The tour of Dreamgirls was off to a slow rebirth. Lukewarm reviews and half-full houses had the producers concerned that the show might not ever get out of the nation’s capital. The fourteen days of performances had passed very slowly. One critic had gone as far as to christen the production Screamgirls and predicted that Michael Bennett, the creator, was probably turning over in his grave. He was kinder to the men in the cast, praising the lead, David Brown, in the role of Curtis Taylor, Jr., a Berry Gordy, Jr., type character, and Vondell Thomas, who played James Thunder Early, a James Brown/Little Richard composite character. The only females mentioned were the lead character, Effie Melody White, and Yancey, whom he called “stunningly beautiful with an icy elegance” and “a star waiting to drop on the Broadway stage.” It pained Nicole that neither her name nor her character’s name had received a mention. But she knew that sometimes, when critics were brutal, you considered yourself lucky to go unnoticed.
Nicole was glad to be in Detroit, where she hoped things would be better, despite the fact she was missing her husband. Late night calls from Jared had kept her focused and upbeat, but she was always tired. After the Washington reviews, the director had started three-hour rehearsals in the morning, and then another two-hour session in the afternoon with the female principals. The only good thing was the overtime pay, but Nicole was willing to give up a few dollars for an afternoon nap.
On opening night in Detroit’s Fisher Theater, Nicole and Yancey had a light supper before the bus that transported the company to the theater departed. In the two weeks since leaving New York, cast members were already beginning to pair off. Nicole was happy that she already had a good friend to shop, exercise, and have dinner with before the tour ever started. She knew with a cast this large, she could have ended up like the new kid on the first day of school, walking into the cafeteria and praying someone would invite her to join them. It didn’t help that she felt like a mother to many members of the youthful cast.
Yancey and Nicole were waiting on their salads when Cedric Curry, one of the dancers in the show, walked into the hotel café. Cedric had on headphones and was moving his head and body from side to side, like he was in a dance club, when he noticed Yancey and Nicole. He removed his headphones to give them a wave and a bright smile.
“You think we should ask him to join us?” Yancey asked.
“Why not? I don’t really know him that well,” Nicole said. Cedric, a small man with a teenage boy’s chest and dancer’s butt and legs, had joined the cast during the last two days in D.C. Nicole assumed from his skintight jeans and the way he swung his bag over his shoulder that he was gay. The female members of the cast usually hit it off with their gay peers, as long as they told the truth about their sexuality. Broadway road companies were known for their whirlwind romances, both gay and straight, and nobody had the time to look for love on the wrong team. Nicole figured Cedric hadn’t yet met a love or made a friend among the male cast members.
“Cedric,” Yancey shouted as she motioned for him.
“Hey, ladies! Nicole and Yancey, right? Whassup?” he said as he dropped his large leather bag in the empty seat. “Are you ladies inviting me to join you?”
“Sure,” Nicole said.
“Thanks, ’cause I hate eating alone,” Cedric said as he plopped into the welcoming metal chair. “What did you ladies order, and how much time do we have?”
“We’re just having salads,” Nicole said.
“I’ve noticed that most of the men don’t eat before the show,” Yancey commented.
“Yeah, because we have to do all that dancing. But I need something in my stomach,” Cedric said.
He ordered a bowl of soup and a dinner salad with low-fat ranch dressing, and while waiting for his food, he talked nonstop about how excited he was to be in the cast. Dreamgirls was his first national tour. The original Dreamgirls was the first Broadway show he had ever seen, when it came to Los Angeles in the late eighties. He told Nicole and Yancey how great it was to be receiving a regular paycheck and not have to work with a bunch of no-talent singers like he had while dancing in music videos. Cedric was beaming with confidence when he bet that before the show hit Broadway he would be understudying or playing C. C. White, one of the male principals.
“Who all have you worked with?” Yancey asked.
“You name ’em, I’ve worked with ’em. Janet, Jody, Paula, Vanessa, and Toni. You know, all the divas,” Cedric said.
“Did you know Yancey was Toni Braxton’s cousin?” Nicole asked. Yancey looked down as she took her fork and removed an olive from her salad.
“Get outta here! Miss girl is fierce!” Cedric said. “She should be doing Broadway also.”
“Yeah, she’s doing great. But enough about her. Give us the tea on those other divas. Who’s nice, who’s a bitch, and who can really sing?” Yancey asked eagerly.
“I don’t know you well enough to tell you all my secrets. But, honey, don’t give me no wine or a rum and Coke or these loose lips of mine will start waggin’. You call me a talking Sister 2 Sister,” Cedric said with a sneaky smile.
“I don’t think I want to know who’s faking,” Nicole said.
“Well, I do,” said Yancey. “So you can tell me.”
“Nicole, we know someone in common,” Cedric said.
“Really? Who?”
“Delaney Morris. I’m from San Diego and she choreographed and directed a couple of videos I did.”
Nicole was visibly shaken. She stopped eating her salad. Her face became sad, as though someone had just told her that someone very close to her was dying.
“Yes, Delaney and I used to be great friends,” she said sadly. She felt tears begin to run down her face, and she didn’t know how she could keep Yancey and Cedric from noticing.
“Are you all right, Nicole?” Yancey asked.
“Oh, I’m fine. There’s just something in my eye,” Nicole said as she took the cloth napkin and dabbed her eyes.
“She had great things to say about you,” Cedric continued, oblivious to Nicole’s reaction.
“Ya’ll not good friends anymore?” Yancey asked.
“Let’s just say we don’t talk as much as we used to,” Nicole said.
“What happened?”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” Nicole said as she looked at her watch to see if the bus would save her from talking about Delaney.
“I’m sorry. I thought you guys were good friends,” Cedric said when he finally noticed Nicole’s agitation. “Lord knows I don’t want to bring the star of the show bad vibes on opening night. Are you sure you’re all right?”
“There is nothing to be sorry about. And I will be just fine,” Nicole said confidently. For the next ten minutes, while Yancey and Cedric wrapped up their getting-to-know-you talk, Nicole kept her eyes focused on Yancey’s soft, pink waffle-knit sweater. She was as still as a painting.
Nicole didn’t want to talk about Delaney because it was just as painful as talking about her best friend, Candance, who had died of AIDS a few years before Kyle. But Delaney was very much alive and living a productive life in San Diego with her lover, Jody, and their son, Fletcher. Their once strong friendship had been weakened by distance and a disagreement, not Delaney’s bisexuality. In fact, Nicole’s friendship with Delaney had deepened and grown stronger when Delaney confessed she enjoyed both men and women.
A child had weakened their friendship; the child Nicole and Jared had wanted Delaney to bear for them. The two friends had not spoken since one morning when Delaney called to say she couldn’t be a surrogate for Jared and Nicole. She and Jody wanted their own children and she didn’t think it would be a good idea. Delaney’s decision upset Nicole, not only because her hopes were high for motherhood, but especially since Delaney had suggested herself when they had been unable to find a suitable surrogate.
Nicole’s mind wandered back to that day a few days before Christmas and how she had pleaded with her friend to reconsider. Delaney responded, “I’m sorry. I can’t risk harming my relationship. You understand, don’t you?”
Nicole replied, “No, I’m sorry, Delaney, I don’t understand.”
The waiter returned with the check and Nicole came out of her self-induced trance. She quickly placed a credit card in the chocolate-brown tray and looked at her watch and then at Yancey and Cedric. “It’s show time, kids,” she said. “We’ve got a show to do!”