There is Nothing like a Dame A novel by Bronwen Welsh Copyright© 2017 & 2018 Bronwen Welsh A sequel to 'The Might-Have-Been Girl' and 'All the World's a Stage'

Chapter 24   Au revoir America

Back in our dressing room, Miriam was close to jumping up and down with excitement. She hugged me, saying: “Thank you so much Harriet, this is the best day of my life! Did you hear how they were applauding? You were amazing!”

“The applause wasn't just for me, Miriam. You and Itzak were great. I've been around long enough to know when an audience is applauding to be polite, but tonight they really loved your playing. I know there will be a lot of hard work involved, but you both have a great future to look forward to.”

“Do you really think so?” she asked. She was a sweet girl and very modest about her talent.

I smiled. “I don't want to give you a swelled head, but yes, I really think so,” I replied. “I'm looking forward to tomorrow afternoon, and I do hope we can perform together again in the future.”

Soon Rebecca and Magnolia arrived to congratulate us both. Once we had changed, we made our way to Itzak's dressing room where Reggie, Hiram and Menachem were waiting. Both the young people were so pumped that I was concerned that they would have difficulty sleeping that night. We agreed that celebrations should be delayed until after the matinée performance the following day.

Rebecca and Menachem had decided that it was better for Miriam and Itzak to sleep in their own beds even though it meant an hour's drive home. I was certainly in agreement with that, so we parted company until the following morning. Henry drove us back to the Thompsons' house and after a warm drink we retired to bed.

The following morning, after a late breakfast we returned ot the theatre. I didn't have time the previous night to check with Miranda about the show, but it seems she thought it had all gone well and there was no need to change anything. The Rabinovichs arrived about eleven o'clock and I was pleased to see that the two youngsters were a lot calmer, and looked relaxed and rested. We had a light lunch in the local café and returned to the theatre to prepare for the afternoon's performance.

Just after we had put on our costumes we were told that two young men from the 'East Devon Gazette' had arrived. They were the same two that came to the Thompsons' after the fire. Obviously, working for a small town newspaper, the few members of staff have to handle any story. Tom, the photographer asked if we would go onto the stage to that he could shoot a few pictures of us pretending to perform. Then Gerald, or Gerry as he preferred to be called, interviewed us about our backgrounds and the performance program. There were a few empty seats left, so they were invited to stay for the recital, and I was pleased when they accepted.

When we returned to the dressing room to wait for the performance to start, I recommended to Miriam and Itzak that they start a scrap book or folder and keep all their reviews just as I did.

“It's great to look back on them in the future,” I said. “My mum used to carefully preserve them all for me.”

“Doesn't she still do it?” asked Miriam.

“She passed away not too long ago,” I replied, and of course Miram blushed bright red.

“I'm so sorry!' she gasped.

“Don't feel bad,” I said. “You weren't to know. My sister Emma does it for me now. She's an actress too, but she's taking extended leave to bring up her family. My brother-in-law David is a stage director, so you can see that we are a very theatrical family.”

I could see she was dying to ask me another question but didn't want to put her foot in it again, so I answered it for her.

“I don't have any children, but my husband, Reggie, had a daughter, Stella, with his former wife who was killed in a car accident. That makes me a stepmother, not a term I like since they've always had bad press since 'Cinderella'.”

They both smiled at that, which lightened the mood.

“Stella's currently living with Emma and David, since with Reggie at university and me spending so much time at Stratford, it's a more stable environment for her. We do go and see her a lot.”

Just then we heard the five minute warning announcement, the performance was about to start.

I had been surprised to hear that the Thompsons had decided to attend the second performance. Andrea wasn't present, which didn't offend me at all, and Reggie took her seat. The poor man felt obliged to sit through another performance even though I told him that he could sit in my dressing room and study if he wished. I can't deny it was nice to see him there in the front row.

The recital went well. Of course no two performances are exactly the same, and neither are two audiences. They always react differently to various parts of the show which is surprising when you think that they are made up of hundreds of individuals. I had modified my opening joke to comment that I thought all of the Thompsons' relatives had been present the previous night, but here were even more! I felt a bit more relaxed about my song since the first performance went so well, and at the end of the recital the applause matched that of the previous night, and we received another standing ovation. I thought that we should get a good write-up in the local paper.

