Introduction -- Part Two

Richie eyes opened with a start, not sure where he was for a moment. He looked around, getting his bearings. He saw the sun outlining the blinds in the windows, and noticed he was covered by a light blanket. He smiled to himself. Mama Jon was looking out for him. He checked his watch. 8:30. What the hell? He’d arrived a little past 3:00. In the afternoon. “Yesterday!” He said out loud. Richie stretched, and took a mental inventory. Except for the insistent twinge of his bladder, and the rumbling of his stomach, he felt great. Taking care of his bladder, then showering and changing, Richie set out for the kitchen. His friends were all talking quietly over steaming mugs of coffee.

David noticed Richie’s arrival. “It’s alive!” he called out. “Man, you were dead to the world. We were gonna give you until noon, then wake your ass up.”

“Guess I needed the rest. What’s to eat? I’m starved.”

“We haven’t decided yet,” Tico said, “but the fridge and pantry are stuffed.”

Rummaging through the refrigerator, Richie came out with eggs, bacon, sausage, oranges, and containers of fresh berries. He pulled pancake mix out of the pantry, and set to work. His friends just stared at him. Richie put the berries in front of David with a knife and a cutting board. “Throw some of those in the blender over there, with some brown sugar and water and – what?” He took in their shocked faces. “I haven’t hardly been able to leave the house. I still have to eat! I adapted. Takeout only goes so far.” He grinned, pleased to have been able to surprise his friends. “Now, David, man, get me a compote going. Get some of that fruit blended like I said, and get it on the stove. Jon, make some fresh coffee and squeeze those oranges for juice. Tico, find some plates and set the table. I’ll take care of the rest.”

The group, still exchanging puzzled looks, did as they were told. Soon, they were tucking into a hearty breakfast. “Damn, man,” Tico said. “I could get used to this. Will you marry me?”

“Ha, ha. Very funny, asshole,” Richie said. “Now shut up and eat.”

* * * * *

Julianna took her coffee outside. When at all possible, she was outside. She surveyed her yard. The gardens were weed-free, and starting to bloom, now that spring had finally sprung. The days were getting warmer, and soon, Julianna would be able to work outside again.

As a choreographer and founder of the Bring It On Theater Company, Julianna was currently working on one of the numbers from the Company’s next production. “Tommy & Gina” was her brainchild. When she pitched it to the board, they were hesitant, feeling like they were trying to ride on the coattails of the Joel/Tharp smash “Movin’ Out”. Julianna argued that her show would be more like the musicals of the 50’s and 60’s – dialog mixed with big production numbers. It took her the better part of a year, but she convinced the board that this was worth pursuing. It didn’t hurt that Bon Jovi had released a new album at the time, putting them in the spotlight again.

The board went to Island for permission to use the band’s songs in their show. Several meetings and conference calls later (none of them with the band, to Julianna’s disappointment) and she had the go-ahead for her project. She could use any of the songs from the US or International releases of their albums, including B-sides and other rare tracks from their released singles. It was more than Julianna had hoped for. This opened the door to some of Bon Jovi’s music that was not played on the radio in the US; songs only the die-hard fans would know. The only stipulation Island made was that Jon and Richie wanted to be involved in the process; they didn’t want to interfere creatively, “But let’s face it,” the latest exec had told them, “Tommy and Gina are arguably two of the most recognizable song characters of the last twenty years; we don’t want you trashing them.”

Julianna didn’t care. She was doing her show. Casting the leads was tough, because she had a firm idea of what she wanted, and couldn’t find it in any of the open calls they held. Julianna didn’t let that discourage her. She went trolling for talent. She finally found her leads in a bar in Queens, singing with a Bon Jovi tribute band. They had great chemistry, tremendous stage presence, and strong, powerful voices that blended together beautifully. That they were virtual unknowns didn’t bother her. It was more important to have the right people in the lead roles rather than known quantities. After their set, Julianna approached them, and encouraged them to audition for her show.

Sam and Lila, her new Tommy and Gina, wowed the rest of the audition committee. They needed to learn to project their voices rather than rely on a mic, and they had to learn to dance, but they were eager to learn, and excited about this project. For the past two months, they had worked every day with voice coaches and dance instructors. They were dedicated and it showed. They were now two of the strongest stage performers Julianna had seen in a long while.

The ringing phone snapped Julianna back to the present. It was Stan, chairman of the board at Bring It On. “Hey, Stan, how’s it going? How’re my kids doing?”

“You know, they’re fantastic,” Stan gushed. “I don’t mind telling you that we, all of us, had our doubts about them, but they have turned out to be perfect, just like you said they would. Good work on finding them.”

“Thanks, Stan. Now, tell me, what’s up?”

“Well, I have some news.” His voice sobered. “I just got off the phone with the execs at Island.”

“Oh no! Is there a problem? You sound like it’s something serious! What happened?” Julianna’s heart was pounding. She wanted this to go smoothly.

“No, no, no, calm down, babe, there’s nothing wrong! In fact, I have good news. Great news in fact. But you’ve gotta keep it under your hat.”

“For God’s sake, just spill it, Stan!” Julianna was exasperated.

Stan just laughed. “OK, girl. Damn, but you spoil all my fun. Hold onto your panties for this one. Bon Jovi is writing a new song especially for the show – they’d like us to use it for the finale – and they’ve agreed to perform it live themselves on opening night.”

“Holy hell,” Julianna squeaked. “Really?” Then the fan part of her turned off, and the choreographer/playwright part piped up. “I assume that we get to hear the song before we put it into the show? I mean, we have to make sure it fits in with the rest of what we’ve done.”

“I’ve already sent the band the script along with the songs we are using. They promised to write something that fits in with the overall tone.” She could hear Stan shuffling papers in the background. He told her, “You should have a preliminary version of the song in a couple of weeks, with the final recording in about six. Apparently they’re holed up somewhere working on this. So, what do you think?”

Julianna laughed. “What do you think I think? I’m thrilled! I want to keep their opening-night involvement secret for now; I want the show to sell on its merits, not on their star power." Julianna sighed. "Next time I’m in the city, I’m buying the hottest, shortest gown I can find for opening night! This is fantastic news.”

“Thanks, babe, you’re the best. When you’re in the city, give me a call; let’s do lunch.”

“You're such a pretentious phony. ‘Let’s do lunch?’ What are you, Hollywood now?” They both laughed. “OK, Stan, I’ll be in the city in a few weeks to work with Lila. Sam is coming out here next week to learn the Sambora number. I’ll have my people call your people and set things up.”

“It’s a date. Ciao, babe!”

“Bye Stan.” Julianna laughing, hung up the phone.