Read Online Showstopper by Lisa Fiedler - Free Book Online

machine we have?”
    I shook my head. “No. What kind is it?”
    Susan laughed. “It’s a Whirlpool!”

    Since our rental agreement didn’t officially go into effect until Monday morning, we were going to have to tough it out and hold Sunday’s round of acting auditions in the backyard.
    The cast arrived at ten o’clock. Travis was carrying a large shopping bag.
    â€œWhatcha got there, Coleman?” Susan asked.
    â€œYou’ll see,” was Travis’s cagey reply.
    Then we got down to business.
    We started with the monologues.
    Sophia, not surprisingly, chose Penelope’s romantic ode to her long-lost Odysseus. I had to admit, it was impressive. She even managed to dredge up a few tears. But she didn’t show the same vulnerable quality I’d seen in Nora.
    Teddy read for Poseidon and did a very admirable job. But since he was only eleven, his voice lacked the richness I was looking for. Austin agreed.
    â€œHe sounds too young to be a god,” he whispered to me. “But I bet he’d make a great Telemachus.”
    Spencer’s monologue was actually the prologue, or the opening lines, which set the scene for the upcoming action of the play. Members of the Greek chorus would perform these, and Spencer made the very cool choice of reading them like a circus ringmaster. It wasn’t exactly how I’d envisioned the narrators; in my mind, these characters would be more along the lines of newscasters. But Spencer’s interpretation showed great creativity.
    Gracie capitalized on her comic strengths with Circe’s monologue, and nailed it. She had everyone cracking up before she was even halfway through it.
    â€œExcellent job on the monologues!” I said when she finished. “Let’s move on to scenes.”
    The remaining actors quickly partnered up. Elle, Madeline, and Jane opted to read as a trio, doing the high-energy crazy Siren scene. I had pictured them in the roles the minute I’d seen the script, and they didn’t disappoint. My only slight concern was whether Jane could handle the song. But her presentation had improved a lot since her first singing audition, and I knew she’d work hard.
    Travis and Mackenzie had a surprise for us. They told us they were going to read a scene between Odysseus and the goddess Athena. Then they disappeared around the side of the house and returned thirty seconds later . . . in costume!
    â€œOMG!” cried Susan.
    Travis wore a long wig of black curls and bright red lipstick; Mackenzie was sporting a toga and a beard!
    â€œOkay if we do a little gender-bending?” Mackenzie asked.
    â€œGo for it!” I said.
    And they did. They were amazing . Hilarious and over-the-top, but all within the context of their characters. Seeing the graceful Mackenzie trudge around and grumble like a weary warrior was incredible, and Travis . . . he became the goddess, portraying her as a total diva.
    I glanced at Maxie, who seemed to wholeheartedly approve of their simple yet effective costuming choices.
    â€œThis could work,” Austin whispered.
    I nodded my agreement. But something was beginning to bother me. This script called for a lot more supporting roles than I’d originally realized. We would need at least four actors at any given time to play the Greek chorus, a handful for Penelope’s suitors, and then there were Odysseus’s men.
    We might have to resort to the old stage convention of casting some of the kids in dual roles, which meant we’d be giving a single actor more than one part. This could be challenging even for seasoned thespians, since they’d need to rehearse and remember twice the dialogue, twice the blocking, and twice the number of songs and dances. While I was confident our actors were equal to the task, I suddenly found myself wondering if we could possibly enlist a few more kids to take part in this epic performance.
    I’d talk about this idea with