Captivated

Interview

Okay this chapter is the most British thing I've ever written so try to keep up haha. No worries, you'll all be fine. I exaggerate a lot, but I do reference some musicals that haven't made it to the American side of the pond yet, so please go check those out if you're feeling like it! Don't forget to comment and vote xxx
-ab

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June 15, 2024

Harper

Backstage at West End Live, I find myself pacing back and forth, full of nerves. The sky is clouding up, which brings forth the threat of the rain which London is so famous for. If that were to happen, it could throw off so much. Not only would crowds leave, running for shelter, but it could possibly mess up our sound system, I'd suppose.

I've never performed in front of a crowd this big... I don't even think I've performed in front of a crowd half this size. I try to take deep breaths to calm myself down, but the corset underneath my dress makes even that hard to do. I try to tell myself that I know this material like the back of my hand, because I do. We have practiced for this performance several times at the Queens' Theatre, as well as having a dress rehearsal here last night.

I look around the group of people, taking a quick count at everybody, and can't help but notice that Finn, who plays Enjolras, is the last one to be missing. Thankfully, just after that, he runs in at the last minute, standing next to Louie, who is our Marius. Since Louie is next to me, I am able to hear the next words out of Finn's mouth.

"I was with a friend in the crowd and underestimated how long it might take me to get ready."

"You're good, man," Louie assures him with a pat on the back. "Don't worry about it. We are just about to go take our places."

And that is true. Only a short moment after Louie finishes speaking, a West End Live worker whispers to us that we are able to take our spot in the wings. That means that we are on deck to perform next. Everybody's Talking About Jamie is on right now. I smile to myself as I am able to watch a bit of their performance by standing on my tip toes. I do enjoy that show quite a lot.

As they wrap up 'And You Don't Even Know It,' the crowd goes wild as the cast bows, then they are ushered off of the stage. The hosts talk for a moment, interviewing some fans on the big screen, then we are introduced.

"Please give it up for cast of Les Miserables!"

Wild applause erupts as Olivia, our Fantine, takes the stage to sing 'I Dreamed A Dream.' Soon, Ava walks on as the music segues into 'On My Own' before the two of them sing a duet. The crowd goes wild as my two friends belt their hearts out. The crowd seems incredibly supportive, which calms me down a little bit. As I listen to them sing, I can't help but wish that I had a belt voice too, though I know that my lack of belt voice is what enabled me to play Cosette, so I can't complain too much.

After they are finished, we all run onto the stage to finish up our set with 'One Day More.' Nathan, who plays Valjean, takes his place next to me before I run off to sing with Louie. As I do so, I find myself lost in the music and nearly forgetting about the crowd.

The performance seems to fly by as the audience sings along and cheers non-stop. When the music is over, we all line up along the front of the stage and take our bows to the massive applause. Afterwards, we all walk offstage, but Louie and I are stopped by the stage manager.

"You two are going to go out and do a quick interview, alright?"

"Oh... okay," I smile, giving a shrug. Louie nods and we wait to be called back on. When we are, we run out and stand by the hosts of the day.

"So you two just joined the show a few days ago, correct?"

We nod.

"What are each of your roles?"

"I play Cosette," I smile.

"I play Marius."

"So, tell us what it is like to be in each of those iconic roles."

"It's amazing," I state into the microphone. "This was such a dream of mine growing up, but I never thought I'd actually get to do it. Especially being here at West End Live... I came here as a teenager many times, but performing today... it's all just a dream come true. I still have to wake up and pinch myself to make sure that I'm not dreaming."

"And Louie, what about you?" a female host asks.

"I mean, I'd have to agree with everything Harper said. The show is so iconic, and I have had such an amazing experience so far. I've met so many great people too, especially that girl right there. Since we work closely together, I think we could agree that we have bonded pretty well."

"For sure," I chime in. "You get really close with your entire cast super quickly, especially all of the principals who just came in new during the cast change. We went through our entire rehearsal process together, and actually, Louie and I even went through a bit of the audition process together, since we had chemistry callbacks."

"How many auditions did you have to do before booking the role?" the other host, a man, asks us. I quickly count up in my head, but Louie answers first.

"I sent in a self-tape, and then I think I went in five other times."

"I sent in the self-tape, but then I think I went in six times, if I'm counting correctly," I giggle. "It was a long process, but any job is."

"For sure," Toby nods. "I did Bat Out Of Hell before this, and I think I had ten auditions in total for that one."

"Wait, really?" I ask, looking at him with wide eyes. "I love that show!"

"Did you not know that?" he laughs.

"Well, you learn something new every day!" I exclaim.

"Well, there you have it folks. Harper and Louie have to be off to their matinee now, but let's give it up one more time for Les Miserables!"

Another round of applause sweeps through the crowd as Louie and I wave, blow kisses, and make our way offstage. We really do have to make it back to our show, so we quickly meet up with everyone else and begin to walk back to the Queen's Theatre.