“Oh yeah. I know there is some crazy stuff now, but you didn’t see her desire for a big number with show elves.”
“What?”
“Oh yeah, Eldridge wanted a big number like one she saw at a Las Vegas review. She wanted tall headpieces and practically nude elves doing high kicks or some nonsense. She thought it would add to the pizzazz.”
“Oh, thank the stars you saved us from that one.”
“San Nicolás convinced her it would take away from the family show feel and drive away potential customers. She throws out money left and right, but I think she has a lot more riding on the show’s financial success than she lets on. Sure, she says it’s all about her dead husband’s legacy, but we—the artistic team—all think she needs this show to run and the new theater to be a success.”
“Well, let’s hope we can give them one heck of an eleven o’clock number.”
Eugene walked over to an upright piano sitting in the corner of the apartment. He pulled out a couple of stacks of printed pages. He handed one to me and laid the other one out on the piano. “Tyreek’s sorry he couldn’t be here. He has something else going on this afternoon.”
On top of the page were the words “Give Him a Chance to Live. Music by Eugenius Moses. Lyrics by Tyreek MacQueen.”
“Why don’t I play the number first, then I can walk you through it?”
“Works for me,” I said. I put the water bottle on the ground and read through the song while Eugene played it on the piano. It absolutely captured the moment in the show. And vocally, it fit me perfectly. Eugene knew my voice and what it could do, and he captured everything I had in me within this one song. By the time he stopped playing, I was crying. “Holy elf balls! This is amazing. It’s perfect.”
“And I wrote it for you. I wanted you to have a moment to shine. It’s like I told you the very first time I met you. I’ve been a fan for years. I can’t imagine doing this show without you. I want young singers to look up to you and try to match your talent as they attempt to belt this song for years to come.”
“I hope I’m up to the challenge,” I admitted.
“I have no doubts. Trust me, I wouldn’t have written it like this if I didn’t have full faith in your talent and that amazing tool you have. Let’s get to it.”
We spent the next four hours working on the number. We changed a few things here and there to figure out where I could breathe to ensure I hit the sustained high note at the end of the song. I’d never had a song written for me like this. Eugene sensed what my instrument could do in a way that I hadn’t even known. He truly was a genius.
Chapter 26
EugeneandIintroducedeveryone to the new eleven o’clock number on Monday during rehearsal. The cast and creative team were bowled over by how perfect the song was and how amazing I sounded singing it.
“Yes, but can you sing it eight times a week?” San Nicolás asked me.
“I can do it,” I told him. Admittedly, there was a voice in the back of my mind screaming, “No. No, you can’t.” But I wasn’t about to show fear.
“You’ll need to write a modified version for the understudy,” San Nicolás told Eugene and Tyreek. “And for Erika, if she’s ever not up for it.” He then turned to me. “I know you think you can do this song every performance, but it’s a stretch. I don’t think it will break you. Like Eugene, I have faith in you, but I want to have a backup plan—just in case.”
I nodded. “It makes sense to me. And if I get sick or have a head cold, it’s smart to have a variation.”
“What if we dropped it a key?” Eugene asked. “You could still belt it, but you wouldn’t have to worry about the high notes.”
“That could work,” San Nicolás said. “Work on it, and we can rehearse it later. We’ll alternate the versions during rehearsals to get you used to both. Sound good, Erika?”
“Sounds perfect!”
Eugene and I spent the next couple of hours working on the alternative version with Tyreek. “We’ll come up with some visual cue you can give the musical director at the beginning if you ever need the alternative,” Eugene said after we’d been rehearsing for a while. “Maybe you could pull on your ear like Carol Burnett used to do?”
I narrowed my eyes and said, “Maybe not,” with a snort. “But I’m sure we can come up with something. But between you, me, and the piano, never expect me to sing this version. I’ll do the original every show. I’m a professional. I wouldn’t commit to doing something if I didn’t think I could pull it off well.”
“That’s what I figured,” he said with a wink.
With both versions in the can, we started rehearsing the staging late Monday morning and continued into the early afternoon. San Nicolás didn’t want to put it in the show that night, but Eugene convinced him we had to see how it fit if we would have it ready for opening night.
After rehearsal, I went home for a short nap, had a quick bite, and some cuddle time with Bootsy before the show. We had a 6:30 call time, so I was leaving the apartment at about 5:45 to give myself plenty of time to walk there and get a hot tea on the way.
“Bye, Bootsy,” I said, calling over my shoulder before leaving the apartment. I opened the door and exited, and Kirk walked right past me, saying nothing. He didn’t stop and say hi or anything. I almost called out to him but figured he had something else on his mind.
I hurried downstairs and ran into Carissra in the lobby. “Hey, I just saw Kirk.”
