The production team for Chicago was having their meeting in the auditorium, and if I had been on time, I would have delivered them myself. But as it stood, James did it—and he took the hit for me about dinner being late.
"It's fine," he said to me, smiling and shaking his head as he handed me one of the slices of pizza. "You would have been fine going in there. They weren't mad at all. I'm sorry you didn't get to meet them before your audition."
I laughed. "I'm a little thankful," I said. "It might be easier not to know what I'm in for. And dang, I didn't even think about plates or whatever," I added, feeling guilty as I held the pizza wrapped in a thin paper napkin.
"How could you?" he said with a teasing grin. "I'm joking. Nobody cares. They were pumped to get Tony's. You smell good, by the way," he said. "I noticed when you first came in, but I was concentrating on the pizza."
We walked toward the other side of the lobby, and I just followed him. He dug in his pocket and handed me a wad of cash. "I think it's thirty-five, he said. "I hope it's enough."
It wasn't, but I smiled and nodded. "It is," I said, slipping the cash into my pocket.
"It's going to be a great show," he said. "This is my favorite creative team, so I can't wait."
"Is that referring to the director?" I said.
"Yes, and the assistant director, choreo, costumes, set, the whole team is amazing. My roommate's doing lights. He's here with Kyle, the set director. It's going to be beautiful. I'm excited you're auditioning. Who knows. You might get a big role. You might get Roxy."
"I'd be happy with anything," I said.
"Normally, I'd be able to promise you at least an ensemble role, but they're making cuts with this one," he said, setting his bags down on a bench. "They don't always have to cut. It depends on how many people audition. I think I heard them say they're expecting seventy or eighty people to audition, and they're keeping fifty."
"Whoa."
"Yeah, everybody's excited about Collin being back… and Casey."
"Collin is the director, and Casey is the…" I hesitated and waited for him to fill in the blank.
"Choreographer," he said.
"So, I might not get a role at all?" I asked.
"No, girl. I heard your song, and I really feel like you'll get a good role."
"It actually makes me feel better if they make cuts. I'm questioning whether or not I should even do it, and if I get cut right out of the gates, I'll have my answer."
He laughed, and I laughed with him even though I was serious. I had never done anything like audition for a play, and I had no idea what to expect, even from myself. I reserved the right to not make the cut at all and be content with that outcome.
It was cold outside, and rather than go out, James settled on a bench near the front wall of the high school lobby. I wasn't raised in this city, and I had never been to this or any other local high school. It was nice and modern, and the bench was padded and comfortable. The lobby was roomy with high ceilings. There was a trophy case and doors leading to offices.
"Are you sure about the song?" I asked. "I’m not going all out with the whole villain persona."
"No, I think it's great like you're doing it," he said. "If you were cast as Ursula, you'd want to do a big performance, but for an audition, it can be understated. Collin will tell you if he wants you to turn it up."
"Still, you think it's a good song?" I asked, since I was the one who had thought of doing it.
"Yeah, I do. It fits your voice, and it fits the vibe of the show, you know, sultry or whatever." He paused and took a bite. "Mm, this pizza's good," he said. James was a good-looking guy—tall, dark, and handsome in a traditional sense. I knew enough about him to know that he was experienced with musicals and would probably get one of the main roles.
"What are you singing?" I asked at the thought.
He chuckled. "Santa Fe from Newsies," he said.
"Why's that funny?" I asked. I took a bite of the pizza.
"Because it's slightly cheesy. The song itself's not cheesy, but we saw a performance of it one time that was… it's an inside joke with me and Casey," he said, around a bite of his slice. "I'mtaking it seriously, and it'll go fine, I hope, but Casey will get the joke. We've been in theater together for so long that we have memories that go way back. She'll appreciate it."
"Is she your girlfriend?"
"Casey? No. We almost dated once, but no. Don't tell her I said that. It was a long time ago."
