Another night and that would have been perfect.But not this one.
By the time he reached Rav’s suite, the ball of tension in his guts had only constricted.He rapped on the door.Rav’s smile was tight-lipped when he opened.
“What’s the big emergency?”he asked as Hudson strode past him into the room.
“I don’t think I can go on with this.”Getting the words out was a struggle.His breath was shallow and fast.
The lounge area was bigger than the whole of the apartment Hudson was renting, with a large seating area, bar and dining table.Sliding doors were open onto a balcony.Hudson could see all the way across the river.The roof of the Concert Hall was visible from here.
“What do you mean?”Rav asked, following him through.“The previews start tomorrow.We open on Monday.”
“I can’t do it.”He paced the floor, doing laps around the expansive coffee table.He punched his fist into his open palm.“It’s all gotten too much.”
“Hey.”Rav came towards him with open arms.Hudson changed track to avoid him.“What’s got into you?”
“I told you days ago this whole production is a mess, but you wouldn’t listen.We had enough to cope with, with Julian’s murder, and a replacement actor, but you just kept piling it on.Reporters, podcasters—you kept adding shit on top of shit.Expecting us to work through that.To learn a fucking show and deliver a performance.”
“Hudson, what is this?You’re not yourself tonight.”
“Don’t pretend you know me.You’ve ignored everything I’ve said from the start.”
“Have a seat.Come on, let’s talk this through.”
“I don’t want a seat,” he snapped.In that moment, he heard his own voice.He sounded crazed.A diva actor having a meltdown.He paused in front of the open doors and fought to get his breathing under control.
“Have…have you spoken to Andie about this?”
“I don’t know where she is.She’s not answering her phone.”
“Let me try her.”
“No,” Hudson said firmly.“I want to talk to you now.If you bring her in, the pair of you will gang up on me and nothing will change.”
“Okay.”Rav put his phone on the coffee table.“A drink, then?”
He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, tuning out the chaos for a few moments.At last he said, “A whisky, just a small amount of water.”
“Sure,” Rav said, rushing to the bar, seemingly more confident now that he had something to do.He put two crystal tumblers on the granite counter and pulled a bottle from underneath.
After several deep breaths, Hudson turned from the window and joined him.He picked up his drink, swirled the glass, took a tasting sip, then downed the whole thing.He gave Rav the empty glass for a refill.
“Shit,” he said.“This time tomorrow, I’ll be on the stage.We’ll be coming to the end of Act Two.”
“And you’ll be great.You always are.”
“Don’t bullshit me now.You were there this afternoon.You saw how bad I was in that last run-through.”
“You were fine.There were a lot of other things going on.I’ve worked with Andie many times.She’s always like this in the days before an opening.You’ll see.By Monday night, everything will be a dream.”
“As opposed to the nightmare it’s been so far.”
Rav pushed him the second drink.He put his elbows on the counter, looking at him earnestly across the bar.“What’s got into you today?Have you received more of those strange letters?”
He shook his head.He was almost certain Robbie Wiseman had been behind the packages.The letters had stopped straight after Robbie’s arrest.There had been so many other problems, he’d almost forgotten about him.“You need to get rid of Amber and Corman.If I see them at the theatre tomorrow, you’ll have to prep Sal for the first performance because I won’t go on.”
“We need the—”
“Publicity.Is that what you think?Because we don’t.And certainly not the kind of publicity they intend to bring.They are out to publicise themselves and nothing else.They’re looking for scandal and dirt anywhere they can find it.And if I buckle under the pressure of this show, who’s going to be right in the heart of it to capitalize on the disaster?”
