The Echo in an Empty Theater

The opening credits of a movie appeared, fading in on a white screen. A woman sat next to a man, at the center of the theater, beneath the beams of light from the projector. She nibbled on a kernel of popcorn. He sipped from a straw and pulled it up and down to make a screeching sound on the plastic on the lid, just enough to annoy her amidst the blaring musical score.

As darkness fell on the theater, the screen reads: A George Thompson Film, then dissolves to the name of the star of the movie: Nahs Arnold. She let out a cheer and pumped her fist and clapped her hands for applause. Their silhouettes contrasted with the colorful, flashing images and words on the screen.

His arms reached up to yawn and stretch with a false humility and peered over at his smiling companion and lowered his right arm over her. Suddenly, and all in one quick motion, she dropped her popcorn, grabbed his arm, and twisted it back violently back to his seat. After he waved her off apologetically, she let him go and slumped back into her seat, picking up the popcorn and quickly popping kernels of popcorn in her mouth.

He took out his phone and tried to take a selfie with her. Before his cell screen flashed, she covered her face with the bag of popcorn. His smile faded in disappointment. She dropped her popcorn in the seat next to her again and grabbed his phone out of her hand. With a few swipes on the screen and a few buttons pushed, she held up the phone show him a page called ‘The Nahs Romantically-Linked Photo Site’ on a social networking site called ‘Anagram.’ Frustrated, she scrolled down the screen: a photo collage of the man in front of her, picture after picture, arm in arm, at several red-carpet events or bike riding with numerous supermodels and movie stars. A notification of a message flashes in the corner of the screen.

Frozen in shame, he took his phone back gingerly… crossing his arms… pouting. She put the bag of popcorn back in her lap. He – Nahs is his name – appeared on the movie theater screen. Nahs turns to her slowly for an answer, but he winces at the sight of himself kissing his co-star in the movie. She ate her popcorn and sipped her drink, ignoring him.

After the movie, they exited the movie theater, lights circled and danced in patterns around each poster on the while, stabbing into the dark night like a few feet of the Las Vegas strip. The backlight movie posters and bulbs revealed his brown skin and her white/Latino beauty. They stopped in front of the movie poster he was on; of the movie they had just seen: “A Ruthless Game.”

“So, yes. I loved it. You were great in it.,” she said.

“Becca, I am sorry about… everything.,” he said.

“Nahs, if you are happy, I am happy.,” Becca replied.

“So… do you want to go to Starbucks?” Nahs answered.

“No… I ‘ve got to get some sleep. I won a role in the college play, Juliet, and I must read with some people who are still auditioning.”

“Oh, I forgot about that. Hey, now that I am back, I will be there. It will be just like old times. We will be Bogey and Bacall, Woody, and Mia... uhm Keaton. Eastwood/Locke. Impress our friends.”

“You’re not going to win my heart that way.”

“What way? Coming down?”

“No, you always use your good looks and celebrity to win roles. You can’t win everything by being a Hollywood phony.”

“I can win you.,” he smirked.

“No, you cannot. Nahs, you have broken my heart too many times already.”

“We would have been in an interracial relationship.”

“You did not have that problem with my best friend or Gisele Bundchen!”

“I wouldn’t call that a date.”

“Enquiring minds want to know, what if Margot Robbie’s baby is Black? Huh? NATHAN!” she replied exasperated.

“Becca, I left this place to be somebody. See - that is my name on that poster, Nahs -spelled-”

“Spelled with an H, I know.,” she informs him.

“The fame, the celebrity, the accolades… “

“And now you’re back in school, trying to find an old buddy to add to your list of conquests, pad your ego some more, huh?”

“Baby, I can’t do this without you, Becca! Please!”

“It is not real, Nathan. Before you landed your first movie role, I lost you, man. You are lost. You are an arrogant, self-absorbed, self-centered, narcissistic, seducer… lothario! I won’t be hurt again by YOU! Come back to reality!”

“Okay, Becca, you are my best friend. I realize that now. What do I have to do to win you over? Uhm, let me put it this way: what do I win if I am cast with you??”

Becca takes his hands and looks for a soul, “The way to a woman’s heart? The real you.”

He walked her to her car, and she drove away, they waved farewell calmly and with strained smiles.

The next morning, at another theater, this one with a stage, all you could hear was a slight murmuring of the play director/professor, other professors, and the dulcet echo from performers on the grand stage. About 10 rows in, the play director, Marion Thomas, flipped through pages of script, light reflected from her horn-rimmed and oval glasses. To the woman exiting stage left, Marion said thank you and raised her voice to say, “Becca, we need you now.”

Becca enters stage left, holding her script.

“Stage manager, can you send out our first actor please.”

Nahs enters stage right and stands next to Becca. His skin is painted a pale Jewish white and he is wearing a brown wig, covering his black hair. His disguise covers his hands and neck. Becca looks up from her script, shocked she scream-whispers, “What the hell are you doing?”

“I am going to prove to you that I can be real. I can earn this.”

