surprise for the others…
There were now fewer than five minutes until curtain up. Behind the scenes a group of anxious young men waited patiently, all of them going through things in their mind, so that they would enter at the right moment and sing the right part in the big opening number, whilst ensuring that the choreography was also spot on. Nick had managed to overcome his initial nerves, partly due to the fact that Trent had slipped him a couple of the herbal anti-stress pills that he himself had taken. Jeff was pretty certain that it was just a placebo effect, but if it meant that his husband was less likely to throw up in front of the assembled audience, then it was all for the good. He himself had left the others, as he had a second role to play; he was also covering the part of Moroni, which meant throwing a robe on over his shirt and tie; it also meant that he had a very quick change to undertake, with literally a few seconds to discard it. He stood apart from the others as a result, and could observe as Flint seemed to be praying silently. At his side, both Beats and Ethan were aware that he only did that when he was feeling very stressed; they placed a comforting hand each on his shoulders, whilst saying their own quiet prayers.
Rory was holding Trent in a loose hug, all the time whispering "You'll be fine; you're a star and always have been."
"You too, my love," Trent whispered back.
Colin and Edward had formed a little group hug with Seth and Skylar, as they had done before Warbler performances in the past. Mason was quietly going through the words of his own solo performance later in the show; compared to that, Hello! was a piece of cake.
As for Sebastian, he just stood in silence, eyes closed, right at the front, his hands tensing and untensing. This was it; his big moment. He had got all of them into this, and if it all went wrong, it would be his fault. It was too late now to turn back; the whole cast was counting on him. The people that mattered the most to him in the world were out there, waiting to catch sight of him in some minor part; he would love to be a fly on the wall and see their reactions when they realised that he was actually the lead…
In his box, the best in the theatre, Julian had started to feel nervous on behalf of his brother; his palms were moist, and his heart seemed to be beating twice as fast as it normally did. At his side, Eloise was feeling much the same. After all, today was the day that her little boy would finally realise his dream, and would be able to claim that he was a Broadway actor. It did not matter that he was only playing a minor part for one night only. He was going to be on Broadway, and no-one would ever be able to take that away from him. Those sentiments were shared by Dave, who sat next to his mother-in-law, feeling nothing but pride.
Isabelle, on Julian's other side, was making one final check of her phone before the show began; at her side, Carmen was doing the same. For her, this was a common occurrence. She had witnessed the day that one of her students made it here so many times before. She was pleased for Sebastian; she knew that he had the ability to make it here and become one of the greats, and if this was his first step to that, well it was a good one. He was going to be in one of the current top rated shows on the great white way.
There was still one vacant seat in the box next to her, and now the door opened and its occupant hurried in, apologising for her lateness. Carmen greeted her, smiling at the look of shock on the faces of Sebastian's mother and her 'sister'. The former hadn't quite believed that the alleged friendship had been true, at first, but here was the definite proof that it was. Bette Midler was now being introduced to his startled mother by Julian; Eloise could hardly believe that such a big name star was actually there, and that she had come to support her son. All that was missing now, thought Carmen, was a group of angels, but she was pretty certain that they had to be around somewhere. As if to confirm that, she felt a slight draught, and on looking up, she caught sight of Kurt as he flew high above the auditorium to sit on a convenient ledge that lay just below the upper level.
Then it was time. The usual taped message about not using mobile phones during the performance was played; but what followed was not on tape, and was certainly much more interesting….
"Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to tonight's performance of Book of Mormon. We hope that you will all enjoy the show - but first, we need to come clean. We have learnt this weekend that we should never let all of our mission brothers eat the same shellfish. The resulting food poisoning outbreak can be disconcerting to say the least, and can leave you seriously short of elders to fulfil your missionary tasks. In our case, half a cast short. Which is an even bigger issue when the half that is off are the half that play all the Mormons. Anyway, so we had two options; one, we cancel tonight's performance, or find a replacement cast of fresh faced inexperienced elders at very short notice. The former option was the sensible one, but as you are all sitting here…."
