“Take it in, Erika. Take it all in,” Asher said into my ear over the audience’s roar. “We’re never going to have an experience like this one again. You only get one first Broadway opening of a new musical.”
He was right. Sure, we’d both opened a ton of shows over the years, but this one was special. Over the next few minutes, we listened to polite speeches from the creative team, who talked about the work, how important the source material was, and how it was still relevant, given our society’s political climate.
After each speech, we applauded politely. After the producer finished his speech, we took one final bow as a cast, and the orchestra began playing again as the curtain descended. When the last tassel of the curtain hit the stage, everyone started screaming, shouting, hugging, and clapping each other on the back. The backstage excitement was amazing. I couldn’t believe my luck.
After a few minutes, we all made our way back to our dressing rooms. I had a small dressing room all to myself. The first time I had seen my name on the door, I had squealed in excitement. Sure, my dressing room was four floors up from the stage, but that’s Broadway. People often have no idea how things work backstage. And if we do our jobs right on stage, the audience will never worry about how many steps I must climb during each show. My calves were getting a workout.
I showered quickly. I pulled out my garment bag, revealing the floor-length satin dress with empire waist and A-line silhouette. It was minimalist in design but with some light beading around the chest, just enough to make it sparkle without being intrusive.
There was a knock on my door.
“Getting dressed,” I said.
“I’ll meet you out front,” Asher said through the door.
“Give me five…make that ten minutes.”
There was another knock, and Marilyn, my dresser, and Katie, my makeup slash hair artist, came into the dressing room. Katie had me sit down as she quickly did my makeup, then put my hair in knotted faux mohawk updo. Katie transformed me from average-looking to centerfold in minutes.
When my hair and makeup were ready to go, Marilyn helped me into the dress and zipped up the back. She then held out the jewels I would wear that evening. I had a diamond necklace and teardrop diamond earrings for the occasion. A jeweler had loaned me the jewels. I grabbed my black fake-mink shawl and wrapped it over my naked shoulders when I was fully dressed. I looked like a Hollywood actress from yesteryear.
“You two are amazing,” I said. “See you at the party?”
“Not me,” Marilyn said. “I’ve been here too long today. My feet are killing me. Going to go home, have tea, and go to sleep.”
“You’ll see me there,” Katie said excitedly. “This is my first big opening, so I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“Trust me, girly,” Marilyn said. “Once you’ve done this a few dozen times, the parties aren’t nearly as exciting. I hope the reviews are good, so we stay open for a decent run.”
“From your lips to God’s ears,” I said with a wink.
“Go,” Marilyn said with a slight smile. “Have fun tonight. You’ve both earned it.” Marilyn looked around the cluttered dressing room. It looked like a tornado had come through since the show ended. I had been in such a hurry to get out of costume, showered, and redressed I hadn’t taken the time to put anything away. “Don’t worry, Erika. I’ll clean up after you’re gone.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. I hated the idea of leaving Marilyn alone in my mess. I never wanted to be one of those stars that expected the world to clean up after her.
“This one time,” Marilyn said, the corner of her mouth curved up. “Just don’t do it again.”
I reached out and hugged the woman, who then opened the door and waved her hand in a shooing motion. I stepped out into the hall before carefully going back downstairs. The shoes I wore during the show had a heel, but it was a sturdy, wide heel that made it pretty easy to go up and down the stairs. The six-inch heels I was wearing right now made climbing down the stairs a safety hazard. I gripped the rail and took each step one at a time.
When I finally got down to the stage level, I heard voices from the stage. I was going to ignore them until I recognized Asher’s voice. I wormed my way in between the backstage cables to the edge of the set. The crew had already reset the stage to Act One for tomorrow’s matinee.Smart move, I thought to myself.
Only the faint glow of the ghost light on stage shone, casting most of the house and stage in darkness. I followed the glow-in-the-dark tape on the floor to the door entrance I used at the top of Act One. I opened the door. In the dim shine of the ghost light, Asher was kissing our castmate, Zachary Magnus. I gasped. My hand flew to my mouth.
Asher and Zachary’s heads whipped in my direction. In the low lighting, Zachary looked like a deer caught in headlights. Asher’s face was calm and collected. “Erika…let me—“
I didn’t wait for him to finish. I turned around, closing the fake door behind me.Fake! Everything in my life is fake!I had to get out of there. I started moving across the stage, the glowing floor tape passed by wholly ignored. And I fell right through the trapdoor where Michaelis was lowered at the show’s end.
I screamed and it echoed around the stage.Jamie Lee would be impressed with my vocal cords, I thought as I plummeted into darkness.
I landed and heard a large snapping sound, almost like a tree limb falling off a tree during a winter storm. The pain hit me in waves as I let out another sound that was more caged animal than human.
“Erika!” Asher yelled. A bright shined down on me from a cell phone above. In the phone’s glow, Asher and Zachary’s faces filled the opening above me.
“I’m calling 911,” Zachary said, panic seeping through his voice.
“Asher Fraser Alexander!” I yelled and proceeded to let out a string of obscenities that would make the most hardened sailor blush…before I passed out.
Chapter 1
