– Not bad, not bad! – shouted a short, stocky gentleman of about sixty with carefully combed hair and a well-groomed beard, applauding. He was dressed in a three-piece suit, with a pocket watch chain hanging from his vest button. “I see Mr. Gould has added some interesting twists to the script.” Now the production looks much more dynamic and touching than a month ago.

Hearing the words of Peter Drayson, the theater director, the actors smiled and bowed. Thin, brown-eyed, dark-haired Julie Blunt was about forty, and Chuck Donald, a strong brown-haired man about six feet tall, had recently celebrated his forty-second birthday. But the gray wig and beard he put on for the role of an old man turned him into an elderly man.

“It’s a pity that your director, Andrew Gould, hasn’t been feeling well lately,” Mr. Drayson continued, moving closer to the actors. “He called me in the afternoon and said that he had to miss today’s rehearsal. You should know that I have great respect for him and his work, and I see that he put a lot of effort into this production.

Looking at the thoughtful faces of the actors, the director continued after a short pause:

– But, in my opinion, you still lack acting revelation. You must understand the primary task – to captivate the audience with you, to immerse them in the lives of your characters, to make sure that they are with you on this stage. In this performance, which is staged for the first time, and even based on a book by a young writer, this is especially important.

The room was stuffy, Mr. Drayson once again took a white handkerchief from his pocket, wiped his sweaty forehead and added:

“In our Windsor, with its population of thirty thousand, we rarely indulge theater lovers with premieres, and the unconvincing presentation of the play can alienate the already few spectators. Therefore, haste in this case is not the best adviser.

Julie listened to the director and tried to express her opinion on this matter, but the voice of Mr. Drayson, who was about to complete the thought, forced her to pause.

“That’s why I wouldn’t want anything to interfere with the success of your performance and critics to tear it to smithereens.” You understand that we will have to abandon the production if it fails, but if you manage to captivate the audience with your play, the performance will have a long life.

The actors listened silently, and the director, after a short pause, drew the line:

“Therefore, I recommend that you get together and discuss with Mr. Gould my proposal to postpone the performance for a month.” Additional rehearsals will allow the director to work more carefully on the production, and you will better get used to the role.

Julie, who understood the importance of the premiere for Mr. Gould and the director’s reluctance to move it to a later date, gathered her strength and answered:

– Mr. Drayson, I can assure you that although Mr. Gould is already seventy and has not been feeling well lately, he has everything under control. We are almost ready, over the remaining week we plan to hold several more rehearsals in his presence. I assure you that we will be in great shape for the premiere next Wednesday.

Suddenly something crackled, and the scenery for the performance, weighing several tens of kilograms, almost collapsed onto the stage, then a cry from one of the workers was heard: “Careful!” Mr. Drayson turned his head towards the excited workers who managed to catch the structure in time and said:

– I ask you to be vigilant and act more carefully. The roof and walls of the theater are weak and can crack under strong overloads. Chuck, Julie, you see the conditions we have to work under,” he turned to the actors again. – Look what the walls look like! And all because the performances are staged in half-empty halls and the tickets sold are only enough to pay off bills and pay employees.

Having once again looked at the not very presentable ceiling, the floor with cracks and the walls last painted four years ago, the director continued:

“After we, like dozens of other UK theaters, lost government funding in 2011, we can only rely on patrons and various foundations to continue to stay afloat. We are in despair, for several years we have been trying to get money from the municipality for major renovations of the theater, replacement of outdated stage and lighting equipment, but all in vain. They sent experts, and they issued a conclusion that the building was not in disrepair and repairs could be postponed. You see, they don’t have any extra money in their budget, and now there are other priorities – the construction of the exhibition complex,” Mr. Drayson said sadly. “It’s as if these bureaucrats didn’t see that the plaster was falling off the walls, and the roof of the theater was completely leaky, and heavy rain could flood everything.” I hope that we will be able to get money soon.

Chuck and Julie listened carefully to Mr. Drayson.

