Lovers

Fantine Sisters

Hi! It's been a few days, and I wasn't sure I was going to end up writing tonight, but I did. I'm crazy close to being done with prewriting this book and that's insane. (don't worry- still many more chapters for you guys!) I quite like this chapter, and I hope you all do too! Enjoy/comment/vote pleaasseee xxx
-ab

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June 26, 2028

Harper

"Alright crew," Sam says, clasping his hands together as he stands in front of my cast, "that was a brilliant first run through. I know that it's going to get even better from here. I'm going to give you a two hour break now, so that you can rest up, go get lunch, and prepare for our next full run of the show. I want to start that at 14:00, so please be prepared for the top of the show on time."

He pauses.

"Now, before I let you go, I have an offer from our sister company, in New York. Their entire company is at the theatre right now, 'on duty,' so to speak, so that you can Facetime the actor who is in the same track as you, if you'd like to do so. You can video chat with them on WhatsApp or Facetime, but not all of the cast has an iPhone, in which case Facetime would not be an option," he explains. "If you're interested in connecting with your partner track cast member in New York, just let me know and I'll hook it up. Other than that, you're all free to go and I'll see you in two hours."

I make my way up to Sam, thinking that this sounds like a nice opportunity to make a friend. I believe that the Fantine has changed since I played my little run as Cosette in New York, but even if it hasn't, I didn't get to know her very well, in spite of her seeming to be lovely.

After getting the phone number from Sam, I head back to my dressing room, which I share with the other three female principals- Brittney, Ella, who plays Cosette, and Laura, who plays Madame T. Laura and Brittney, who have both played their roles before, are planning on heading out in their break. Ella and I are going to stick around the theatre for a bit to speak with the US cast of Les Mis. I tell her that she can stay in the dressing room, and I'll go out and find a nice, quiet spot in the house.

Ella has improved tremendously since the first bit of rehearsals, thank god. I wasn't sure she would be ready for opening night, but now, I think she is, and the two of us have formed a lovely friendship.

As I type the phone number into my WhatsApp, I shoot the girl, called Alex, a quick message, and she responds immediately, then we begin our video chat.

"Hey," she smiles. "You're Harper?"

She isn't the same girl as the one who played Fantine when I was in the show in New York, but that was a long time ago. I didn't expect her to be.

"Yeah," I smile. "Alex, right?"

"Yep," she responds. "I guess we are Fantine sisters now."

I let out a little laugh. "I guess we are."

"How are you feeling about opening up soon?"

"I'm nervous," I admit, "but I think it's going to go well."

"I'm glad that you're optimistic," she says. "I'm sure that you're going to kill it."

I thank her.

"I think you're one of the youngest actresses to ever play Fantine, right?"

"I'm not sure," I admit. "Probably. I'm just twenty six."

"Yeah, you're a young one," she smiles at me. "I'm thirty four. But Erika Henningsen was the youngest Fantine ever. She had graduated from college about a year before playing Fantine."

"That's insane," I reply. "I played Cosette right after drama school, and now I'm here becuase I apparently outgrew Cosette."

"Word on the street is that your Fantine is insane, though," Alex assures me. "I saw the video that was posted of the tribute that you did a few weeks ago, and you were already doing great, so I can't even imagine what you're like now."

I blush a little bit. "Thank you." I pause. "Do you have any advice for playing Fantine?"

"I'd say to just really throw your heart out on the line there. Make sure that you're aware of the emotional journey that she's going through, and be willing to transport yourself into that mental space that she's in, for the course of her stage time," she explains. "Also, make sure that you really are able to show a contrast between your scenes when Fantine is alive, and when she comes as a ghost with Valjean. She's been taken to heaven, so she's a lot happier after her death, and I'm always very careful with my portrayal of that."

I nod, processing the words that Alex is saying. She makes a lot of sense with her last point- though it is something that I hadn't thought of yet.

We chat for a few more minutes, and the two of us prove to be fast friends. We promise to follow each other on social medias once we are done with our call, and keep in contact.

"Well, I've got to be on my way now," I say to her eventually. "I still need to grab lunch somewhere, check in on my baby, and get ready for our tech run."

Alex smiles. "Break a leg on Monday, alright? I can't wait to hear all about it."

"Thanks," I smile at her. "I'll talk to you later, I suppose."

The two of us disconnect our call after saying our goodbyes, and I immediately follow her socials, as promised.

I make a post, including a screenshot from our call, and tag Alex.

@harper.elise13: Thanks for all of the advice on our gal, Fantine. I can't wait to share her story with the audience. We open Les Miserables in Concert a week from today. Get your tickets, because you won't want to miss this performance.

At that, I hit post. Almost instantly, Alex comments some heart emojis.

As I'm strolling to the nearest Pret, I can't help but allow excitement to bubble up inside of me.

It's only one more week until I get to stand on that stage in front of a microphone, and sing one of the most iconic musical theatre songs that has ever been written.

No big deal.