“Nope,” Brice confessed. “I Wikipediaed what I know about it.”
Great… My career hung in the balance of Wikipedia. What could go wrong?“What role am I auditioning for?”
“They wouldn’t tell me. Everything right now is hush-hush.” That didn’t raise any red flags at all. “Everyone who is invited to audition is being asked to prepare a song, and beyond that, there’s no other information provided.”
“Okay. What time is my audition?”
“I have you in at 3:00 p.m. That should give you time to get yourself together.”
I looked over at the clock, it was only eleven-thirty a.m., giving me a few hours to get my act together. “Where is the audition?”
“They’re holding auditions at Actors’ Equity. Just go on up to the sixteenth floor. You’re already on the list.” I’d had enough auditions at Actors’ Equity over the years. I knew the routine, so I didn’t bother jotting down the information. “Break a leg.” As soon as he said it, I could almost see him wince on the other end of the line. “I mean figuratively, not literally. Oh geez, I think I’m talking too much.”
“It’s okay. I don’t plan on falling through any trap doors again.”
Chapter 2
Aftergettingoffthephone, I sat on my couch and made a list of everything I needed to do over the next couple of hours. Shower, pick my outfit, pick my audition song, and don’t freak out. The first three were going to be easier than the last one. Thankfully, I knew who I needed to reach out to help with the last three.
I scrolled through my phonebook until I found the number I was looking for and hit the call button. There were three rings before I heard a groggy voice pick up.
“This had better be an emergency.”
“It is… I have an audition.”
As if he’d had a sudden jolt of coffee, my best friend Johnny immediately perked up. “When? Where? What for? What are you going to wear? How long do you have to prepare?” The rapid peppering of questions didn’t leave me time to think, let alone answer any of them.
“Slow down there, tiger. As for the questions, today, Actor’s Equity, new Christmas musical, I haven’t a clue what I’m going to wear, and a couple of hours.”
“That doesn’t exactly leave us much time, then, does it?” I love how my audition suddenly became a problem for both of us. But then, that’s why Johnny Braxton was my best friend. It also helped that he lived in the other tower, so he could be at my apartment as soon as he threw on some clothes.
“I’ll be there in twenty.”
“I’m not going anywhere. See you when you get here.”
Johnny ended the phone call without saying goodbye. I honestly wasn’t sure who was more excited about my audition, him or me.
Johnny Braxton was also in the business. At the ripe old age of 26, he was a veteran of a few Off-Broadway shows and had even made a Broadway debut as a replacement right before the show closed. Johnny had the perfect combination of a pop singer’s voice and matinee idol good looks. Of course, I’m one of the few people who knows Johnny’s real name is Steven Smith. When he had earned his Equity card, he knew his real name was way too generic, so he had created Johnny Braxton, and the man, the myth, and the legend was born…at least in his head.
Johnny had also been at the ill-fated night ofThe Faith Healeropening. I hadn’t known Johnny, but he’d known Asher. Apparently, half of Broadway hadknownAsher. I was the only person who hadn’t realized how much Asher had gotten around. I’d heard of love blinders before, but I had never experienced the phenomenon myself. In retrospect, there were so many red flags. I should have seen Asher’s obvious deception and sleeping around, but I was in love and didn’t want to see what was right in front of my face.
I pulled out a notepad and started jotting down some possible audition songs. Thankfully, my cabaret act provided me with an entire slate of possibilities. I wanted to have some ideas on paper before Johnny showed up and tried to take over my audition. He’s a force of nature when he gets on a mission.
Three loud raps on my door caused me to jolt. I put the pad and pen down on the end table, walked through the apartment and opened the door.
“So, what do you have for me?” Johnny said, breezing by me and heading right into the living room.
“I made a list of audition songs. They’re on the legal pad there,” I said, motioning to the end table.
He picked up the list and started reading them out loud, “‘I Hate Men’Kiss Me Kate, ‘Forget About the Boy’Thoroughly Modern Millie, ‘Gonna Wash That Man Right Out of My Hair’South Pacific, ‘One Hundred Easy Ways (To Lose a Man)’Wonderful Town, ‘Men! (Horrible Men!)’Calamity Jane, ‘What Did I Ever See in Him?’Bye, Bye Birdie, ‘Could I Leave You’Follies, ‘Get Out and Stay Out’9-5… Honey, are you trying to get the gig or are you trying to depress the creative team?”
“What?” I asked, narrowing my eyes. “These are the songs from my cabaret act.”
“I should have known. I need to see the new show. But really, Erika? This is like a jilted woman’s breakup playlist. Didn’t you say this was a Christmas musical?” I nodded. “Then don’t audition like you’re gearing up forMack and Mabel.”
I hated to admit it, but he had a point. Ever since my breakup with Asher, I haven’t exactly been the most jovial person. I sighed and asked the obvious question, “Then what do you recommend?”
“What was your go-to audition song beforethe incident?“ He added extra emphasis by gesturing with air quotes.