“This is one of the reasons why I suggest postponing the performance.” If you have time to prepare well, our theater will receive a successful premiere both from a creative point of view and from a financial point of view, which is important for me. You understand perfectly well that television and the Internet have to some extent pushed theater into the background. If the halls do not fill, we will have to close the new performance as unprofitable, and I would really not like to do that.

The actress tried to convince the theater director not to postpone the premiere:

“I am sure that Mr. Gould’s performance will be a stunning success.” He is a famous director. Over his long creative career, he has released many good works, and the public knows and loves him.

“Today nothing can be predicted, including the reaction of the public. The audience has become more demanding and capricious, and the fact that the director is elderly can play a negative role, Mr. Drayson objected, because people sometimes want to see a fresh look at tragic works. That’s why I’ve been trying lately to give young directors a chance in the hope that they can attract modern audiences.

“Please, let’s wait for the premiere,” Julie exclaimed passionately. “Mr. Gould put a lot of effort into making the performance spectacular, and we will do everything not to let him down.” He believes in the success of this project and was able to infect us with his faith. We are confident that Mr. Gould will be able to do the same with the audience, and they will definitely love this production.

The actors waited with bated breath for the director’s reaction. And he looked at the clock, which already showed a quarter past ten, and after some reflection he concluded:

– Let’s do the following: tomorrow afternoon I will definitely call Mr. Gould and inquire about his health. If he expresses confidence in the success of the production, then the premiere, as planned, will take place next Wednesday… In the meantime, I can give you the main stage, as we agreed, only once a week on Wednesdays, and then you can rehearse here on the small stage. If the performance is a success, we will move other productions and you will get one more day.

– Thank you! We promise you that we will continue rehearsal work and try to show our best side at this premiere, so as not to let our theater, you and Mr. Gould down.

Having wished the actors success, Mr. Drayson headed into the office, and his interlocutors went behind the stage.

“Chuck, did you hear what Mr. Drayson said?” – Julie asked on the way to the dressing rooms. – Our performance may be closed as unprofitable if there are few spectators. It’s sad to realize that art today has faded into the background, and money decides everything…

– I agree with you, Miss Blunt. Today, creativity is gradually moving into the background, giving way to box office receipts. Mr. Drayson understands this and wants to keep up with the times. The theater director is primarily interested in how many tickets have been sold for the performance, and what kind of director it will be – mature and talented or young and fashionable – it doesn’t matter to him,” the actor answered, taking off his wig and gray beard.

“I think Mr. Drayson is overly emotional,” Julie said. “His liberalism and desire to invite more new, as he calls them, “fashionable” directors to work in the theater can have negative consequences. This season, four performances from last year’s repertoire have already closed. If Mr. Gould’s new production flops, he will be yet another director who devoted his entire life to this theater but ended up out of work.

“What can you do, the world is changing, and the viewer has become more selective…” said the actor. “But personally, I don’t want to believe that there won’t be a place here for such a talented person as Mr. Gould.” This, in the end, will greatly damage the reputation of the theater. After all, theater is a sphere of high art, and not an experimental platform for young talents.

– You’re right. But we, for our part, must do everything not to let Mr. Gould down,” Julie Blunt said quietly.

“Yes, a lot will depend on our attitude,” Chuck agreed. “We’ve been rehearsing for five months now, and I believe that in the end we will be able to perform well. Tomorrow afternoon I will call on Mr. Gould and we will discuss the final preparations.

– What else remains to be completed? – asked Julie. – Well, besides the decorations?

– Almost everything is ready. They promised to decorate the scenery tomorrow, the costumes were finished last month. But you know the character of our director, his desire to be precise even in the smallest things. Previously, he was not satisfied with the costumes, and the costume designers had to change the style several times, but now he wants to replace the props that Bill found. Things, in his opinion, do not correspond to that era. Mr. Gould says it’s the details that convey atmosphere and differentiate a professional production from an amateur one. Out of old habit, he plans to pick up suitable inventory himself at the flea market.

“You can understand him in this; modern critics are ready to find fault with every detail, every little thing.

