A Wicked Twist (A Tom Hiddleston Fanfic)

Being Green

8th November 2014

"This is your thirty minute call, thirty minutes." The DSM's voice filters through the back stage speakers alerting us all to get our backsides into gear. The next thirty minutes will be a whirl of activity in my dressing room, just as it is before every performance. I'm sat in my chair and I've already begun attacking my face with the green paint. In the beginning it was weird to just start painting all your face and neck with a big paint brush but now it was everyday normalcy.

"Sorry," Nicky comes rushing through the door and I watch him come over to me in the mirror in front of me, "lost track of time." He takes the brush out of my hand and starts painting me instead. Nicky has been my makeup artist since I began my run at the beginning of October and boy could he do magic with green, although it can be a little depressing when you look more attractive all dolled up in green than you do normally.

"It's ok we still have twenty seven minutes, make me beautiful", I laugh.

"Don't I always?" he responds. Boy he's getting quicker with this base coat, he's almost finished. I wince slightly as he greens the inside of my ears, it still tickles every time. Nicky pulls up his stool and begins adding the more intricate detail to my face. In Act One I need to look pretty plain then I go all sassy Elphaba in the interval, but he adds detail so my cheekbones are accentuated and my eyes 'pop'.

About ten minutes later Jess arrives with the first of my wigs and begins to attach it to my hair. So many grips, and she always manages to stab about eight directly into my scalp. Nicky has just painted my hands, and the three of us are chatting about what we're going to be doing on Sunday, while waiting for them to dry, when there's a knock on the door.

"Come in" I call, watching the door open behind me in the mirror I laugh out loud as in walks a bunch of flowers with legs.

"Arrived at the stage door for you Miss Jackson" the flowers say, and I realise it's Dan who works on the door sometimes.

"Oh they're beautiful! Thanks Dan, can you set them down on the table for me?" I ask. He obliges and then excuses himself from the room, not a talker that one.

"Who are they from?" Nicky asks excitedly. When I first began my run, I'd got a lot of gifts from my family and friends, as had the others in the cast, but I'd not received anything for about two weeks now. I honestly couldn't think who'd have sent them. Jess gets up to go see if there is a card.

"Ah ha" she calls, and pulls out a card from within the flowers. She comes back over and hands it to me. I test my hands and they're almost dry so I take the card and I can feel both set of eyes on me as I open the envelope. I read the message in the card and a smile spreads across my face, then I close the card.

"Well?" Nicky practically shouts and I laugh.

"They're from Ben and Sophie, they're in tonight watching the show" I say simply.

"Oh Ben and Sophie. Who the hell are Ben and Sophie?" Nicky is getting agitated now and it's just amusing me more.

"They're my friends, that's all" I say shrugging my shoulders and standing up to go put my body suit on. As I'm getting into my first costume there's a sudden noise from Nicky.

"Nooooooooooo. Ben and Sophie, as in Cumberbatch?" he's practically hysterical.

"Yeeeeeeeeeees" I laugh, as he drops onto the stool and I finish getting dressed.

"Wow. How did we not know you are friends with him, err, them?" he asks regaining his composure.

"It's just Ben, he's like my best friend. I suppose I just don't..." I stop, I'm not sure what I want to say.

"Don't what?" Jess asks.

"Don't see what all the fuss is about? No that's not what I mean. He's just like any of my other friends so I don't see why I need to inform people. You know, hi I'm Sam and I'm friends with Benedict Cumberbatch. Not how I want to introduce myself to people" I'm rambling, I know I am.

"She has a point Jess. Can you imagine if that's what she'd said the first time we'd met her?" Nicky chuckles.

"I can, you'd have painted me blue or put itching power in my wig" I grumble. They both laugh and then we get back on with checking my wig and hands. My hands are the big issue throughout the show; I have to keep touching them up as the paint rubs off.

"This is your five minute call. Five minutes" the speaker voice rings out.

"Do you know where he's sat?" Jess asks. She's a Sherlock fan so I'm impressed with how calm she's trying to be.

"Not a clue. Apparently there are six of them in tonight. Think his parents have come with him but not sure who else." I answer.

"Oh ok", she sounds disappointed, "well break a leg I'll see you in a bit" and with that she swiftly leaves the room.

"See you" I call after her.

"Right boss, you're all good to go so I'll leave you to it" Nicky says as he too makes his way towards the door. Although we had a cast vocal warm up earlier, and a matinee performance, I always spend the last five minutes doing my own vocals. Just as his hand reaches for the door he adds, "Do you think he'll come backstage and see you?"

"Probably", it's not a lie, he probably will. I see Nicky do a little dance as he leaves the room. I shake my head; if Ben does come back stage my dressing room is going to be full of people just needing 'a word'.

In what seems like no time at all, "Act One beginners to the stage. Act one beginners." The DSM has spoken, this is it.

Jeremy and Savannah both poke their heads through the door for a quick fist bump. A tradition we had begun at rehearsals, then Savannah is off to her bubble and Jeremy goes back to his dressing room. I have about four minutes from the beginning of the first song before I need to make my way onto stage, so I listen to the opening number through the feedback playing through the speaker in my dressing room.

Right Elphaba is being born so I head out of my dressing room and into the wings of the stage. I make my way to the props corner and collect my suitcase and make my way to the back of the stage.

Deep breaths Sam. Same as any other performance.

"Glinda is it true that you were her friend?" Bobby, aka munchkin man, says on stage.

"Well it depends on what you mean by friend? I did know her. That is our paths did cross. At school" Savannah, or rather Glinda says.

Cue doors, and cue me. Here we go.