The sun hung lazily in the sky, casting a golden glow over the slightly wet sand that stretched seemingly endlessly before us. The waves lapped gently at the shore, creating a soothing rhythm that was a world away from the chaos of film sets and bustling cities. I took a deep breath, inhaling the salty sea air, and felt a wave of contentment wash over me. The sunshine was perfect for me. Too bad my [Harry Potter] contract forbade me from sunbathing while the films were in production. This was heaven.
I can't believe I almost said no to this. Dad and Mum had spent quite some cash on this trip of ours, having booked a private island just for us. Then again, when you have this much money, why won't you spend it?
"Whoever said the beach isn't for bookworms clearly never had this," Emma broke the silence, holding up a battered copy of [Pride and Prejudice]. "Sand, sea, and a classic novel. What more could a girl ask for?"
"Are you trying to sound deep?" Jamie quipped with a grin on his face. "Because you're failing badly at that."
"Hey!" Evan shoved Jamie lightly. "Don't talk to Emma like that."
Jamie and I shared a knowing grin before he said, "Sure I won't, lover boy."
Evan spluttered incomprehensibly, trying to come up with something clever, but failed miserably.
"Ignore him, Evan," Emma rolled her eyes maturely. "He's just sad that the only girl interested in him would be Dame Maggie Smith."
"Oooh! Burn!" I egged them on.
"Shut up, Troy," Jamie said grumpily before turning to Emma. "Maggie is cool."
The three of us not named Jamie laughed at that. When we began shooting for the first part, Jamie was in awe of Maggie Smith, and it was funny seeing him make a fool of himself. As the days passed, some of that awe had dissipated while being in the presence of most of our adult co-stars, but Jamie would still behave abnormally in front of Maggie Smith.
"Let's not argue," Evan cut in before Jamie and Emma could say more. "Why don't we play volleyball instead?" He picked up the ball we had brought along with us and tossed it at me, which I caught effortlessly. "Come on, guys, we are on a vacation!"
Jamie stood up and rolled his bare shoulders exaggeratedly, "I wouldn't mind a few rounds. Unless it is too manly of a job for our cute little Emma." All his prior embarrassment was forgotten in the moment.
Emma closed her book with a dramatic huff. "Just watch me wipe the floor with you, Bell. Evan, you're on my team." She dragged the said boy to their side of the makeshift court.
Jamie and I couldn't help but chuckle at a red-faced Evan. It was entirely too cute to see the effect Emma had on Evan. Emma was oblivious to the whole thing, while Evan refused to admit how he felt.
"Prepare to lose, Troy," Evan announced confidently after taking his position. I was surprised by this because the Evan I knew was always the shy little boy, too afraid to be confrontational or even mock someone. It was refreshing seeing the easy grin on his face.
"We'll see about that," I replied, feeling the familiar thrill of competition. "Jamie, don't you dare embarrass me now."
The game began, and laughter filled the air as we dove and scrambled for the ball. Within moments, we had even forgotten that this was supposed to be a competition of sorts. Emma proved to be surprisingly agile for her age and was the MVP as she went after every hit. Jamie, because of his height, was a powerhouse, sending the ball flying with impressive force. Evan and I were the worst players, but no one called us out on it.
We played for hours in front of the setting sun, only for Mum to call us out and bring us back to reality, "Kids! It's time to pack. We have to go back tomorrow. If you leave something here, you won't get it back."
Now I seriously regret taking up [Billy Elliot: The Musical]. I would have loved to spend more time on the island, away from the chaos of a film or theater set, or crowding by fans.
(Break)
Evan Spader was having the time of his life with his best friend Troy. He was not in favor of the idea of his parents going to Boston for a whole month because he didn't want to move with them. He used to like his older cousin Jimmy when they were little, but as they grew older, Jimmy and he drifted apart a lot. The older boy would talk only about girls, and Evan didn't understand why.
So when Steve Kloves offered Evan to come for a brief holiday with their family, Evan leaped at the opportunity. He even asked Steve to extend his stay with them for a whole month, so he wouldn't have to live with Jimmy, and surprisingly, Steve agreed. It was a little disheartening to know that after their vacation, Troy would go back to work, but still, it was better than any other alternative. He would have to miss school for a week or two, but Steve had assured his parents that he would get Evan good tutors for the days missed.