– Julie, I agree with you, but you know about Mr. Gould’s health condition. It’s better for him to lie down for another day than to look for suitable props in the rainy November weather, but he doesn’t want to listen to that,” Chuck said with a heavy sigh.

Julie, who knew the director well, smiled and said decisively:

– This is what Mr. Gould is all about – he completely devotes himself to his favorite work. I’ll go see him tomorrow and try to convince him not to break his bed rest for a few more days.

– Miss Blunt, let’s look at things more optimistically! I hope that this production will be successful, and we will play in it for many years,” summed up her stage partner, approaching the dressing room.

* * *

In her dressing room, Julie sat on a chair opposite the mirror and thought. Then, looking at the clock – half past nine in the evening – she was about to immediately wash off the makeup from her face when there was a knock on the door.

– Who’s there?

– It’s me, Tom.

– Come in. You’re right on schedule. Every Friday with flowers at the dressing room.

The thin boy of about seventeen said nothing to Miss Blunt’s joke. Handing her a delightful bouquet of tulips with delicate white buds, he said:

– These flowers are for you.

– And from whom?.. Although why am I asking? – the actress said smiling. – You still won’t tell. Let me guess. Did the sender wish to remain anonymous?

“You’re right, Miss Blunt, it is,” the messenger answered embarrassedly.

– Miracles. I have been serving in this theater for twenty years, almost every Friday they bring me a beautiful bouquet, and from whom – no one knows! Tom, can you at least hint who this gentleman is who is sending flowers?

“Sorry, Miss Blunt, but I have to go,” said the young man and, saying goodbye, left.

Julie put the bouquet in a vase, admired it and began to wash off her makeup.

* * *

Having washed off her makeup, the actress continued to think about the future production. That evening Miss Blunt did not want to go home, since no one was waiting for her there. But when she heard the cleaning lady slam the door to Chuck’s dressing room, she knew it was time to get ready. Taking the bag and flowers, she left the room.

Dorothy Stevens, an actress of about sixty, walked towards her along the corridor. She was returning after a performance that was on the main stage.

– Hello, Mrs. Stevens. How was your performance today?

“Good evening, Miss Blunt…” the elderly woman answered warmly. – The performance was performed well, but in a half-empty hall. We just had an unpleasant conversation with Mr. Drayson, he is thinking about stopping our production… But let’s not talk about sad things. And how are you doing? How are you feeling before the premiere next week?

“We hope that by Wednesday we will be able to hold a few more rehearsals with Mr. Gould and perform well.” On top of that, I want to audition for the role of Gertrude one last time at the London Globe. I don’t know how I can manage all this.

“I’m sure you’ll succeed,” said the interlocutor. – Our family, what’s up – almost the whole city admires your acting talent and beauty, London directors should definitely pay attention to you.

“Really, you flatter me,” Julie smiled. “When you’re forty, you don’t even want to talk about beauty anymore.” I should have given up dreams of a big stage a long time ago, but I keep knocking on these closed gates.

– When are your auditions?

Julie remembered the bitter experience of her previous auditions in the capital’s theaters and sighed heavily.

– On Monday. Tomorrow afternoon I’ll go see Mr. Gould and try to get some time off for the audition. After all, there’s not much time left before the premiere, I don’t know if he’ll let me go.

Mrs. Stevens, who had her own experience of unsuccessful auditions for various theaters, decided to change the subject so as not to upset Julie:

– How is Mr. Gould doing? I haven’t seen him for a long time. He began to appear in the theater less and less. We live next door and sometimes talk to him. So, Mr. Gould always says that you are his muse, and it is only thanks to you that the performances he staged are successful with the public.

“Mr. Gould is exaggerating,” Julie waved him off.

– Well, what are you talking about! – Dorothy exclaimed. – You played in almost all of his productions, and Mr. Gould chose you for the main role in the new play.

“I was lucky enough to work under his leadership from the very beginning of my career. I graduated from drama school, and when I came here to audition twenty years ago, Mr. Gould immediately approved me for the role.

“He probably saw your talent right away!” – The woman narrowed her eyes and looked slyly at Julie.

