Chapter Text
“Now! Please, will everybody sit down, ” Chris raised his voice over the hubbub. “No. No. Dennis. Dennis, there’s a spare chair down at the front, yes. There we go.” The director shook his head, as his unruly cast took their seats and Dennis was convinced not to sit on the floor next to Max but to use the perfectly available chair in the row in front. Cast announcements always got like this, everybody full of a cocktail of nerves and excitement, each convinced that this time they would get the starring role that they deserved. Max had been thinking about this meeting all week, day-dreaming about how it would go and how brilliant it would be if this time he actually did get to be the lead role. He had worked so hard for his audition, surely it had to be better than the last time?
“Alright everybody. We have a lot to get through today, I know this is all very exciting.” Chris paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. Everyone just stared up at him, waiting for him to speak again. Slightly deflated, he continued. “You should all have had a little time to process the big news. We, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society, have been chosen to have our production of Peter Pan staged live for the BBC.” Pride threatened to burst right out of him, at the thought of their big break.
“Many thanks to Max’s Aunt.” Robert added. Chris scowled at him. Max didn’t notice the accusation of nepotism in his tone, and simply smiled instead as a few of the other cast members looked at him with interest.
“So. The BBC have told me that they will be arranging for us to have a special guest star as our narrator.” Chris’ lips grew thin. “Apparently of the shortlist I suggested, nobody has managed to get back to them yet. But following all of your …” Chris paused, and shared a slightly frantic glance with Robert, “Robust and enthusiastic auditions, we have decided the cast will be as follows.”
Max glanced to his left, where Sandra was sitting in the row behind him. He crossed his fingers as subtly as he could manage. Luckily everyone else had taken an inhale of breath and leaned forwards in their seats, too rapt with attention at the thought of their roles to notice.
“I,” Chris said, pointing to his chest with great grandeur, “Will be playing Mr Darling and Captain Hook.” Robert cast him a sharp look.
“Jonathan, you will be Peter-” Max sank a little in his chair, as everyone else congratulated Jonathan.
“Sandra will be Wendy.” Well that was inevitable, Sandra was the most beautiful, talented actress in the whole company, Max thought to himself. He’d been utterly sure she would be Wendy right from the moment it was announced.
“Max will be playing Michael Darling, and we need you to play the Crocodile too please Max.” Max nodded, and gave a thumbs up to his director, but his smile was a muted one. He had so hoped he might get to play Peter. He never seemed to get the hero roles, only ever the sidekick. At least the Crocodile might be fun? He could have a brilliant costume, and get to eat the evil Captain Hook at the end! He’d still have plenty of scenes with Sandra of course, so it shouldn’t be so bad?
By the time he had recovered from this, they had moved on.
“Dennis?” Robert was asking, in disbelief. “Really? You’re going to give Dennis more lines than me?” Luckily Dennis was too busy asking Annie who John was to be offended.
“Robert, nobody’s going to believe you’re a seven year old boy!” Chris hissed an aside to the other man.
“Well no one’s going to believe Max is a four year old either, are they?” Robert shot back. Max looked around a bit blankly after hearing his name, and smiled up at Chris and Robert who were both looking at him. Chris gave a smug little nod to Robert, who pursed his lips. “Well. Alright, maybe.”
“Besides Robert, you’re the only one with the dance training who can manage being Peter’s shadow.”
Robert preened slightly at that. He had been loudly proclaiming his dance training for weeks leading up to auditions.
“And…” Chris tried to give him a meaningful look as he jerked his head towards Dennis, “I’m probably going to need some help handling some of the less experienced cast.”
“Aaaaaah.” Robert nodded his understanding, tapping his nose in a way that was not at all subtle. “With you.”
“Anyway,” Chris tried to steer them back round to the actual conversation. So Robert, you will be playing Nana. And Peter’s Shadow. And Mr Starkey.” He had really hoped they might get some interest from other cast members to actually make life easier this time, but even the promise of a live televised performance and proper sets hadn’t been enough to tempt new members.
“While Robert’s niece, Lucy, will be helping us out by playing Tootles the Lost Boy, and Tiger Lil- wait, no that doesn’t work.” Chris frowned suddenly at his clipboard. “No, sorry they’ll be on stage together. Lucy will be playing Tootles and Tinker- no. ” Oh he could have sworn he’d worked this all out on his spreadsheet! “No sorry, not Tinkerbell. Tootles and Eliza! Yes, Eliza, the Darling’s housemaid.”