There was an outburst of nervous laughter at that, but for Santana it was the confirmation that she needed that her suspicions were correct.
"So, before we begin, we have a few cast changes to announce. The part of General Butt Fucking Naked will be played tonight by Mr David Thompson."
Santana nearly laughed out loud as he saw Quinn and Puck turn to each other in shock, their eyebrows raised. From the rows in front she heard a couple of "What?" statements, one of them sounding a lot like Kitty.
"The part of Elder Cross will be played by Mr Ethan Mackenzie; the part of Elder White by Mr Nathaniel Harper; and the part of Elder Greene by Mr Flint Wilson…"
Beats' mom, sitting with Elliott, Josh and Scott felt her eyes go moist, and Elliott quickly wrapped an arm around her, glowing with pride for his boyfriend. Nearby, Izzy and Leo looked at each other, then giggled like a couple of school kids.
"The part of Elder Smith will be played by Mr Thad Harwood…."
Ollie Harwood had only just sat down in his seat next to Michelle; he gasped as he heard his brother's name, then settled down in his seat. If his father ever found out that Thad was appearing on Broadway, he would go mad… He was almost tempted to get out his phone and call him right now. He would consider doing as much the moment the show was over.
"The parts of Elder Grant and Elder Young will be played by Nick and Jeff Sterling-Duval respectively…"
There were squeals of delight and disbelief from the spot in the audience where three mothers, a father, a sister and two cousins sat, as Duncan and Cameron just turned to look at each other, neither believing quite what they were hearing. In the row behind them, Gabriel turned to Mitch and whispered "Is this some kind of strange dream, or are the Warblers really performing Book of Mormon on Broadway?"
Mitch chuckled, then said, "No, Gabriel, this is really happening. The thing is though, we all came here for Sebastian. If the guys are performing all of these smaller parts, then what is he playing?"
The same question was being asked by a stunned Carmen Tibideaux as she sat in the box high above the others; there were only three big parts for Mormons left to be announced, and she knew one of them would be a total miscasting for Sebastian. The next few moments would be pivotal…
"Joining us in the swing roles this evening are Colin Baxter, Edward Jamieson, Seth Kennedy and Skylar Willetts…."
There was a loud whoop of delight from the audience at those words, coming from one seat in the stalls, occupied by an instantly shy Luke, but the sheer delight of discovering that his four housemates were in the show, as well as his cousin Jeff, was to him at least a cause for celebration.
"The part of Elder McKinley will be played by Mr Mason McCarthy…."
Once again the words were greeted by gasps of shock, small whoops of delight, and tears from his girlfriend, sister and mother. Roderick could feel his whole face being taken over by a massive smile of sheer delight, overjoyed that his best friend had made his goal of being on Broadway after just one year at college in the city. Nearby, Kitty mused "Of course, he is perfect for the part, given the surname." Her words got a smile from all the other New Directions alumni within earshot.
"We welcome a second couple to our cast tonight. Mr Rory Nixon takes a role in swing, whilst his husband, Mr Trent Nixon, will play Elder Cunningham…."
At the mention of his brother's name, Séamus wanted to holler with delight, but he didn't; he couldn't even call up his Nana, or Burt and Carole, as all of them would be sound asleep over in Ireland. He had to be content with smiling broadly at Duncan, who had spun round in his seat a few rows in front the moment that he had heard his first cousin's name. As for Trent's family, they were in shock. None of them had ever imagined Trent appearing on a Broadway stage. Then again, they knew that he was the kind of person that was always around to support his friends, so if he had been needed, then he would have gone to any lengths to be there.
Meanwhile, up in the box, Carmen had met Bette's eyes at the moment that Mason's role had been announced. They both knew what part Sebastian had now, and although Bette had been expecting it, she had kept silent, meaning it was a massive, but nonetheless pleasant shock for Carmen…
"The part of Nabalungi will be played tonight by Miss Jenny Garrison; and finally, the part of Elder Price will be played by the only one of our normal ensemble that had the good sense not to eat the seafood, Mr Sebastian Smythe."
