I headed to the door with Kirk right behind me. He reached around me and opened it. When the door swung inward, I stepped backward and found myself squished against Kirk as we let the door by.
I stayed for a second longer than necessary but then stepped out into the hall. Kirk leaned against the door as I turned and leaned against the door frame.
“I had a lot of fun tonight,” I said. “You’re so easy to talk to.”
“I had fun, too. I’m glad Carissra and I have such an amazing neighbor.”
We stood there for a second, gazing at each other. And kept staring at each other.
“What are you two doing?” Carissra asked as she rolled into the kitchen.
“Just saying goodbye,” I said, shaking my head out of the fog. “It’s been fun.” I reached out my hand for a goodbye handshake.
Kirk looked crestfallen for an instant before he reached out and shook my hand. “Good night, Erika.”
I moved entirely into the hallway, and Kirk shut the door to their apartment. I leaned forward and knocked my head against the wall.A handshake! What was that?
Chapter 20
Therestoftheweekend flew by in a blur. We had several minor mishaps, but everything was gelling. On Monday, we successfully ran the show three times and planned on running it once on Tuesday before our first preview that night. First previews are always nerve-racking experiences. I invited Brice, Johnny, and Amani to the first preview. Brice and Johnny would be kind, but bluntly honest. Amani was going to be my cheerleader, who I also needed.
Since it was the first preview, and on a Tuesday, we started the show a half hour earlier than we normally would. I got to the theater at 6:00 p.m., and the cast met on the stage for a quick pep talk and warm up before we headed off to get into our costumes. At 6:30, I started on my makeup. The makeup designer had made a pretty easy-to-replicate makeup for my character.
“The house is now open,” Serafina’s voice said over the speaker in my dressing room.
There was a light knock on the door. “Come in,” I said. The wig stylist came in to help me get my microphone fitted and the wig on. The microphone pack sat against the small of my back, and the wire was taped down against my back and neck. The microphone sat under the lace-front hairline at the front of my forehead. There was no way to see the hidden microphone unless you were close.
“Thanks,” I said as the wig artist left. He opened the door and passed my dresser, Gladys Lapinski, who came in and helped me get into my costume. She was all mine. I had enough costume changes that I had a personal dresser who tracked me during the show. My quick change—when I ran from stage left to stage right in the middle of the show—would have been impossible without her.
I did one last look in the mirror in time for Serafina to say, “Five minutes to places, five minutes to places.” I thanked Gladys and said I’d see her for my first costume change before heading out to stage right for my first entrance.
The backstage area was abuzz with movement. People were dashing to-and-fro, ensuring everything was where it needed to be. A chorus boy almost ran me over. He apologized but kept going. I’d had a brief conversation with him once, so I knew this was his first Broadway show after college. Quite a few of our cast members were making their Broadway debuts in this show. And while this technically wasn’t their Broadway debut yet—that happened on opening night—I understood the anxiety and excitement. I couldn’t help but think back to the first preview ofThe Faith Healer. I’d been so afraid I would forget my lines and blocking. But then the orchestrations started, and my body went into autopilot and navigated me through the show despite my nerves.
“Places.” I heard Serafina’s voice call as I got to the stage. I made my way to where my other elves were stationed.
“Break a leg,” Peeter said. “Well, maybe not you, Erika,” he laughed at his own joke. “Too soon?”
“It will always be too soon, goofball.” He was trying to ease his nerves, so I didn’t take the jab personally. “I would say break a leg to you, too, Peeter, but I don’t have time to hire a hitman and train another elf,” I said with a wink.
“Get a room,” Katherine joked.
The lights dimmed, and a single spotlight shone at center stage. San Nicolás walked on stage and greeted the audience. “Good evening, and welcome to the first preview ofThe Naughty List.“ A roar of applause filled the theater. As the noise died down, San Nicolás continued, “As you know, this is a preview, and while we do not anticipate any problems, it’s possible that there could be moments when things don’t go exactly according to plan. Please bear with us. Now, sit back and enjoy the show.”
As soon as he said this last line, I watched one of the backstage monitors as Gerard Bartholomew conducted the downbeat in the pit and the orchestra started the overture. I breathed deeply to calm my nerves and got ready to sing my first note.
“Hold!” Serafina’s voice echoed in my ear.
“Are you elf-ing kidding me!” Peeter said.
I looked at the assistant stage manager sitting next to us in his cubby. “There’s a problem with the Act Curtain. It’s not opening. The automation rigging system isn’t responding. They’re sending a stagehand to do it manually.”
My jaw dropped open. Sadly, that was the beginning of the night of a thousand problems. Our little two-and-half-hour musical took almost five hours. We hadn’t had this many problems since our first day of tech. If it could go wrong, it went wrong. The proverbial cherry on the ice cream cone from hell was when we blew a fuse at the top of Act Two. The company electrician spent fifteen minutes diagnosing and fixing the problem. Thankfully, she had spares of everything sitting around in her workshop.
By the time we took our final bows, the entire company was exhausted. The audience, which had remained through the entire five hours, was supportive and still gave us a standing ovation. I doubted we deserved one that night. Maybe they gave us the ovation for simply finishing the show.
As the cast made its final bow and the curtain closed, Serafina, San Nicolás, and Eldridge walked on stage and gave us polite applause. From the thin-lipped smile on Eldridge’s face, I could tell she was not a happy camper.
“Well, first previews are often rough,” San Nicolás said, trying to reassure us. “We have a few kinks to iron out before we open.”
