Stage Fright (Bit Parts) Read Online Free Page B

air.  As he took Andrew’s vacant seat across from me, he lifted his hand in greetings to several actors who called out his name.  The fug of cigarette smoke surrounding him made me cough.  “Double scotch!” he bellowed to the nearest waitress.
    I wondered how many drinks Charles had already knocked back.  He’d never been visibly drunk during rehearsals or performances, but as the pressures of tech week had mounted, he’d started each night with a snort or two from the flask he kept in his desk.
    He patted down his pockets until he found his cigarettes.  “You can’t do that in here,” I reminded him.  After two years, Charles still forgot about the state-wide ban on smoking in public places.
    Swearing, he put the pack away unopened.  He looked around the bar, his eyes coming to rest on the hottie in the corner booth.  “God.  They’ll serve anyone in here, won’t they?”
    “What do you mean by that?” I asked, my hackles rising.  As a kid, I’d suffered a few racial slurs, but after September 11, the occasional insults became much uglier.  “He has as much right to be in here as we do,” I said stiffly.
    “Relax, Cassie.  You know me better than that.  I mean that man stirs up trouble wherever he goes.”
    “That’s funny.  Because right now, he looks like he’s enjoying a drink in a bar.”
    “He never enjoys anything,” Charles muttered scanning the room once more.  “Where’s Andrew?  I thought you two came together.”
    I frowned, picturing my best friend arguing with his boyfriend.  “He’ll be back in a minute.”
    “He better be.  I need to talk to him.”
    “About the new play?  It sounds rather, uh, interesting.”
    Charles snorted.  “ Sixteen Actors Talking at the Same Time ?  It’s crap.  Utter crap.”
    “So why is Hedda backing it?”
    “She doesn’t have a choice.  When Victor Stuyvesant tells her to jump, she jumps.”
    It was hard to believe that Hedda Widderstrom could be intimidated by anyone.  “Who is this guy anyway?”  Even I, someone who religiously read Backstage and IndieStage , had never heard of him.  “Has he written other plays?”
    Charles laughed until he started coughing.  “He’s no playwright.  He’s a lawyer and a financier.  A very powerful one.  He’s also a close associate of Hedda’s ex-husband.”  He gave a sly wink.  “Did you know that Hedda was once married to Bertrand Peabody of the Boston Peabodys?”
    “Ah,” I said, pretending the name meant something to me.  “So what’s this guy doing staging a play in Detroit?  It’s not like New York doesn’t have its share of theaters.”
    Charles’s expression soured.  “You heard her: it’s not my place to ask questions.  Never mind that I’ve been her constant friend and companion for over forty years.  Never mind that I’ve waited patiently for her to recognize my talent.  Never mind that she plays favorites.”  The waitress brought Charles his scotch.  He immediately downed it and demanded another.  “The fact remains that I’m expected to direct that nightmare.”
    “I thought you wanted to do it.”
    “The only thing worse than having Hedda ask me to direct it would be having her not asking me to direct it.”  Suddenly, his smile grew cunning, and he leaned across the table.  “Can I convince you to sign on?”
    “Aren’t the auditions closed?”
    “I’m not talking about a part.  I’m talking about being my stage manager.”
    I tried not to think of that as an insult.  After all, stage manager was probably the most complex job in any given play.  Not only that, Charles was as picky about selecting his crews as he was in selecting his actors, so the offer was a huge compliment.  Still, taking another backstage job felt too much like giving up.  “I don’t know.  I really want to be onstage.”
    “Ordinarily, I’d say to thine own self be true, but I desperately need a competent stage manager.  At least think