As the announcer went on with a few more details, Julian turned to Carmen and asked quietly "Is that a good part?"
"A good part!?" exclaimed Bette on his other side. "My dear boy, Elder Price is the lead. Tonight your brother isn't just becoming a bona fide Broadway actor; he is becoming a Broadway lead…"
"Bette is right," added Carmen. " He has the biggest role in the entire show; I have faith in him, and I hope that it is justified. After all, if he can pull this off… The part young Mason is playing is pretty major too. I just suggest that we all cross our fingers and pray this all works out for the best…"
She said no more. As the others in the box still took in the news that their son, brother and husband had really made it, the house lights dimmed, and the show began with a clarion call. The opening sequence drew a few laughs, some of them down to the fact that they all recognised Jeff standing there, taking a small but significant part. Then it was time for the main event. Sebastian walked out to the centre of the darkened stage to stand on his spot, Nick and Flint right behind him to take up their marks. In the wings, the others waited for their cues from the stage manager. Sebastian's own was quite simple and that night it would be delivered by David. At the nod, he pressed the button, and the sound of a doorbell rang out around the auditorium. That was the cue for Sebastian to sing the first line of Hello!
By the end of the song, the audience had taken all of them to their hearts. They had all laughed at Flint's impatient, overeager persona, and the way he said the words "Jesus Christ!" with such gusto. Jeff's faux military persona for Elder Young had made them all smile. The layer of camp that Mason had placed on his performance made them all chuckle, but it was his hissed "Have fun in Hell!" and his subsequent scolding by Nick and Jeff that got them a bigger laugh.
That laugh was dwarfed by the one that was given to Trent on his entrance as Cunningham, when he uttered the immortal line "Do you want to change religions and have a free book written by Jesus?" So loud was the laughter that they had to hold the song until it died down. Then Thad proceeded to blow them all away with his enthusiastic rendition on the word Hello, sustaining the note long and loud, his pitch staying perfect. If the applause that came at the end of the song was anything to go by, then they had got the audience on side by the end of it. They had made a good start, but there was a very long way to go until it was time for them to take a bow. The next song was just about to begin, and it was an even bigger challenge. It had far more complex choreography, and worse still, pretty much all of them had a solo in it…
From the audience's point of view, Two by Two was a triumph. For those that knew the young men on the stage, it was hysterical for even more reasons. After Seth had told Sebastian that he was best Elder that the centre had ever seen, leaving Santana to wonder just how unbearable he was going to be after that kind of praise, Sebastian burst into song, the lyrics making them all laugh. When he was replaced by Nick and Jeff, paired together on their mission, their facial expressions and antics made them all smile; Beats and Thad then nearly stole the show with their gung ho attitude towards France. Then the focus returned, via Ethan and Flint's short section on Japan, to Sebastian once again, this time singing about his favourite place in the world, Orlando.
"I don't think that is true for one second," hissed Julian, much to the amusement of those around him; they were then reduced to hysterics at his facial expressions when he discovered that he was being paired up with Elder Cunningham, and worse still, he was off to Uganda.
The look of disbelief that he gave Trent after his character's line about how Africa was just like The Lion King, made them all laugh out loud, although Quinn turned to Puck and whispered, "It looks like this was easy for him; after all, this is just the return of the old snarky Sebastian we knew in high school…" Her boyfriend could only nod in agreement with her justified sentiments.
The next song, You and Me (But Mostly Me) was well received too, but only those that knew the full history of everyone involved in the show could understand why there was such hilarity from one part of the audience when Santana remarked, "Who knew that there was a song in this musical about Rachel Berry, and her attitude back at McKinley…" The laughter that came from those of her friends in earshot was not out of place, but it lasted far longer than that of those around about them.