– Don’t think. Most likely, he simply took pity on the aspiring actress who was not hired anywhere.

Mrs. Stevens recalled with nostalgia both her first steps in this theater and her acquaintance with the young director Gould, and then said:

“Unfortunately, the theaters have been poorly filled lately, and I would really not like Mr. Gould, like other experienced masters, to have to leave the theater for this reason.” Mr. Drayson is increasingly relying on young people, and I don’t even know how to feel about this.

It was not easy for Julie to hear about the possible resignation of her favorite director, but, gathering her thoughts, she replied:

– Alas, Mrs. Stevens, we live in an era of technological progress, but despite this, Mr. Gould does not lose optimism: even at seventy, he believes that theater is the highest art that will live forever. But if the play fails and Mr. Gould is forced to leave the theater, then I will follow him.

– Julie, let’s not exaggerate before the premiere and put aside pessimism. Mr. Gould is a talented director and perhaps he will be the one who will be able to attract new viewers, and the hall will again be filled, as in the old days.

Dorothy looked at her watch; it was almost ten o’clock in the evening. After a short pause she added:

“I’ll tell you a secret: Mr. Gould, realizing that the theater has no money for advertising, believes so much in the success of the production that he paid for all the posters in the city with you and Chuck from his own pocket. Just please don’t tell anyone that you heard this from me.

“Mr. Gould never ceases to amaze me,” Julie sighed. “This is so typical of him… The theater is his whole life, and in order for this performance to be a success, Mr. Gould will do anything.” He believes that the prime minister will be a great success.

– Unfortunately, I won’t be able to come, we will have rehearsals, but my son and daughter-in-law have already bought tickets to your performance. “I wish you, Chuck and Mr. Gould a successful premiere,” the elderly actress ended the conversation.

Miss Blunt thanked her colleague for the kind words and, saying goodbye, went home. She loved to walk in the late evenings, and even more so in the fall. The weather was no longer so hot, and the leaves rustled pleasantly underfoot.

Stopping at a bakery on the way home, she bought her favorite chocolate croissants. After dinner, Julie, as usual, watched a little TV, checked her email on the Internet and, after reading a book before bed, went to bed.

SECOND CHAPTER
SATURDAY

The next day, despite the rain, Miss Blunt, as planned, headed towards Mr. Gould’s small one-and-a-half-story house in the afternoon. There were many such buildings in the city.

At the door she ran into Chuck; he had already told Mr. Gould about the latest events and preparations for the premiere. Miss Blunt’s colleague said after the greeting that the director was very excited, as he had high hopes for the production.

“There will certainly be success,” said Miss Blunt, said goodbye to Chuck and went into the house.

She took off her shoes, hung her wet raincoat on a hanger and put the umbrella in a specially designated place, after which she headed to Mr. Gould’s spacious office, where he spent most of his time. On the left was a rich library; There was a desk on the right by the window, and opposite the entrance there was a fireplace, next to which there were two armchairs and a small table littered with books and newspapers.

On this Saturday morning, Mr. Gould, as usual, was sitting in an armchair by the fireplace. The thin old gentleman’s head had long been covered with gray hair. He looked carefully at the flames, thinking about something, until he heard Miss Blunt’s voice:

– Good afternoon, Mr. Gould.

When he saw Julie, he smiled and even stood up to hug her.

– You shouldn’t have gotten up…

“Julie, please don’t ever say that again!” A gentleman must stand up in the presence of a lady,” the director replied with a kind smile.

– Mr. Gould, you never cease to amaze me. Even with all the fuss that accompanies the premiere, you do not lose your spirit.

“Sadness is bad,” the director said instructively. – Over my long life, I have understood a lot and learned several lessons, and the most important thing is that you should not be sad and despair. We must enjoy every moment. It’s a pity that this realization comes at an old age.

