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MAUDE’S BROADWAY DEBUT had finally arrived and she faced it with thrilled excitement.
Grace, however, was an entirely different story.
“So much makeup!” Grace cried, horrified as she stared at her face in the dressing room of the Wolholen Theater.
“You’ll get used to it.” Maude pulled Grace’s hand from her face. “Don’t touch it or you’ll have to start all over again.
“Maude, I’m terrified.”
“Feeling otherwise would be abnormal.”
“You look calm.”
“I’m not frightened, but I’m excited. You should’ve seen me before my very first performance though. I couldn’t stay still. And I messed up big time. That won’t happen to you,” she added quickly.
“Gee, Maude, got any other words of encouragement?”
“Have fun. That’s the most important thing.”
A light knock at the door interrupted their conversation.
“Come in!” Maude called out, checking her afro was perfectly round.
Mrs. Heaton walked in, clutching her bag nervously.
Grace’s jaw dropped. “Maude, did you ...”
“I did no such thing. I’ll leave you two to talk.”
“No, stay.” Grace held Maude’s arm like one would a lifejacket in stormy waters.
“I’ll stay.” Maude brushed Grace’s pale hand with tenderness and protectiveness.
“I won’t stay long,” Mrs. Heaton gripped her bag tighter. “You look beautiful, Grace. I-I’m real proud of you.”
“Thank you.”
“Your dad doesn’t know what he’s missing. I don’t think I did either.” She inhaled, exhaled, and looked at her daughter with a great sorrow in her eyes. “I blamed so much on you. But the truth is, we were having problems, many problems, before he had the heart attack. The heart attack was a wakeup call and he said he wouldn’t waste another minute on a marriage that was broken. I never told you. I was so ashamed. I preferred to burden you with the guilt you didn’t deserve. It was easier on me. I’m not one to be brave through hardship. Grace, I’m so sorry. Do you think you could ever forgive me? Would you consider moving back in?”
Tears welled up in Grace’s eyes.
“Oh, mommy! I won’t ever leave you again!” She jumped off her seat and rushed to her mother. Her touch left a warmth on Maude’s arm and she looked at the reunited family with happiness, but also a hint of nostalgia.
Her work with Grace had ended and the girl’s departure would leave a void.
With a heavy heart, Maude quietly exited the dressing room and fetched the makeup artist.
“Grace will be needing a touch-up.”
“How bad is it?” she asked warily.
“Let’s just say, there are lots of tears involved.”
The makeup artist grumbled, and entered the room with resignation.
Before the performance began, Grace joined Maude.
“I know you’re about to go onstage, but I had to tell you. Thank you. I’m dedicating this performance to you.”
She kissed Maude on the cheek and disappeared behind the scenes just as the curtain lifted.
As Maude faced the crowd, like she’d done numerous times, she found peace.
And that’s when the fun began.
Soon, she was caught in a whirlwind of songs, color, and dance. Violet’s arrival in New York, her newfound employment as a French nanny, her growing attraction for Lorenzo.
Maude lived each moment through the lenses of her own experiences. When she sang Je T’aime Means I Love You, she did not see Thomas.
Her eyes instead rested on the young man with gray eyes sitting in the front row.
She sang the first verse with heartfelt emotion.
An intense feeling,
That I cannot hide.
A painful passion,
I can’t keep inside.
Should I repress?
Should I let you guess?
Should I confess?
As she looked at him, she realized how much she wished to leave the past behind and build a future with Matt. With these feelings in mind, she sang the chorus and professed her feelings in the language of love that they both spoke.
Je t’aime means I love you.
Do you feel that you love me too?
Will ‘I’ become a ‘we’?
Will you say non or oui ?
She continued with the French verse and found she enjoyed singing in French before an American audience. The meaning was the same as the former verse, but she sang it with a renewed passion.
Un sentiment que
Je ne peux plus taire.
Un trouble amer,
Que dois-je faire ?
Le renier ?
Te faire deviner ?
Tout confesser ?
Je t’aime means I love you.
Do you feel that you love me too?
Will ‘I’ become a ‘we’?
Will you say non or oui?
As she ended the song, Matt blew her a kiss. She caught it silently, with her heart.
Her duets with Thomas were fun, light, and devoid of the tension their scenes had previously provoked.
Grace shone in all her scenes. The beauty of her voice and the ease with which she sang seemed effortless, though Maude knew just how much work Grace had put into her singing.
One person in the crowd was particularly impressed.
Benjamin Baldwin watched the girl that he had played video games with, but he could not recognize her. No more was she the sister he fought Tekken battles with.
She was a real girl, and an impressive one to behold.
The musical ended with thunderous applause.
Grace squeezed Maude’s hand as they bowed and received the crowd’s blessing and gratitude.
Once the curtain fell, the girls hugged and hurried back to their dressing room.
“That was amazing! I want to do it all over again,” Grace gushed.
“You blew me away. I’m so proud.” Maude kissed Grace on the cheek profusely, before leaving to find Matt.
Alone, Grace peered at her reflection in the mirror. She was different. She was happy.
Ben knocked on the open door and let himself in.
“You were ... wow!”
“You proud of your little sister?” Grace said with a cheeky grin.
“About that ...” Ben began.
“I understand,” Grace interrupted. “I was way out of line when I told you I wanted more. You were so kind, I think I got a little mixed up. But Jacob, he doesn’t see me as a sister, which is funny because we play a brother and sister. Just, don’t worry about it. I’m over it. We can fully be siblings now. Even if I don’t live under your roof anymore, you and Maude, you’re family.”
She hugged Ben and, when she did, she closed her eyes, lest they reveal the entire little speech she’d just made was more bravado than truth.
Pulling away, she looked at Ben, her face close to his.
“Hey, Grace!” Jacob cried out, entering the dressing room.
Grace took a sharp step away from Ben, who frowned.
“You coming!” Jacob kissed her on the cheek. “Wasn’t she brilliant tonight?” he asked Ben.
Ben nodded, embarrassed.
“We’re heading out for a party to celebrate our opening. Don’t lag behind!” Jacob called out as he left.
“How long have you two been so close?” Ben asked.
“It’s a recent development,” Grace chuckled, hiding her embarrassment as well as she could. “I guess I’ll see where it goes.” She took her bag and, before leaving, she said, “Thank you for everything. You’re the best brother a girl with no family could ask for.”
She kissed Ben on the cheek and left.
“Too bad I don’t want to be just your brother anymore,” Ben said softly, his words full of regret.
***
Three Broadway Stars are Born.
IF YOU DIDN’T KNOW Maude Laurent was debuting on Broadway last night, you were among the few who have been sleeping under a rock.
Violet’s Voice was challenging not only for Maude, who had never sung in a musical before, but also for Thomas Bradfield, the young man behind the scandal that had rocked the musical world three years ago.
Nobody thought of that scandal last night.
Thomas Bradfield and Maude Laurent had so much chemistry as the Italian and French lovers who fall for each other in 1970s New York that all is definitely forgiven. Let the past stay in the past.
Maude’s charm and voice as the character, Violet, enchanted the entire room and made us wonder if there is a single thing that this singer cannot do.
The true surprise of the evening was the delightful Grace Heaton. Unknown before yesterday, Maude Laurent’s protégée enthralled and bewitched us into forgetting this was her first professional performance.
Her songs with Maude Laurent were the best of the show, demonstrating that friendship in real life is a key ingredient to a scrumptious work collaboration.
I intend to watch where Grace’s career takes her.
With Maude Laurent by her side, the journey is certain to be a brilliant one.
Lexie Staz for Hollywood Buzz.