After the performance and changing out of our stage clothes, Hiram took us all to the best restaurant in East Devon for a light meal and insisted on paying. Miriam and Itzak were still buzzing with excitement after their first two professional shows. Since neither of them was yet a professional performer, both Hiram and I had given a cheque to their father to be used for their further musical education.

I also gave Miriam the gift of a purse and Itzak a wallet as a memento of the occasion. These were gifts that I had brought over from England in case of suitable occasions that required them, and nothing was better than this weekend. They promised to stay in touch, and I privately asked Miriam if she could email me the date of their recital. I couldn't promise anything since I might be involved in a play in England, but I said I would try to come over for it if I possibly could.

Both of the young people said that after hearing my recitations as Juliet they wished they could have seen me perform at Tanglewood. I mentioned that I had a video recording made during the ISCs international tour and promised to send them a copy. Then Magnolia asked for one too, so I said I would arrange for two NTSC copies when I returned to England.

“Did I hear a rumour that you are playing another season of 'Romeo and Juliet' with Richard Jenkins in Stratford later in the year?” asked Hiram.

I had deliberately not mentioned it since while I knew that Hiram and Magnolia could take a plane to England any time they liked, I didn't know if Rebecca and Menachem could afford to do so, especially if they were taking Miriam and Itzak. However I had been asked the question so I had to reply.

“Yes, that's right, it will be in September. It might be my last season as Juliet; I'm getting a bit old to pretend to be a fourteen year-old girl.”

“I've got a great idea,” said Hiram, looking at the Rabinovichs. “Why don't all six of us fly over to see Harriet perform? It will be my treat.”

No prizes for guessing their response to that!

“Just one thing Harriet, promise me you won't attempt to fly again!” said Hiram, and we all laughed.

“I promise!” I replied.

After our meal finished and hugs and kisses all round, the Rabinovichs returned to Albany and the Thompsons, Reggie and I had to return to the theatre for the final performance of 'Romeo and Juliet' where I would be making my 'cameo performance' as 'Chorus'. I was pleased to see that the Tanglewood performance seemed to have boosted Julie's confidence greatly, and she certainly deserved the applause at the conclusion of the show.

Miranda appeared on the stage after the final curtain call and was very generous in her praise of my contribution to the season, as well as mentioning that I would soon be returning to England, but they hoped to see me in East Devon again in the future. Naturally, she also made mention of Hiram's rôle in supporting the theatre company and once more he stood and acknowledged the applause. I was tempted to suggest to Miranda that she find a part for him as a 'spear carrier' or similar in one of the plays as I was sure he would enjoy it.

And so my time in America came to an end. One thing that I've failed to mention was my introduction with Miranda's approval of a couple of 'relaxed performances' of 'Much Ado About Nothing' during the season. These are performances where people can attend who might otherwise not be able to, since, due to the lack of a baby-sitter or similar, they need to bring along babies, small children or a relative with a mental impairment who might not adhere to normal theatre etiquette and may cry or call out. I don't claim to have invented this, in fact I first came across it at Shakespeare's Globe theatre in London where it was originally trialled with great success and is now an established part of each play's season.

One bonus for the players was the need to think on their feet and be prepared to engage with the audience. For example I remember at one performance a young man with Downs' syndrome calling out to Beatrice “I love you!” and she replied “Thank you so much and thank you for coming to see us today.” His response was “You're welcome.”

The trial was equally successful in East Devon, with many people writing or ringing the theatre to say how much they enjoyed the rare opportunity to attend a performance and before I left I was assured that they would continue the practice.

There was one final event to attend and this was the 'end of season' dinner in which Hiram took over the whole of the best local restaurant for the evening, and all the cast and crews of both plays attended. The food was great, and so was the drink. Speeches were made and I received many compliments for my work. I replied with a brilliant speech, well at least I think it was brilliant, but since I like most of the other participants had consumed a few glasses of wine, I doubt if anyone remembers what I said, I certainly don't!

Reggie and I would be flying back together of course, and since I has a First Class ticket while he had flown over in Economy, I worked out that the best solution was for me to phone the airline and exchange my ticket for Business Class while upgrading Reggie's, and paying the difference in value for the seats. Thus we were able to fly while seated together.