Coming to London was the biggest shock for Evan. Earlier, Evan's family used to live in a bigger house than Troy's, but now, the situation is the opposite. Troy's place was no less than a mansion with how big everything was. Even the interiors were lavishly designed. When he entered the house, he had a slight apprehension that Troy would have changed now after earning so much money, but that first hug told him everything he needed to know. The next ten days they spent on the island were phenomenal. Just like Troy, Emma and Jamie were also good people, and the four became fast friends.
Unfortunately, all their good time came to an end when they had to return to London, back to boring, mundane life. It wouldn't be so bad if Troy didn't have to spend most of his day practicing at the studio. Evan went along with him sometimes, just to see how things work in a theater setting, and he was in awe of Troy. How he could do so many complicated dance moves or sing such complex notes one after another without breaking a sweat was beyond Evan's comprehension. Then again, the show's opening was very close, so it made sense that Troy would be performing at his peak at the moment.
The strange part was that four kids were preparing for the lead role of Billy Elliot, including Troy. When Evan asked about it, the answer he received wasn't what he was expecting.
"They are my understudies," Troy explained. "Which means that if I'm unavailable to perform, or if I get injured while dancing, one of them would take my place. Usually, there's only one understudy, but since none of them have cleared school like me, they can work only limited hours a week. When the production begins, they will each understudy for me two days a week. Then when I go to New York, they will take over as co-leads of the show here. So it serves a dual purpose."
For some reason, Evan was hesitant to say this out loud to Troy, but the more time he spent behind the scenes, the more enticing everything looked to him. When his parents had asked him a few years ago if he wanted to be an actor like Troy, he had said no vehemently, and he still hadn't changed his stance, but seeing so many people working to bring a story alive was inspiring for him. He even saw a man painting some canvases for the background, something Evan excelled in. Maybe he can take up a job like that when he grows up?
Days passed by quickly before anyone knew it. In a way, it was good that Evan was in London, or he would have missed the opening of Troy's first performance. It was only a preview at the moment, and the real show would begin only after a month or so, but still, Evan was more than a little excited because he didn't know the difference between the two shows. Exactly opposite to how Troy was feeling at the moment.
"I think I'm going to puke," Troy said with a rapidly paling face. "No one told me that the show would be fully booked!"
"Calm down, dude," Evan tried pacifying him backstage. "It will be alright. Didn't you say just yesterday that this is just a preview?"
Troy looked over at Evan with a knowing grin, all his nervousness forgotten, and asked, "Do you even know what a preview is?"
"Of course," Evan lied smoothly. "It means a show where you perform only a few songs, so the audience knows what to expect in the full show. Like the trailer of a movie!" Evan was feeling very confident about that answer right until Troy started laughing uproariously.
"Oh my God! That was good," Troy wheezed out between laughter. "Never change, Evan."
Seeing the irritated look Evan was giving him, Troy ceased his laughter and explained, "A preview is a full performance of the show, which we are doing to see the audience's reaction. Based on that, we can make some changes in the dialogues or songs. We'll also get to know which points in the play we need to pause to let the audience laugh, and things like that. Critics are not invited during this time, and the regular audience is charged only half of a regular performance because they know that we won't be perfect. So it is unusual that the audience is fully stacked at the moment because they shouldn't be! Oh my God!" And just like that, Troy was back in his panic mode.
Evan sighed out loud, "I don't understand you sometimes. You were so confident this last week. You have prepared so much, and like you said, the audience knows to expect errors from you. So just take a deep breath, and everything will be alright."
Troy followed Evan's advice and took a deep breath.
"Troy," a man wearing headphones walked into the green room and interrupted their talk. "We are starting the show. You have to come out in five minutes."
Getting the hint for what it was, Evan got up from his seat opposite his best friend and said, "You get ready. I know you'll do great."
"You should say break a leg," the other man pointed out. "It's considered bad luck to say things like 'good luck' or 'you'll do great'."
Troy visibly rolled his eyes at that remark, but Evan heeded the man's advice before exiting the room. "Break a leg," he said.