The owner of the office invited Julie to a soft brown chair that stood closer to the bookshelves. After waiting for Mr. Gould to take the second seat, the actress said:

– You are right, as always, Mr. Gould. My fate is not easy. In early childhood, I was left alone, I was raised by my aunt, I experienced many difficulties, and sometimes I had thoughts of committing suicide, but someone always appeared who helped me overcome the difficult period. Do you know what I call such people?

– How? – asked the director.

– Angels. Yes, yes, exactly angels. Although I am not a religious person, I am convinced that they exist and in human form descend to earth to help people go through trials. Do you believe in angels? Do you believe in God?

Mr. Gould smiled and replied:

– You know, in life you often meet people who, for unknown reasons, try to help, to guide you to something. It doesn’t matter what you call them – angels or something else. Regarding your question about faith in God… I was born into a Jewish family in Poland and, as an infant, I survived the Holocaust with my family. They were thrown by the Nazis into concentration camps and died, but my mother and I remained alive because a Polish family hid us. I don’t remember much from that time,’ Mr. Gould paused, then continued thoughtfully: ‘All my long life, due to the horrific events of the Holocaust, I shunned religion, because I was convinced that God simply did not exist, and man himself I am the master of my own destiny, but now I feel that everything that happens has a plan. As sad as it is to realize this, over the years you realize that you had practically no control over your life, someone was directing you somewhere all the time, you were an actor in a global performance called Life, and who directed this performance – God or some other person? then other forces – I don’t know.

– Why did you take me then, took pity on the aspiring actress? – Julie decided to ask a question that had been tormenting her for a long time.

– No, that would be unprofessional on my part. The director first of all looks at a person, trying to discern his potential, his inner world, and I took you because I thought that you would become a good dramatic actress. And, as you can see, I was right.

– Thank you for giving me the chance. After meeting you, I began to look at many things differently.

Looking at the actress, Mr. Gould remarked:

– Julie, you must understand that theater is not the main thing in your life, you are still young and should try to start a family.

– What are you talking about, Mr. Gould?! – Julie exclaimed. “I’m already forty, and at that age it’s hard to get used to someone.” Besides, you know what men are like now: there are practically no gentlemen like you and Chuck left. You are like a father to me, and Chuck is like a brother.

“You still have a long way to go,” Mr. Gould repeated.

Miss Blunt shook her head sadly.

“I’m completely alone and have never really loved.” All I have is work in the theater. My personal life didn’t work out: I once really liked one guy, he looked after me so beautifully… But shortly before the wedding, he met someone else, left me and married her. Since then I’ve been alone.

Mr. Gould said nothing.

“If it weren’t for you and the theater, I don’t know what would happen to me now…” Julie added.

“You are a wonderful actress and I am grateful to fate that you continue to play in my productions,” said the director. “You could have performed on the best stages in the country, but you stayed here.”

– You know that I asked you for leave many times, went to auditions, but they didn’t take me anywhere.

The director sighed and said:

“I’m tired of telling you that these snobs have absolutely no taste, they understand nothing about the theater.” You are a wonderful dramatic actress, and if they didn’t see this, it means they lack professional skill.

Julie looked at the director and, shyly, said guiltily:

– Mr. Gould, I want to go to London again and try myself in the role of Gertrude in the new Globe production. Honestly, this will be the last attempt.

– Yes, of course, I don’t mind, you are a wonderful artist and deserve to work in the best theaters. When do you want to go? – asked Mr. Gould.

– The audition is on Monday, and if I am approved for the role, then rehearsals will begin in two months, in January.

– I assumed that the auditions would take place after the premiere, but you know the role well, so I don’t mind.

– Thank you! I’ll go early in the morning. The auditions are during the day, and in the evening I will have time to come to the rehearsal.

– We already rehearse a lot, you can easily take one day off.

“I promise you, this is the last time.” If they don’t take me this time, I’ll stop trying. On Monday my fate will be decided.

The director looked at the upset Julie and, trying to cheer her up, said:

– Fates are decided not by some theater directors, but by us ourselves, and if they don’t take you, it’s okay. Life doesn’t end there. You have a wonderful role as Rachel, and you will be able to delight the public for many years to come by performing it. Look at the programs we prepared, Chuck just brought them from the printing house.