“You’re not going to win my heart by selling out… AGAIN!”

“It’s called acting.”

“It’s called getting over yourself!”

Their words fell just out of earshot of Marion who interjected, “is there something you want to share?” They shook their heads no.

“Your name is…?”

“Daniel Abelman, ma’am.,” said Nahs.

“Okay, remember, she won the role of Juliet, already and you are reading for Romeo. Try to project your voices, let the audience hear you. She is on the balcony, but we will do it this way now. “Okay, begin.,” Marion prompted.

Nahs as “Daniel” as Romeo, began to recite, “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east and Juliet is the sun. Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon, who is already sick and pale with grief that thou, her maid, art for more fair than she. Be not her maid since she is envious. Her vestal livery is but sick and green…”

As his voice echoed, Marion started shaking her head, yet he continued -

“… And none but fools do wear it. Cast it off!”

“-yes, cast it off!” she interrupted but he ignored her, raising his voice, “- and none but fools do wear it. Cast it off- “.

“Okay, wait, that’s enough!” she stopped him in his tracks, “Not what we are looking for. There is anger in your voice, your accent sounds good, but look, you do not have to sound like Nahs.”

“Like Nahs?” Becca and Nahs repeat together.

“With an H. That Nahs. He is a big star. He was a big star here two years ago. You do not have to pretend to be him to rise out of his shadow, okay. Go backstage and work on being you. I am going to let someone else read, okay? Thank you. NEXT!”

In a rage, he mutters under his breath, “she doesn’t even recognize me, that should count for something in the real world” and he exits behind her, stage left. Entering stage left was another young actor, he was Jewish for real. She walks onstage quickly and did a ballet-like short hop next to her. They share a smile.

“Hello Blake. Rebecca, I want you to go to page 71. Start with the famous line, number 36: Romeo, Romeo, where for art thou Romeo- okay, from the top!”

“O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy father and refuse thy name, or if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love, and I’ll no longer be a Capulet.” Backstage, Nahs stood next to the stage manager, a blonde female. As he watched Becca and Blake read, he nearly crumpled his script.

Blake summoned deep emotions for Romeo’s thoughts, an aside, “Shall I hear more, or shall I speak at this?”

Nahs paced backstage, hiding his face from the stage manager, who asked, “Are you okay?”

“I cannot lose this role. I just can’t.” and with that Nahs took off his wig, turned and walked toward the dressing room. - “Tis but thy name that is my enemy.” - As Becca recited Juliet’s next lines, Nahs went into the dressing room and sat down in a makeup chair, in front of a mirror, surrounded by yellowish bulbs. - “’Tis but thy name that is my enemy. Thou are thyself, though not a Montague? It is nor hand nor foot, nor arm, nor face. O, be some other name belonging to a man.” - As her voice echoed with clarity, he wiped his face with facial wipes, removing the makeup. - “What’s in a name?” - Nahs ran the wipe down his face, the light, tan, and pale makeup smeared and ran like rain, revealing his brown skin underneath. Marion nodded to Becca and made eye contact with the other professor, and they listened, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. So, Romeo would, were he not Romeo, doff thy name, and for thy name, which is no part of thee, take all myself.”

Suddenly, Nahs sped past the stage manager who looked up from her clipboard. He entered stage left and read Romeo’s next line, “I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be newly baptized. Henceforth I never will be Romeo.”

Rebecca feeling Nah’s jealousy proclaims, “My brother! He is my brother!”

Marion shouts, “Nahs is that you! Oh, you are so funny! I was going to give you the part all along. But I wanted you.” The two professors walked quickly onstage and gave him a hug. “Welcome back, you are our Romeo and now that we have a star, we can cast a name actress.”

The other professor added, “Daisy Edgar Jones or Daisy Ridley.” He snickers, “Daisy if we do. Hahaha.”

Becca stares at Nahs and, dejected, hurries offstage.

Nahs turned and watched her leave and turns back to, “No, actually, she would be great.” Blake says, “He has carte-blanche you know. Nathan, you better go after her.”

Nahs hands Blake his copy of the script. “Can you cast him in a role too!” pointing at Blake, he exhorted before he exited stage left. Nahs followed Becca through the winding halls. She seemed to disappear. He looked around for her frantically.

Her voice broke the silence, “You were really good.” He followed her voice to the stairway, where he found her sitting on a stair. He looks up at her from the lower level.

“You were good too. I told them that I want you to be my Juliet.”

“That is noble of you. Did you mean it?”

“You are most believable in the role.”

“That’s us: two star-crossed lovers.,” she offered with disbelief.

“Rebecca… you were always there for me. I am sorry. I love you.”

She steps down the stairs slowly. “You taught me that there is more to a man than just his looks. I forgot that you are not so narcissistic when you open your heart and… that… I love you. I am in love with you.”

When she reached the bottom step, they kissed. Blake and the professors, who walked over, cheered, “Bravo! Bravo!” just like the cheering audience, as they gave their final bow, a few weeks later opening night.