“It is you,” Katherine said with her genuine fake smile. “I wasn’t sure at first. No one’s seen you at auditions in ages.”
“Was working on my cabaret act for a while, so I wasn’t really auditioning very much.”
“That’s right, I saw the ‘death to men’ show a few weeks back.”
“I don’t remember seeing you there,” I said, racking my brain to remember if I’d seen her in the audience.
“Oh, I didn’t see it live.” She smiled sweetly. “I saw it on YouTube.”
“It’s funny you should mention that. I didn’t know people were trying to get the show canceled until this morning. I guess their little campaign didn’t work very well. Did it?”
“Well, I’m glad to see you’re here for the audition. I hope you didn’t choose one of your ‘I hate men’ songs. I don’t think that’s the mood of the room today. You know…this being a holiday show audition and all.”
I smiled a thin, tight smile and nodded.
“Erika Saunders?” a voice said, poking its head out of a door down the hall.Saved by the bell!
“Well, it was so good seeing you, Katy,” I drew out the wordgoodto emphasize how much I hated her and used an old nickname I knew she hated.
“Katherine,” she said. “I haven’t gone by Katy in almost a decade.”
“Oh, that’s right…” I said as if I’d genuinely forgotten. “It’s hard for me to forget the good old days when you were my understudy on the national tour ofWicked.”
That’s when Katherine first started being my number one frenemy. I kept waiting for her to push me down the stairs so she could go on in my place. I only called out once during the entire tour, and that was when we were in Katherine’s hometown so she could play the role in front of her parents. She never thanked me for the opportunity. She kept begrudging me that I hadn’t let her play the role more often. She sat in the audience every night and gave me notes on what I could do better. At first, I guessed she was trying to be helpful. Intrusive, but helpful. Clearly, she thought she was better than me, and it galled her to no end to know that I was the one the casting agents wanted for the role and not her.
“Toodles,” Katherine said with a wave of her fingers. “Break a leg in there… Oh, I don’t mean literally break a leg. I hope you know that.” She paused for a second to cock her head sideways and smile. “Too soon?”
“I’m over that whole incident. Have been for years,” I lied. “Anyway, the audition calls.” I didn’t wait for a response as I strode down the hallway.
I took a deep breath, passed the woman holding the door to the audition room, and strode in as if I owned the place. The faces behind the casting table were stunned, so I figured I needed to address the situation directly.
“Sorry about this,” I said, gesturing to my outfit. “I thought I was auditioning for a Christmas musical about the North Pole post-global warming.” I got a chuckle from one guy at the table. “In all seriousness, I left the apartment looking like a million bucks. Now I look like a soggy MetroCard.” A few more chuckles. I spent the next few minutes telling the casting table everything that had happened to me since I left my apartment. By the time I finished, I had them laughing like I was a standup comic.
Finally, when the guy who looked to be in charge caught his breath, he asked, “What did you bring to sing for us today?”
“‘Fable’ fromLight in the Piazza. I thought about singing ‘I Hate Men,’ but I figured you’d already caught my video on YouTube.“ Another round of chuckles. Well, I at least read the room right. I walked over to the rehearsal pianist and handed him the soggy papers. “Sorry about this,” I said.
“No worries. Sounds like you’ve had a day. Thankfully, I was the musical director for the first national tour back in the day. I could still play this score by heart.”
“My personal miracle in a day of chaotic crazy.”
I turned to the casting table and listened as the pianist started. And he wasn’t joking. He was perfect. I might as well have been listening to the cast album. His fingers were so nimble as he played the intricate score on the piano. I was so enthralled with his technique that I almost missed my entrance cue. Thankfully, right before I needed to sing, he nodded in my direction.
I opened my mouth, and I sang. I sang my ever-loving songbird heart out. It was as if I willed myself to match the accompanist’s skill. I pushed myself harder than I’d ever pushed myself singing “Fable.” I was so lost in the moment I forgot about the casting table completely. When the song ended, there was immediate applause. Not the usual applause I get in auditions where the table is polite, but I received genuine, appreciative applause. I took a slight bow.
“Thank you,” the man in charge said.
I nodded, gathered my things and left. As soon as I was out of the room, I leaned against the wall and another round of tears came. I made it through. I don’t know how I’d pulled myself together, but I had. After a few seconds, I pushed myself away from the wall and walked to the elevator bank.
“Ms. Saunders?” a voice called after me.
I turned and looked at the young redheaded guy running after me. “Yes?”
“First, let me start by saying what an honor it is to meet you.”
“Thank you,” I said and plastered on a genuine smile.
“Second, your audition back there was amazing.”