“Uh, Chris.” Robert was shaking his head. “I … I really wouldn’t. I don’t know if she could handle the housemaid part really.”
Max didn’t think this was quite fair, given that half of the time Lucy seemed quite good! She just suffered a bit of stage fright. He glanced over his shoulder, as Robert and Chris began to negotiate. Jonathan and Sandra were chatting excitedly, and had turned to face each other in their seats. He felt a gentle stab in his stomach at the sight of it, but everyone turned back to the front of the room as Chris finished haggling with Robert and yelled, “Alright! Alright! So…”
The director cast an annoyed look at Robert. “Lucy will be playing just Tootles. Which means that Annie will be playing…”
He looked down to consult his cast list, and grimaced. “Mrs Darling and Eliza the housemaid… and Tinkerbell, Tiger Lily and Mr Cecco the Pirate.” Chris gave Robert a pointed look, but Robert seemed to ignore it completely.
For a moment everyone sat in silence. Max’s eyes glanced sideways to where Annie was sitting, her face in a very uncomfortable looking smile, eyes wide and slightly horrified.
“But we shall all rise to the task I am sure.” As ever, Chris soldiered on. “Now, Trevor, as usual, will be our stage manager and in charge of props. Vanessa will be helping him, and helping with the costumes.” Vanessa, standing at the back of the room next to Trevor, cast a few frightened looking glances between Trevor and Chris.
“It’ll be fine, don’t worry, I’ll show ya how to do it, it’s all dead easy” Trevor reassured her.
“But we will also be working with the BBC, who will be commissioning the sets, and running the cameras on the night. They’ve even offered to let us have some sessions to rehearse the aerial work!” Chris was particularly pleased about this. Finally, a production with some actual effects! No more simply pretending to fly about a room, but actual flight! “They have also provided us,” Chris paused for dramatic effect, “With a video recorder! So that we can record exclusive behind the scenes content, and give the audience a chance to see what really goes on here at the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society.”
“Ooh!” Robert’s hand shot up so fast it almost pulled him out of his seat.
“Yes, Robert. If you would like to be in charge of collecting behind the scenes footage that’s fine.”
“Yessss.” Robert beamed smugly, folding his arms across his chest.
“Now. Does anybody have any quest…” Chris closed his eyes for a second and put one hand on his hip, awaiting the inevitable. “Yes, Dennis?”
“I forgot who you said I was playing.
“You’re John, Dennis. And Mr Smee.” Chris gave a very thin-lipped smile.
“But I don’t remember there being a Dennis in Peter Pan?”
“No, Dennis! You’re not playing Dennis, you are Dennis. You’re playing John Darling, and Smee!”
“Ok … sweetheart?” Dennis looked around in confusion.
“No! Not John darling. ” The tendon’s in Chris’ jaw stood out as he clenched it. “John Darling. The character is called John Darling. It’s Wendy, Michael and John Darling, they’re all Darlings do you get it?”
“Well that’s nice.”
“ No! It’s the surname, Dennis. They’re all called Darling's, it's the Darling family! And you’re playing John. You’re also playing Smee. ”
“I’m playing you?”
“ SMEE! Not ME !” Chris groaned.
“Really, Chris?” This was Robert, of course, who was shaking his head in amazement at Dennis.
It took Chris several minutes to try and get this across to Dennis. Max turned to Annie, who still looked a little in shock, as she gazed off into the middle distance. “Looks like you got some good parts!” He smiled.
“Oh, uh. Yeah, yeah.” Annie blinked. “And you! You get to be Michael, and the Crocodile, everybody loves those two!”
Max liked that about Annie, she always saw the good side in things. “Oh, well it’s no Peter, but it should all be good fun!” He couldn’t help but cast a glance at where Sandra was sitting, laughing at something Jonathan had said. There was that funny stabbing feeling in his stomach again.
“Right.” Chris smoothed his hair. “Now, I’m going to go and get the scripts, and I want you to spend this week going through them and highlighting all of your lines. Then we’ll be able to do a read-through next week. But in the meantime, we also need to go over the schedule, and if anyone has booked any last minute holidays again, they need to tell me now. I will not have a repeat of last year.”