The reaction to that song paled however in comparison to the reaction to Hasa Diga Eebowai. The initial words left them all slightly shock; the reference to female genitalia left Puck choking on a peanut he had just eaten, and Kitty staring open mouthed in shock; at her side Artie, who had of course made a point of listening to the soundtrack album, had known what was coming and seemed much less perturbed. Still, even he had to laugh out loud at the look on Sebastian's face when Elder Price was told what the words actually meant, and Trent's "Am I saying that right?" almost immediately afterwards had them in stitches, as did his reaction when Cunningham was told exactly what he had just said thirteen times… True, the older generation was in shock at the song, but none of them moved. The words might be shockingly awful, but the acting was priceless.
The next number was one that would stick in the memory of all of them. When Mason had agreed to take on the role of Elder McKinley, he had balked at the responsibility of carrying his big number, nearly suggesting that someone else should take the part in his stead. Now though, having practiced it over and over for hours, and having had a lot of one on one coaching in the choreography, he finally felt ready. He still discretely crossed his fingers before they started. Turn it Off! came as a bit of a surprise to everyone, not least to Mason's parents, Madison, Jane and his other contemporaries. It was a simplistic song in terms of idea, but Mason had put his heart and soul into the performance. To back him up, the others had given it their all too.
When Jeff launched into his solo part, singing about his mom being abused by his father, it made them all feel so sad, Jeff conveying the emotion so well. The idea that he could then just turn off those feelings was totally ridiculous. It was also just a little bit too close to home for Elspeth, who shed a few tears… Nick's following solo, about having a dancer sister with cancer, made them all gasp, particularly at the cavalier way his character had headed to the Apple Store - but then his line about his sister's final words, although completely predictable, made them all laugh out loud.
It was Mason though that would steal the show with his lines about Steve Glade, and the very idea that he could just switch off those kind of feelings was even more absurd. After Sebastian had pointed out that he could have those feelings as long as he did nothing about them, they couldn't help but laugh at the fact that as they sang about how wrong that was, Jeff was crouched down in front of Sebastian and was now right at the height of his crotch, which made Santana guffaw at the implication. It surely couldn't be any better was the general consensus…
Artie would later remark that he would now expect all of those deeply earnest Mormon missionaries they saw on the street from time to time to burst into a song and dance number at any point. This was the big one, the tap number that they had all dreaded. It was clear to them all that Nick and Jeff were the most proficient as they flanked Mason, but he was not bad himself as they worked together to set a rhythm. Behind them, Beats, Flint, Ethan, Skylar and Thad were less certain, but they were convincing. When the lights suddenly went out after a handclap, and the auditorium was plunged into darkness, there was initial confusion. When they went back on at the next handclap, then off again at the next, there was laughter as they all realised that it was not some badly timed technical failure but a part of the routine.
When the lights came back on again, they all roared with laughter, the young men on the stage with the exception of Trent now all wearing bright pink sequined waistcoats over their shirt and tie combo. This included Sebastian, who was now dancing with the others, in perfect time. The laughter grew louder when the music stopped; the look on Sebastian's face as his character wondered how the heck he had ended up dancing in sequins had them all shaking their heads and howling in delight. When his conversation with Mason lead to the latter telling him to imagine his brain was made of tiny boxes, and that he should find the one that was gay and crush it, the way Mason's face went manic, and how he screamed out the words "CRUSH IT, OK!" had the song stopped as the whole audience roared with delighted laughter.
When Elder Price pointed out he wasn't having gay thoughts, and Cunningham yelled out "Alright, it worked!" they howled with laughter again. That was the cue for Sebastian to step aside, and let the others finish their number. It had all of their friends in the audience tapping their feet, and Artie even joining in on the words, much to Kitty's bemusement. The finale came, and the whole auditorium was filled with deafening applause, leaving Mason blushing bright red; the bows that his character took as part of the number had never seemed more appropriate than they did at that moment.
