a dream that you wish | kasey winslow |

Chapter 30

The week flew by. Even though most people went on vacation to escape rehearsals and shows, Kasey loved learning Hamilton Chi's choreography. It was a nice change, and knowing that she would only have to do one show helped, too.

Everyone welcomed Kasey with open arms. They all seemed to be genuinely excited to have her there and learning the choreography. Holly was especially helpful, giving Kasey tips of when her breaks were and where she should put her water bottle. 

Kasey hadn't realized how much she missed Hamilton until now. The ensemble camaraderie was something that Frozen didn't have as much- or Kasey hadn't noticed. Being a leading actor was somewhat isolating at times. 

She was picking up the intricacies quickly. It helped that she already knew the show inside and out from her run on Broadway. A brand new actress might not have been able to absorb everything so easily. 

Carleigh kept in touch. It was definitely strange to have someone else's phone for a week, but Kasey was enjoying the reactions from fans on social media. They were slightly confused because Kasey wasn't posting on her own account, but Carleigh was. And they were both on each other's Snapchats. 

Rehearsals were entertaining. Kasey messed up at least five times every show- sometimes they were huge mistakes, other times, they were just little minor details. The cast was supportive, and Kasey loved them all. 

Candace, Justice, Holly, Amber, and Peanut were all lovely girls. They had energy and were wonderfully sarcastic. They reminded Kasey of Carleigh, Ariana, Betsy, and even Megan. And it was nice to have other British cast members to chat with. 

Before Kasey knew it, it was the night before her Hamilton debut in Chicago. She would leave the day after. 

The last rehearsal went well. Gabby, the dance captain, only had a few notes for Kasey after they went through the entire show. 

"You've come a long way!" Holly cheered. "Way to represent our track. Not that you weren't flawless already, but you've picked up the choreography quickly."

"Thanks, Holly," Kasey laughed. "I'm glad I have your approval."

"Of course. Such talent will always have my approval. You could have even pulled it off doing Broadway choreography in a Chicago show. I didn't even catch most of the differences the first time you showed us."

"That's nice to hear, but I'm sure it was worse than you think."

"Are you excited to be performing again? In Hamilton?" 

"It's nice to not be singing Disney for a week. As much as I love Frozen, sometimes, you just don't want to hear 'Let it Go' any more than necessary," Kasey told Holly. "And I'll always love Hamilton."

"Understandable."

~~~~~~~~~~~

Kasey called Carleigh for a FaceTime for a while before she went to sleep, while simultaneously trying to catch up on her 'Once Upon a Time' episodes.

"Hey, how's Chicago?" Carleigh asked.

"It's good, I'm having fun, and all the cast members have showed me around and taken me to all their favorite places."

"That's good. And are you happy that you get to perform with them tomorrow?"

"I'm a little nervous, honestly, because it's been such a quick turnaround. And I'm hoping that no one is unhappy. I don't want to disappoint them or make any of the cast members feel unappreciated."

"I'm sure they all love you being there. They would never have offered to let you perform with them if they didn't really want to. Plus, everyone loves you. Ari, Holly, and Amber have all texted me gushing about how sweet you are. Trust me, you're fine," reassured Carleigh.

"Are you positive?"

"Would I really lie to you, Kasey?"

"No, but maybe you're hallucinating," Kasey laughed.

"I hope not. But you never know. Maybe you're just a figment of my imagination, too," Carleigh replied. "Make sure to send me lots of pictures."

"I will."

"And post them on my Instagram. I'm sure the fans will go crazy."

"That's exactly what I planned to do."

"Did you have to get fitted for a new costume, or did you fit into someone else's?"

"I'm about the same size as Peanut, so they gave me her spare costume. I might be a little shorter, believe it or not. It's kind of like mine from Broadway, surprisingly," Kasey explained. 

"That's good."

"Did you find out about your Bandstand audition yet?"

"I did, they want me to do a callback in a few months. They're kind of busy right now with the Tony nominations coming up soon," Carleigh said. 

"I hope they win something, the cast is fantastic."

"Bandstand definitely deserves more credit than it gets, honestly," Carleigh agreed. "Anyway, again, take lots of pictures with the cast. I expect a full report when you get back. And if someone could send me a video of some of it, that would be fantastic."

"I'll talk to Gabby about it," Kasey laughed. "Love you lots, Carleigh."

"Aw, I love you too. Break a leg tomorrow!"