And All that Jazz

Charlotte Hart always wanted to be in show business, specifically theater. She'd always been captivated by the shows her grandmother took her to from the time she was three years old, and now she'd get to go behind the scenes.

She was 16 years old, which at Grand River High School meant you had to career shadow by spending a day working at a real job. The workers in the community were very supportive of this experience, and the Star Theater agreed to let Charlotte come over for a few hours. She spent longer than usual getting ready for the day that morning, curling her hair, doing her make-up, and choosing an outfit she was sure would be as glamorous as those of the actresses. At 10:00 she struggled over to the theater in her new black high heels she had bought just for this occasion.

When she walked in the theater, she was met by a smiling, handsome young man who introduced himself as William "Just Call me Will" Clemcy.

"I'm the director. Right now we're working on Chicago. You seen that?" he asked, looking over at Charlotte as they walked to the rehearsal area. Charlotte nodded her head, amused that he could think for a minute that she hadn't seen it ten times.

"Right. You didn't have to get so dressed up you know." He was only wearing a pair of faded jeans and an old blue sweater himself.

"I always dress like this." She lied, embarrassed. Will smiled.

"It looks nice. Well, here's where the actors are practicing. You wanted to be an actress, right?" She shook her head yes and he unlocked the door.

To say she was disappointed would be an understatement. It was a plain, white room with dull gray flooring, and she could see all the dust in the corners. The actors were practicing a dance—the choreography was new, so Charlotte wasn't sure of which one—in their sweatpants and tank tops, looking utterly and appallingly normal.

"I should've known they didn't wear their costumes all the time," she thought, but she couldn't shake off that initial feeling of unwanted surprise.

The actors waved hello but otherwise ignored her.

"Whadya think? Want to watch for a while, or see the set, or what?" Will asked. Charlotte quickly put away her disappointment and tried to appreciate the actors as hard workers, instead of objects of glamor, but it was difficult after so long with a set image.

"Can I see the rest of this dance and then see the set?" Will agreed, so they stayed until the dance was over and went over to the stage.

"This is the set we're rehearsing today. We have more, and more props coming, and some digital effects too, but this is the one we're using today. You'll get to see everyone in their costumes."

Charlotte gazed at the set. It was the nightclub where "And All That Jazz" takes place. The tables and chairs were that kind of plastic made to look like wood, and the fake stage was almost pitifully short. There was a bar just placed right on the side, as if to establish this set was in fact supposed to be a "whoopee spot."

"I think it's great!" She said, meaning to impress with her liking of what was supposedly a great set. She supposed it was, but it just didn't look like it looked when you were sitting in the third row, watching the play.

"Yeah, it is, isn't it? We're going to have some smoke, 'cause, you know, people smoked a lot back then and it'll give it a nightclub feel, and some blue gels for that look." She nodded her head even though she had no clue what a gel was, or what Will meant exactly by "that look."

A little while later, the actors came on set in full costume to practice the scene. The outfits and jewelry, so beautiful when seen from afar, looked cheaply made and fake up close. She pretended to admire them.

"This whole play is nothing but rhinestones, glitter, and sequins! The actors, the sets—everything!" she thought. Will took her arm.

"Come on. We're going to see how it'll look to the audience." He started taking her down to the orchestra level seats of plush velvet, and Charlotte began to panic a little. How could she hide her disappointment when she saw how fake the musical looked? She sat down next to Will and the lights dimmed.

The lights shined on the stage with a spectacular blue, and it really did look like a nightclub or a bar. The jewelry looked real again, and the actors sang and danced like it was effortless, contrary to the miserable image Charlotte saw of them sweating and getting tired.

"No, I'm no one's wife but, Oh! I love my life and all that jazz!" The actress belted.

Will turned to Charlotte.

"Well?"

"That was amazing!" She said, and she really meant it. She realized that it didn't matter if everything was smoke and mirrors, glitter and glam, as long as it looked real in the end.

"Good. We try to make it look as real as possible and still give the audience the old razzle dazzle." He winked and nudged Charlotte with his elbow as she giggled."

"I think I like all the razzle dazzle."