By the time that the interval came, the atmosphere in the theatre was electric. Those that had heard the long list of substitute names being read out and had been dreading that the whole production was going to be a disappointing mess could not fault any of the young men involved on the stage. Yes, it wasn't quite as slick and polished as the usual production, but the little slip ups had, if anything, added to the realism rather than caused a disaster. When Trent had sung I am Here for you to Sebastian, Puck had burst into tears, which made Quinn roll her eyes as she smiled, and then hand him a tissue from her purse. Moments earlier they had all been in hysterics after Mason, having wished the other two a goodnight, had closed the bedroom door behind him, and had then tapped his way off stage as Sebastian raised his eyebrows. They had laughed hard again as Sebastian had sung his way through All-American Prophet, but Trent had stolen the show as the confused Cunningham, who had embraced what Price had said about it being like an infomercial a little too much. His lines comparing the Book of Mormon to The Return of the Jedi and his final incentive to join now and get a free set of steak knives had them all howling, and Sebastian's Elder Price just staring in disbelief.
Then of course there had been the incident with the General; yes, it was terrifying, but there was the moment of light relief. As Price related what had just happened to the other Mormons, and they all started screaming and wailing in horror, Nick suddenly stepped forward, yelling "Guys! Guys!" and had then pulled on an invisible light cord. The sudden cessation of the noise and the collective sigh of relief from the others made the audience laugh all over again.
After Trent had sung his first solo number, Man Up, the lights came back up, and the interval began. The applause had continued for a few moments after the curtain had fallen, and then people had started to get up to stretch their legs or use the facilities. Up in the box, Bette turned to the others and stated "That boy is a star in the making! I knew it the moment that Sebastian bumped into me; he just had that quality. But it isn't just him; the young man that is playing McKinley is just a complete joy too…"
"I have to admit that my two students are certainly proving themselves worthy of their NYADA spots tonight, particularly given the fact that they haven't had that much time to rehearse for the show properly. However, all of them are good; all of them are convincing me that they have been doing this for years. The young man playing Cunningham is wonderful, and the choreography is just perfect," added Carmen.
"Now that would probably be down to a young man called Mike Chang," remarked Isabelle. "I believe he might have been here since the first moments too. If that is true, then not only has he just earned himself a spot in the corps at the City Ballet, but he is also showing that he can teach choreography effectively in hours. I hope that someone notices that not only can he leave people breathless with his own ability, but he can inspire others too…"
At her side, Julian sat in silence, turning to look at Eloise, and seeing in her face that she felt the same way that he did at that moment; full of immense pride in Sebastian, and of satisfaction that they had been there to witness the moment their brother and son respectively became a star on Broadway.
The rest of those that had been gathered to witness this moment by stealth were sat in the auditorium still, in equal amounts of delight. Mason's family and friends were in a mixture of elation and disbelief. He was the subject of much of the conversation in the seats around them, and all of what was being said was good. His parents had always been supportive of his dreams, but had never imagined that something like this could happen so quickly for him; he had only just finished his first year at college after all. Roderick had sent a text to Mr Schue at the start of the show, and might also have broken every rule in the book by actually filming discretely on his phone as Mason had performed his big number, missing only the very first few words. He had sent the footage on to Will, and five minutes later he had received a response; firstly, telling him off for filming it, but secondly being ever so glad that he had. He expressed how delighted and proud he was of the young man that he had taught so recently, and asked that Roderick pass on his best wishes, and those of Emma and Coach Bieste, as soon as he had the opportunity to do so.
Grace also switched on her phone as the interval began, and was slightly surprised to see a message from Cooper. She opened it and read 'Wild rumours circulating that BoM has cast issues; bunch of new amateurs on stage! What's going on?' She smiled, then replied 'Seb is Price, Mason is McKinley, Trent is Cunningham. All other Mormons are Warblers tonight. It is working so far…' A moment later she got a text back, filled with his delight for them, and his disappointment at not being there to see it for himself.
As she read it, she heard a squeal of delight from the front row, and saw Kitty pointing out something on the cover of the Playbill she had just been handed out to Artie. She was left extremely curious until the moment that her own copy was passed to her; then she saw what it was and smiled. The usual image for the show was on the cover, but with one subtle difference; the Mormon boy had a Warbler pin on his shirt. She just hoped that all of those backstage would receive a copy, but just in case, she begged a couple more copies from the usher…