Julie picked up the theater program, the main page of which was dedicated to their upcoming performance, looked at it and thoughtfully asked:

– Mr. Gould, are you sure that the performance will be a success? We talked with Mr. Drayson yesterday, he doesn’t quite share your optimism, he suggests taking our time and postponing the premiere for a month so that we can do more rehearsals.

Mr. Gould didn’t quite like the idea and even got out of his chair.

“Peter called me today to inquire about my health, and I assured him that everything would be at the highest level, and there was no need to postpone the premiere.

– And what did he answer you?

– He wished me luck and said that he liked our production more and more. There are a lot of mysteries, unpredictable turns, and the viewer will have a lot to think about.

– By the way, why did you like this particular work so much?

Walking over to the desk littered with papers, Mr. Gould took one of the books and handed it to Julie.

“Last spring, after one of our performances, a young man came up to me and said that he was a writer. I remember being so worried that I had difficulty pronouncing my name. Then he handed me this book with the words: “Read it, it describes a wonderful love story.” I was in a hurry, but I took the manuscript, thanked the author, and we said goodbye.

“Before the production, I had never even heard of this writer,” said Miss Blunt, looking at the colorful cover: “Akiva and Rachel. A story of great love.”

“Just like me at that time…” the director answered and continued: “So.” I put the manuscript on the shelf and completely forgot about it. As you know, I regularly visit bookstores and buy books that I plan to read. That evening I prepared two new volumes, began reading one of them, but the book seemed so uninteresting to me that already on the fifth page I closed it. The second one didn’t impress me either, so I put it aside too. Having rummaged around on the shelf in the hope of finding something new, I came across a forgotten book by that young man. Taking it, I thought: “Apparently, disappointment awaits me here too. It will probably be boring and uninteresting, and I won’t even get to the fifth page.” However, to my surprise, I was so carried away by the plot that I finished reading at five o’clock in the morning with tears in my eyes. This book made such an impression on me that the next day I re-read it and decided to make a theatrical production based on it.

Listening to the director, Miss Blunt continued to leaf through the book, at times reading into one passage or another. Then she asked:

– What, the author writes so well?

“He is still young, and he needs to polish his skills, but the love story of the main characters itself is extremely beautiful. As it turned out later, the novel was written based on historical facts, and the love story itself between Akiva and Rachel took place in Jerusalem about two thousand years ago. It was practically forgotten, but the author managed to breathe a second life into it, he built the plot so competently that empathy for the characters grows and grows until the very climax.

Looking at his interlocutor, who flipped through the book to the end and began to read the afterword, Mr. Gould continued:

– This book is not about religion, as it might seem at first glance. It tells about the transformation of personality and the power of human love, about the role of a woman in the fate of a man. The fact that love can work miracles and even from an ordinary illiterate shepherd, who only began to study the alphabet at the age of forty, can turn out to be one of the great sages of all times. Akiva managed to achieve this only thanks to his loving wife Rachel, who helped and supported her husband throughout the journey. She sent him money so that Akiva would continue to study, although everyone told her to face the truth, leave this shepherd who does not study, but plays with other women. But she believed, no matter what.

After thinking a little, the director added:

“I don’t know if he will be able to write anything more worthy, but he succeeded in this work – he felt the characters.” You know, this is always visible – the writer’s attitude towards the characters. It is certainly readable… sometimes, perhaps not quite clearly, between the lines, but it is readable.

“I agree with you there,” said Julie. – When a writer does not immerse himself in the plot, in the characters, no matter how brilliantly the book is written, you can immediately feel it.

Miss Blunt put the book on the table and looked thoughtfully at the director.

– After some time, I invited him to the theater, and we agreed on the production… That’s all, actually. In the process of working on the production, I made some changes to the script to give it more dynamism, although I tried to bring our performance as close as possible to the original. As for your question about whether the performance will succeed or not, I think it will be either a resounding success or a resounding failure.

“We will try not to let you down,” Julie assured. – Chuck is also doing everything to prepare for the premiere.