Opening Night Page #8

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- [Knock On Door]

- The situation remains the same.

The ads have been bought.

The money-

- [David Interrupts, Indistinct]

- Wait! The money's been spent. They're in.

I don't care if the theater's

burning down. Not now.

It's Miss Gordon.

She's on the phone.

From, uh, Miss Gordon.

What phone? What phone?

The other phone.

Backstage, upstairs.

- It's the phone you got the call

from Philadelphia on.

- All right, all right, all right.

- [Crew Members Conversing]

- Manny, I'm going out of my mind!

Be with you in a minute!

[Stage Hand]

This wall here, right?

Hello. Myrtle. Myrtle?

That son of a b*tch!

- Jimmy, come here.

- [Sarah] Is she all right?

[David]

Is she coming?

Did you talk to her?

What did she say?

- Was she sober?

- I don't think so.

Did you tell her we had search parties

out for her, the police, everybody?

- [David] Yeah, but is she all right?

- She said she was fine.

- [Sarah] What else did she say?

- Nothing.

She said she'd be here in time

to get dressed on opening night.

- Hey, what's happening?

- Well -

- [Sarah] Anything else?

- No.

What happened?

[Chattering]

[Manny]

Quarter of 7:
00.

So what if it is?

Where the hell can she be?

What difference does it make?

Either she'll be here, or she won't.

She'll be ready, or she won't.

Can't say I'm not depressed,

but it's not the end of my life.

What are we gonna do?

Say she was hit by a car?

Got pneumonia?

What do you wanna do, Sarah?

We'll just have to wait.

- Anyone?

- What the hell's the point of drinking now?

We're calm.

Depressed.

There's a difference between

being calm and being depressed.

You know, with all the pressure

the whole time we were in New Haven...

even when she went wrong,

she made me laugh.

In some crazy way, with all of

her craziness and all of her nuttiness...

it was more real for me

being up than being in it.

In some nutty way,

it seemed like something real.

I don't know

what the hell I'm talking about.

Where the hell is she?

[Sarah]

I feel rotten. Don't you?

Yeah. [Laughing] I don't think

I'm gonna celebrate or anything.

[Sarah Chuckles]

[Mutters]

- You know, we've got reputations and -

- Yeah.

- Well...

- I don't know.

you know about reputations.

As a good friend of mine once said,

reputations are money.

Yeah, Dave, I know, but I don't know

what'll cut out this lousy feeling...

of embarrassment and shame.

We -

Do you know there are people

out there waiting to see -

And you've backed many a fine play...

and I've written

a lot of good ones, you know.

[Smattering Of Rhythmic Clapping]

[Rhythmic Clapping Growing Louder]

[Clapping Continues]

Ohh!

[Muttering]

Manny!

- Kelly, she's here!

- Oh, thank God!

- [Man] What's up?

- That's all right.

Sarah! Sarah!

Christ!

Manny. Thank God. She's here.

- What?

- She's here.

All right, get everybody

out of the hallway. Now.

- Everybody?

- Now. Out.

- All right, out of the hallway, please.

- What's up?

Uh, everything's fine. She's here.

Get ready. Get your clothes on.

[Myrtle Sighs]

[Myrtle]

Manny?

I'm late.

[Clears Throat]

[Manny]

Just walk away.

Go up front.

Do whatever it is you do.

[Sighs]

All right.

I'm late.

We'll get some coffee in you.

Then we'll see.

Buddy.

[Sighs]

- Ow.

- Leave her alone, Leo. She'll get up.

Leave her alone.

Don't help her, Leo.

I said don't help her, goddamn it!

- Manny-

- Leave her alone!

Oh, horseshit!

- Get up.

- Leave her, goddamn it!

- You stay away!

- [Leo] I don't wanna hear it!

[Leo]

What does it prove?

[Exhaling]

All right, walk.

Walk.

- [Myrtle Groans]

- [Kelly Whispers] Come on.

[Leo]

Come on, hon.

You can make it. Come on.

All right, Leo, let her go.

Walk away, Leo!

[Leo]

She can't make it!

She's out.

[Groans]

[Manny]

Come on. Come on.

- All right, leave us.

- [Leo] All right, Kelly, let's go.

[Kelly]

Want me to leave?

No, no.

You're part of the family.

What the hell's the difference?

I can't believe

she'd walk in this drunk.

- Manny?

- I'm closing the show. We're closing.

- She's here. She's here! Places!

- All right!

Where's Jimmy? Jimmy!

Get the cast on.

She's here. Come on! Quickly!

[Leo]

Go around back!

She's here!

Uh, all right, everybody!

We'll be going on in a few minutes!

Five, ten, I'm not sure.

Now, get your clothes on, come downstage!

We'll be going! All right!

Everything is fine!

We'll be going out! Thank you!

Thank you!

- [Leo] Makeup?

- [Kelly Sighs]

Yes.

Sweetheart, drink this.

- [Clearing Throat]

- Hey.

[Myrtle] Oh, I'm sorry.

I'm a foolish woman.

Yeah, well, I'll bet you six-to-five

you don't make it out of this dressing room.

You make it to your second entrance,

you know who's gonna be waiting for you?

Maurice.

Embarrassing.

Now, David, I know this is crazy,

merely conjecture...

but she's drunk enough -

- I'm alone.

- I bet the audience is gonna love her.

No, I'm not alone. I'm not alone.

- I've been married.

- Leo.

- You should tell Mr. Victor, Mr. Samuels...

- I been with this guy three years.

Miss Goode, that I don't know

what to do about the audience.

- Five minutes, Jimmy. We'll be there.

- They're rowdy. The catcalls.

- [Leo] Out!

- I don't think we can hold them.

- Leave! Out!

- After that, I was just floating.

I, uh, think, uh...

we'll have to make

some kind of announcement.

[Myrtle Muttering]

I would always think of Tony.

- Leo. [Clears Throat]

- [Myrtle Continues Muttering]

[Leo]

Five minutes, Manny?

Perhaps she can do it.

[Myrtle Whispers]

I think of Tony.

I never had any children.

I don't care about 'em.

[Rhythmic Clapping Continues]

[Applause]

- Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

- [Audience Member Chuckles]

Our producer, Mr. David Samuels,

would like to say a few words to you.

[Audience Groaning,

Murmuring, Hissing]

- Mr. Samuels.

- [Audience Applauding]

Thank you.

Thank you, ladies and gentlemen.

May I - May I really apologize

for this long wait...

and, uh, thank you

for your patience.

We've had a, uh, a small disturbance

and a problem backstage...

and the curtain will go up

in a minute.

- Thank you.

- [Audience Applauding]

Okay, props in place?

Everybody ready?

Curtain going up. Places.

House lights down.

Places, please.

Curtain!

[Cheering, Applause]

[Children Shouting, Screaming]

[Tony]

Son, come here. Vito.

- Son, take this $20...

- [Sighing, Gasping]

and take these people

to the movies.

Come on, let's go! Let's move it!

Let's move it, let's move it!

Go! Let's go! Come on!

Vito! Son, come here. Vito.

Take this $20

and take these people--

[Inhales]

[Vito]

Hey, there's a woman here!

Hi. My name is Vito.

Virginia! Hey, wait a minute!

Hold it!

[Lena]

What the hell are you doing, Tony?

- [Murmuring]

- [Coughing]

[Myrtle]

Okay. Okay.

[Lena] You find out

what the hell is going on around here!

- [Whispers] I'm okay.

- [Lena] Come back in the room!

Damn him!

Been married to a nut for 15 years!

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