The mirror in Selina’s bathroom was a focal point for her rich theatrical dreams. It was surrounded by small lights, much like a glamourous dressing room make-up mirror; it was Selina’s confessional.
Selina loved the theatre and was a member of the town’s am-dram soc. It attracted all the local luvvies and a fair few from towns further afield who enjoyed a strut round the green room, and huddled round pieces of gossip like barnacles on a boat. Selina, having unglamourous theatrical skills, enjoyed a rather peripheral am-dram life. She offered services such as box office duty and prompting.
By and large, Selina was overlooked by the actors and was sometimes mildly patronized. She was invited to outings:
‘We’re off to the Dirty Swan dear. Fancy tagging along?’ That was Edward doing his mine host act. He was Macbeth in this season’s production of the Scottish play as well as Ernest in the Importance of Being Ernest. Talk about hogging the limelight. And he was, in Selina’s view, rather lazy at learning his lines, relying instead on good looks and over-confidence.
One asset Selina brought to her prompting work was an excellent memory. She could remember whole plays, and often performed key speeches to her bathroom mirror.
‘A handbag, Mr. Worthing? …’ She loved Lady Bracknell’s haughtiness. What would she give to talk to Edward in that voice?
‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow creeps this petty pace from day to day…..’ oh the wonder of Shakespeare’s unforgettable lines. It took someone as pompous as Edward to mangle them. Selina realised she was incubating rather a disdain for the man. Hmm. The mirror continued to give excellent feedback on Selina’s own performances.
Near the end of the season all talk turned to the wrap party to follow the final performance.
Edward addressed Selina over some heads with an offhand:
‘Selina, love, you’ll be OK to slip into town and get some goodies for the buffet from Marks won’t you? I need to talk to the press for a final adjudication.’
‘I’ll do that Edward, I expect you’ll be busy trying to get your lines right for the last performance?’
Ooh that was brave. Selina was half forming a plan to bring Edward within the frame of ordinary mortals.
The final performance was underway. Edward was, as usual, relying on prompts. Macbeth’s tomorrow and tomorrow speech was just ahead and….Edward was grasping for his lines. Selina’s moment had come, she skipped a line then:
‘And all our yesterdays have lighted fools…’
‘No, tomorrow and tomorrow comes first,’ Edward blustered.
The audience giggled delightedly as Edward bluffed his way to the end but couldn’t face the curtain call.
At the party Edward sulked in a corner.
‘How can I face the public? I looked such a fool’
‘Get over yourself,’ was the general consensus
‘You could take more care learning your lines, Sweetie’, Selina offered on her way to the bar. ’You’ll feel better tomorrow and tomorrow. Or the day after, maybe’.
