♛ | OPEN LOG : 'Like Clockwork' performances [5/24 & 5/25]

[had_not_lived]

When; Evenings of Thursday, May 24th and Friday, May 25th
Rating; presumably PG?
Characters; Everyone and everyone involved with or coming to watch the play!
Summary; Log for the performances of Like Clockwork. Backstage or out front, before or after - just label the when and where in threads please :3

Log;

Before the show, of course, things are abuzz backstage with last-minute fixes and bits of preparation, wardrobe tweaks (inevitably someone always manages to tear something,) murmurs of excitement and nerves and admonitions to break legs. The sets are in place, the lights ready, the actors and actresses waiting in the wings for that moment when the curtains swing open and, for a brief span, they become other people entirely.

It's too much to hope for it to go off entirely without a hitch, but it goes well, and as far as Neil can judge, at least, it's well received. After the last bows, there's always laughter and shouting (Neil loudest of all,) as everyone wriggles out of their costumes and rubs the worst of the makeup off and gets ready to find their friends out front.

Comments

BACKSTAGE / OPEN | Opening Night, Pre-Show

[had_not_lived]

Neil doesn't do stage fright. It's not exactly that he's confident; it just never occurs to him that there's anything to be frightened of. Crowds in the audience aren't a threat; they're there to share in something wonderful, something he's a part of, something he's helping to create.

Tonight, though, he's considerably more nervous than usual-- he's got a bit more invested. It is, after all, the premiere of a new play, written by his closest friend, about the City itself-- a thrilling prospect, but a little nervewracking, too.

Still, he's all smiles and anticipation backstage, waiting.

BACKSTAGE / OPEN | Opening Night, Pre-Show

[skintoskin]

This Neil isn't sure why he volunteered for a part in the play. He's nervous, even though his role is small. His role is that of someone in the street who is also cursed and he only has a few lines. He's standing in his 'costume', which is some version of 'regular clothing' that isn't so outlandish that he can hide behind it.

The young man looks at the floor and goes over his lines.

[had_not_lived]

Part of his job, as he sees it, is getting everyone else up to his level of enthusiasm. Or, at least, the closest approximation possible. He's grinning as he walks over, hoping his confidence will be infectious, since Neil looks nervous.

"Excited?"

[skintoskin]

"Uh... " Ot wasn't the word he'd have used, but it'd do. "Yeah, excited. Really, really excited."

[had_not_lived]

"See, that's the spirit."

He grins, trying to seem reassuring without... well, overtly reassuring Neil, since that would be tacitly admitting to the possibility that anything could go wrong. He prefers to work on the assumption that things will go perfectly; not that it matters if they don't, but not considering failure means not dwelling on it.

[skintoskin]

Neil takes a deep breath and looks up at the other Neil with wide, blue eyes. "And terrified. Really kinda terrified. In an 'I think I was a tree in a school play in grade three' type of way and 'Shit, how am I going to actually say my fuckin' lines with people watching?'"

Lobby; Open; Opening night, post-show

[lookjustlike]

[Teddy doesn't take long to change, especially since getting rid of his vampire fangs is just a matter of shifting them away. The high immediately following curtain is starting to lessen--not much but enough that he's a little nervous what people thought and considers waiting around backstage for Billy to come find him instead of walking out, but he shakes that idea off and heads out. Everything seemed to go well, right? He only forgot a few of his lines.]

Lobby; Open; Opening night, post-show

[had_not_lived]

[Grinning like a fool (which is more or less his usual expression,) Neil waves eagerly as Teddy passes by on his way out towards the front of the house.]

You were great!

[He is maybe a biased authority, but he means it.]

Lobby // Open | Second Night, Post-show

[anunluckypenny]

The second night goes even better than the first--or so Penny imagines. Perhaps the satisfaction of not messing up any lines this time colors her judgment slightly.

In spite of curses and trying to juggle work at the Welcome Center and familiarizing herself with the Youth Center, Penny doesn't regret doing the show. Pretending to be someone else (especially someone who isn't at all like her) for a while has been a nice escape. Although the show is officially over, she has a very genuine smile in her face as she chats her way through the lobby, shyness banished by the buzz of being on stage.

[had_not_lived]

Seeing his castmates smiling is, perhaps, one of the best parts of doing this; and at the least, staying caught up in the moment, will stave off the inevitable sadness that it's all over.

"Penny!" he calls with an answering grin, waving as she passes.

[anunluckypenny]

"Hey, Neil," she replies, backtracking slightly and offering him a hand to shake. "You were amazing--even better than last night."

[had_not_lived]

He grabs her hand with both of his, too excited to contain it. "You were fantastic yourself!" he practically crows, squeezing her hand. "Congratulations!"

[anunluckypenny]

She reddens, either from pleased embarrassment or the residual rush of performing, and abandons the handshake for a hug. "Well, thank you, and thank you so much for letting me be in it. I had a really great time."

Some of that had to do with the other actors. Penny rather likes Neil and his boundless enthusiasm (she doesn't even think of him as Tiny Wilson anymore).

