On
closing night, the cast members of the regional theater company were beyond
thrilled when they heard “Encore!
Encore!” after taking their bows.
They had worked so hard on this show for weeks, and it always was
bittersweet saying good-bye when it was all over.
“All
right!” The dance captain corralled the
cast as the director and stage manager signaled the lighting booth to reset,
the orchestra to take it from the top of the finale, and the dry ice gal to
fire up the machine again.
Running
on the euphoria, the cast members sang their hearts out and danced their feet
off in an almost-exact duplicate of the number they had just performed. Flushed with the exertion, they took their
bows again in triumph as the cymbals deafeningly crashed in conclusion.
“Encore! Encore!”
Starting
to feel short of breath, the dance captain looked to the director, who signaled
everyone to take their places and go through it again.
The
dance captain hissed to the director off-stage: “Most of us can do it, but the
ones I stuck on the ends are about to pass out and we’re all choking on the dry
ice!”
“I’m
sorry, but we need to keep the audience happy – they’re the ones who’ll keep
buying the tickets!” And that was that.
Another
run-through, and even the veteran dancers were winded as they bowed to the
floor.
“Encore! Encore!”
“You
want another one?!” The director
maniacally asked the audience.
The
dance captain’s “Nooooooo!!!!!!” was drowned out by a voice in the audience
shouting “YESSSS!!!!”
Half
the orchestra left in protest so there was minimal musical accompaniment that
failed to conceal the wheezing, stumbling, and mumbled cursing as the cast
members tripped their out-of-breath way through the finale for the fourth time.
“Encore! Encore!”
“WHO
SAID THAT?!” The dance captain squinted
into the darkness: the lone lighting operator at that point turned on the
houselights to show that there was only one person sitting in the audience –
everyone else had left or been waiting for the cast to come out to the lobby
for quite some time.
“Encore!” The man in the audience cheered again.
One
of the supporting players in the back came forward: “Dad! What are you doing?!”
“I’m
just so proud of you, son – I’ve never been to a play before, isn’t ‘Encore!’
what you’re supposed to say at these things?”
The
rest of the cast collapsed on stage as the director said, “I’m glad you enjoyed
the show, sir. We’re just going to head
backstage now, if you want to wait in the lobby for your son.”
“All
right, but if you all leave then who’s going to encore?”
