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Conrad knew he was born to play Danny Zuko. Ever since getting the part, he’d been trying on all the black leather jackets he could find and practicing the perfect techniques for slicking back his hair. The style of the 1950s fit him perfectly, not to mention, the role of Danny fit his offstage persona of having a bit of ego. He frequently heard from directors that he needed to take it down a notch and that while Atlanta was a big city, he still wasn’t on Broadway or in Hollywood. It was community theater in the suburbs, and he should try to be more cooperative with his scene partners and not question the directors’ constructive critiques too much.
There were two uncertainties he had about the upcoming production of Grease . First, he wasn’t sure if he could put up with Devon, the director who was leading his first big production at the Applause Theater Company. (Prior to this, he’d worked with a kids’ theater program but came to community theater seeking a new challenge and to work with adults more often.) At the same time, though, Conrad had clashed with veteran directors like Randolph and Irving, so maybe a newbie would be more flexible and see his talents rather than his attitude. However, Randolph had warned him that he would one day find himself not being cast anymore if he didn’t change his attitude, and he didn’t want to risk that. He loved acting and turning into someone different in every production, and he’d busted his ass to improve his singing and dancing skills to go from an ensemble member to a consistent leading actor.
But more importantly, he was anxious to spend more time with Nicolette, the actress who’d been cast to play Sandy. He didn’t talk to her much at auditions, but he already had a crush on her. She was girl-next-door cute and had the perfect blend of innocent and sexy to get into the role. He couldn’t wait to eventually see her in head-to-toe black leather and red heels. In the meantime, though, he imagined she’d look just as cute in the long skirts and blouses that were popular in the 1950s, topped off with her hair in a high ponytail.
When he got to the theater for the first rehearsal, he saw that Nicolette had already arrived with Jessica, who was playing Frenchie. From what he knew, they’d become friends after working together in The Music Man, and now they were happy to be playing close friends onstage.
“Hey ladies,” he said, trying to win them over with his charming smile. “Nicolette, how’s my Sandy doing today?”
“It’s Nic,” she replied with emphasis. “I thought you would’ve heard me tell Devon that’s what I prefer to be called. But it seems like you were already checking me out during auditions, so I can understand if you didn’t retain that little detail.”
“Wait…how did you know?” he asked. Suddenly, he felt a little embarrassed. He never took kindly to being called out or challenged.
“You all of a sudden put down your phone and stared intently at me before I could even sing a note. And rumor has it you were trying to get Devon to cast me in the part even though I auditioned for Rizzo. I couldn’t believe he asked me to read for Sandy at callbacks.”
“Uh, yeah, I may have pulled some strings,” he admitted. He had told Devon that he felt Nic would make a great Sandy, but he never crossed the line or pushed too hard when it came to casting decisions. He always tried to respect that as the director’s call.
“Good. Because the more I try to get into Sandy’s character when I listen to her songs and watch her scenes, the more I realized I do have what it takes to play the part. I thought it was kind of sweet for you to make a push for me. It makes me look forward to working together. Although I can tell you don’t have to do much of anything to try and fit the mold of Danny.”
“I knew from the minute I saw the casting call that I didn’t want any other role.”
Nic rolled her eyes. “Well, at least I’ll have a scene partner who’s confident in himself. Because this is only, like, my second lead role. I was Julia in The Wedding Singer a couple years ago, but I’ve been in supporting or ensemble roles since then. So I’m nervous, but also excited to have another chance at the spotlight.”
“I hope I can help. And I’m glad it worked out, because you’re the one that I wanted. No pun intended.” He winked, and she and Jessica exchanged glances again and laughed before he decided to walk away. He clearly had a ways to go to win her over.
For once, though, Conrad decided he’d keep his mouth shut and focus on getting right down to business.