[had_not_lived]

"So you'll come back for the next one, right?"

Grinning, he hugs her back, a little flushed himself though that's hardly unusual. At times like this he's all energy and enthusiasm, daydreaming about the next production and the one after that.

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[mumbled_truth]

It's over.

He wrote a play, and people - other people - took it and made it happen and acted out the words that he'd written, played the story that he'd made up. It was nerve-wracking, terrifying, horribly exposing having his writing put out there on display for the entire City that way.

But it was also exhilarating - enough so that not only is he relieved that it's over and he's made it through, but a small rush has even come over him.

So as he stands in the lobby, quietly occupying a corner out of the way and watching people make their way through as he tries to escape too much notice (though he is polite and gracious when he is approached), there's a hint of a smile on his face, enough to be noticeable if you look for it.

If worst came to worst and the audience thought it was terribly written and hated it, everyone in the cast and crew seemed to have fun bringing it together. Even that's more than he'd dared to hope for.

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[had_not_lived]

It takes him a while to get out of costume and through the crowds, but as soon as he's in the lobby, Neil casts a glance around and makes a beeline for Todd. He's only half-listening to the running commentary of the audience as they file out-- mostly good, as far as he can gauge-- much more intent on making his way through it.

As a rule, they tend to be rather reserved in public; but, he thinks, this is a special occasion, one on which a bit of exuberance wouldn't be amiss even if they were merely roommates.

Which is why, as soon as he's close enough, Neil more or less tackles Todd with an enormous hug.

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[mumbled_truth]

The hug takes him by surprise; he almost panics (after all, they are in public), before it registers that it's is just a hug.

Of course, they're not as completely secretive as they used to be, but that doesn't mean they're exactly public either. Certainly not with displays of affection. But a hug is normal even for friends, and under these circumstances, it's almost an expected response - especially from someone as enthusiastic as Neil.

So Todd laughs when he's seized, a loud and somewhat startled noise, and then he returns the hug. It's mostly because he does want to return it, but it also helps to keep him on his feet in spite of the essential tackling.

"Hi."

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[had_not_lived]

The way Neil sees it, he's been occasionally flinging himself at Todd like this since long before they thought about getting together; so it can't be entirely out of place. Especially under the circumstances. He's quietly glad, though, that Todd doesn't panic-- he felt that moment of tension-- since that might have given them away.

"What did you think? Wasn't it fantastic?"

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[mumbled_truth]

"I think... everyone in it was great."

The smile that accompanies that is slightly mischievous. He's being honest, of course; he thought everyone did very well, and even if he didn't think his writing was necessarily bad, he'll never feel comfortable boasting about it. (Of course, even admitting it might be good counts as boasting.)

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[had_not_lived]

"Well, with such a phenomenal script, how could we be anything but?"

Smirking, he elbows Todd gently in the side. Neil will happily boast for the both of them; and doubly so for his brilliant playwright of a best friend.

"I'm glad you liked it,"

he adds, a bit more quietly, his smile softer. Todd's approval is more important than anyone else's in most cases, but this is even more crucial; anything less than the best would be an insult, after Todd wrote and shared and let him use the words. And, if there's anyone in the world he wants to impress...

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[othersdie]

Immediately after the final show and before the lobby has a chance to get too full, Justin leaves the relative quiet of backstage (which, honestly, is where he feels he ought to be during shows, not on stage) to seek Todd out. Try as he might to be invisible, the writer is still easy enough to locate.

"What do you think?" Justin asks as he sneaks up next to him.

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[mumbled_truth]

He doesn't really mind being noticed by some people, and Justin is certainly among them. He glances over as his fellow introvert sneaks up, and lets the slight smile widen just a bit.

"Well," He gives a tiny shrug, "I think the actors were fantastic."

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[othersdie]

"They did justice to the script, for the most part," Justin counters. Todd's not going to get out of compliments so easily. He truly did write a good script, and it took courage to allow Neil to produce it. Even if the play itself had been terrible, Justin would still admire Todd's boldness.

He hesitates before offering Todd a cut orchid. It has a large, yellow bloom touched with deep reds in the center and fading to white at the petals' extremities--one of Justin's, most likely. "I-I realize that, traditionally, flowers are for performers, but..."

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[mumbled_truth]

Todd shrugs off the compliment; perhaps he hesitates too long on coming up with a retort, given the fact that he's presented with an orchid before he has a chance to verbally dismiss the praise.

"I-- um," He takes it, of course, smiling as he exhales a short, quiet breath of a laugh - flustered, not mocking. "I don't really know what to say... uh. Thank you. I appreciate it, traditional or not."

Lobby ; Open ; Second Night, Post-Show

[othersdie]

Or perhaps the orchid is purposely presented before Todd can challenge said compliment. Justin's on to his game.

He nods, visibly uncertain if giving flowers is acceptable. Todd doesn't appear to be bothered, though. "You deserve it--for seeing your script through."