The evening before we left there was a special dinner at the Thompsons' and everyone on the staff attended. Ellen excelled herself with the food and I remarked that she was making it very hard for us to go back to my 'home cooking', and Reggie's 'bachelor cuisine' when I wasn't home. This led to a great deal of laughter. So that Ellen could participate in the meal herself, a friend of hers and I'm told a magnificent cook in her own right, was brought in to assist her.

Just for the record, what we were served was a fruit cup topped with lemon gelave (Italian gelatin), a tossed Cobb salad, prime beef rib au jus, potatoes au gratin and fresh asparagus. For dessert we had Baked Alaska and to finish, espresso coffee with Sambuca liqueur Adding that to the wine served with the meal (I was pleased to see Henry drank mineral water and abstained from the Sambuca), even though I drank sparingly, I was asleep the moment my head hit the pillow.

Hiram and Magnolia spoke about how much they had enjoyed having us stay and that we must stay with them again if we were ever in that part of the world. Hiram complimented me again on my work with the theatre company, saying the difference in their performance standard was amazing. In return I said that I'm sure that was in part due to Miranda's influence as I knew she hadn't been there very long.

I distributed small gifts to all the staff except for Henry as I was intending to get him some single malt whisky on the way to the airport. I promised to stay in touch. When I had a moment alone with Hiram I told him that if it was possible I would come back for Miriam and Itzak's recital.

“I can't promise to fly over as I might be working, but I'd certainly like to come and support them,” I said. “If I do, now that I know the area a bit, I'll make my own way to East Devon and stay in a hotel. I'm sure I'll see you at the recital.”

“Nonsense,” he replied. “I'd never forgive myself, and neither would Magnolia, if we didn't send Henry to pick you up and provide accommodation for you, even if it's only for a couple of days.”

“That's very kind of you,” I replied. “I really feel I'm imposing on your generosity.”

“Harriet, you've done so much for my theatre company, it's the least we can do.”

So we left it at that.

The following morning we were up early and after breakfast and hugs all round, Henry brought 'Annabel' around to the front door and loaded our suitcases into the boot (although of course I referred to it as the 'trunk' to him). Ellen came running out with a package and when I asked her what it was she said: “B&M Boston Baked Beans”! After more hugs, we got into the car and started on the three hour trip to Boston. Reggie was in the front seat for the first half of the journey, changing over with me for the second half. At our half-way break, I bought a bottle of single malt whisky for Henry to give to him when we reached Boston. The journey passed without incident, and chatting away happily and enjoying the scenery, it seemed to be completed in no time. I knew I was going to miss America, but I was also looking forward to getting back home and seeing the rest of the family.

At the airport, I presented Henry with his gift before we left 'Annabel'. He insisted on accompanying us into the airport and wheeling in our suitcases on a trolley to the check-in desk. Before we left him I gave him a hug and Reggie shook his hand as we thanked him for transporting us around. On presenting our Business Class tickets, to my surprise we were upgraded to First Class. I don't think the check-in staff recognised me, but we were dressed smartly and perhaps that helped. Of course, since Hiram knew what I had done with the tickets, there's always a chance he had a hand in the upgrade, but I'll never know for sure.

The flight back was very comfortable as you'd expect. Arriving in Manchester, we took a taxi to Piccadilly Railway Station, and from there, the train to York, which took about an hour and a quarter. Then it was another taxi back to our flat. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the flat was very tidy. I know that most men, even Reggie, tend to be a bit more casual than women as far as keeping a home clean and tidy goes, but he had obviously made a special effort. I sent him out to get some basic food; bread, milk and eggs, while I started to unpack the suitcases. When he returned, he was also carrying a bunch of flowers which was such a nice gesture. What's not to love about that man?

Despite dozing on the flight and the train, we were still ready for bed quite early in the evening. I couldn't really blame jet-lag since York is five hours ahead of Boston, so I'll just put it down to the fact that travelling is tiring. I can't deny that it was nice to snuggle up together in our own bed again.

To be continued.

Many thanks once again to Louise Ann and Julia Phillips for spotting my 'typos', thus allowing me to correct them before publishing. A special thank-you to Karen Lockhart, a native of New England who has provided me with local knowledge, menus and correct American idioms for this series of chapters while Harriet visited the United States.