He was coasting on emotions he was creating in the audience, lifted high on the laughter, steadied by the rapt silence. They were out there in the dark, listening to the story being woven for them.Doug had been right; the audience had made the difference. From the moment they’d come into the hall and he’d heard the footsteps and the buzz of talk, he’d felt part of some magic that was about to start. It had compensated for his lack of sleep and made him forget what a nasty piece of humanity he had become – on that stage he was Sebastian, loyal friend to Antonio, brother of Viola, lover and husband of Olivia. A man to look up to.He hadn’t even minded the warm-up, and once they’d had a last pep talk from Finlay, he’d wanted to rush on stage straight away. How come nobody had told him about this high?Sure, there were sticky moments, but the whole play bowled along. The audience laughed when they should and listened intently when they needed to. Ten minutes in he forgot the spectre of somebody ‘outing’ him.Even when he wasn’t on the stage he enjoyed the camaraderie, standing silently in the wings with the others.The applause at the end of the play was hearty and fully meant, and they did three sets of bows before the curtains finally closed and he was suddenly part of a back-slapping, hugging mêlée.
What do You think about The First Time I Saw Your Face?