He walked back to the balcony where they had reserved a special VIP box for Troy's family and friends. There, he took a seat between Emma and Jamie and waited silently for the show to begin. Everyone else had already gone and greeted Troy, but only Evan had stayed behind to calm his friend down.
"Is he feeling better now?" Emma asked him. "He was very fidgety."
Evan shook his head. "Let's see how this show goes."
Suddenly, the loudspeakers came to life, and an announcement was made.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Dominion Theatre's production of [Billy Elliot: The Musical] by Lee Hall. At this time, please turn off or silence any cell phones or electronic devices and refrain from texting, and please keep in mind that recording the performance or taking photographs is not permitted. There will be one fifteen-minute intermission. In case of an emergency, please exit through the door through which you entered, or through the curtain to your left. Thank you, and enjoy the show!"
Evan couldn't find the words to describe what he was feeling. He had goosebumps running down his arms as the opening music of the show played out. The show began by giving out some background of the coal miners, who were on strike during 1984-85. Troy, who played Billy, was sitting in a corner in a chair as everyone enthusiastically announced the strike and how they were fighting for their rights.
Troy, meanwhile, was sitting quietly, and his face looked conflicted as if he didn't know if this should be done or not.
"Billy?" Billy's friend Michael asked in his distinctly northern accent when everyone else had left. "Do you know why they're on strike, like?"
"It's to do with Maggie Thatcher, innit?" Troy asked in his own northern accent.
"Maggie Thatcher? Why? What's she done, like?"
"Fucked if I know," Troy cursed, making Evan and the rest of the audience erupt in laughter at his colorful language.
"See you at boxing then?"
"Yeah, see you, Michael," Troy bent forward and looked down at his feet. By this moment, he was in his element, and all insecurities were seemingly gone. Evan was surprised to see that transformation in his best friend as he began singing.
(Shine-Billy Elliot)
"~Take me up and hold me gently,
Raise me up and hold me high,
Through the nights under darkness,
Will come a day when we will fly!~"
In the next scene, Billy is curled up, sleeping in his bed in his pajamas. Evan was surprised to see that because Troy didn't have more than half a minute between the two scenes. So he changed his clothes during that time? That was amazing.
As the show went on, somewhere Evan forgot that he was seeing his best friend. It was Billy he was seeing. Troy was not Troy. He was Billy Elliot, truly and completely immersing himself in the role. Whatever worries he may have had before the show were all gone now despite more than a thousand people seeing his performance. Every dance move and every musical note was done with sincerity and perfection.
Having seen the original film already, Evan was amazed that he was still entranced by the plot of the play. Billy's village is a mining village thus severely affected by the strikes. Billy lives with his father, brother, and grandmother, having lost his mother some time ago. He is forced by his father to attend boxing classes but he hates it. One day he stays behind to give keys to Mrs. Wilkinson, the ballet teacher who teaches the girls in the area. Entranced by the whole thing, Billy started taking ballet lessons with the girls. When his father found out about it, he made a scene in the middle of the class, right after Billy's big dance number.
Mrs. Wilkinson convinces Billy to continue the lessons in secret. After months of practice, when finally it's time for Billy to audition for the Royal Ballet School, the police come into the village and injure Billy's brother Tony, who was protesting at the time. Because of this family drama, he is late for his audition, forcing Mrs. Wilkinson to come to get him, where his family gets to know what is happening for months. They are visibly upset and have a verbal spat with the teacher, who leaves after telling him that she can't do anything.
As everyone leaves him alone, Billy shouts at the top of his lungs and falls down to his knees before starting an angry dance routine. With each step, the audience was cheering him along. The energy of the audience washed over him like a tidal wave, their applause and cheers fueling his performance as he danced with a passion and intensity he had never shown before during practice. Every leap, every turn, every moment of vulnerability onstage was met with an outpouring of emotion from the crowd, their enthusiasm serving as a constant reminder of the magic unfolding before their eyes.
When the song is finally at its end, Billy shouts one last time to the heavens and then lies flat down on the ground, face first. His chest heaved up and down from that extremely energetic dance routine, while the crowd went wild at that great closing to the first act as the curtains were drawn and an announcement was made for the intermission.
Evan couldn't help but feel overcome with emotion seeing the perfection on stage. The love the audience showed for Troy was infectious, and Evan joined them in applauding his best friend.
____________________________
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