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| The Grand Theatre, Phylon - The Vale |
| The Grand Theatre is just that… grand. There are three primary entrances accented by swooping archways that can be closed off by a pair of tall, heavy doors. The exterior lobby the building forms a ring surrounding the theatre-in-the-round; it is tall, allowing light to filter in from the large windows that stretch from floor to ceiling. It is carpeted in dense red carpet framed in pale marble. Along the interior wall of the lobby are a series of concession stands, separated by doors that lead into the main stage. There are lifts staggered throughout the lobby that allow patrons to access the upper balconies.
The Main Stage itself is large, round space with a large, circular stage at its center. Dozens of rows of seats surround it in a complete 360-degrees. The walls are dressed in dark red fabric and accented with narrow gold pillars. There are balconies staggered around the outer wall of the Stage, and each of these have couches and chaise lounges instead of the more traditional theatre seating. The stage itself is quite flexible, allowing for movies and live performances. Additional space can be added when necessary by closing off a quarter of the seats and extending the stage backwards. For daytime shows that do not require special lighting, the dome above opens up and allows natural light to pass through the stained glass and create a beautiful kaleidoscope effect from above. |
| 23 June 3013 |
Jane has finished with her mingling, following along with the crowd as it began to disperse shortly after Bronze Corsair's last song. Another fifty to one hundred people have remained behind to chat, drink up the last of the bar's booze, and reminisce about their more youthful days.
The actress has taken advantage of the moment for a little bit of networking. Now she is walking slowly around the perimeter of the theatre and sipping on a big alcoholic beverage. "I think I scanned so many cards that my bracelet broke," Jane muses into her earpiece, presumably on a phone call with her assistant. "No, not too many left. Cleaning crew is already going through." Pause. "Okay, fine, I'll see if there's a leftover bottle, but you're pulling double-time tonight writing thank you notes. No, I mean actually writing - you know, with your hand and a pen and crap. Uh huh. Bye."
"Maybe not Drake," Lyrienne agrees with a swift grin toward Zani. "But I think Letha could stand to hear it." She raises her drink in salute, then starts to weave her way through the crowds toward the other woman, smile warm. "Letha, that was amazing!" she calls over. "Why didn't you tell me you could do that? Sir, you must be a time traveler from thirty years ago," she adds with a wink to Cole. "I can't imagine anyone could continue to improve for so long."
Matt offers a quiet smile in return to Zani now, nodding a little bit. "It's okay. It was sort of refreshing not having been recognized." A brief pause, as he offers another grin now, "And thanks. I hope we didn't disappoint then. Even for being a band that hasn't played together for years, that is."
It takes her several full gulps of water to fully settle her nerves in the wake of it as she is escorted off the stage. She offers Cole a thankful smile, and then she beams into something quite extraordinary. "Oh… seriously?" She half-gasps. "That would be… absolutely awesome. I should let my editor know. He won't believe me," she says, almost laughing out the words as she finally alights out of the spotlight and backstage. She offers Cole and Trish another brilliant smile. "I should… go meet up with Drake. At the after party though, I will hunt you all down for an interview."
Zani grins back at Lyrienne, and waves, as the other lady heads off. Then she looks at Matt, with a rueful smile. "No, you were great," she says. "Especially for a band that hasn't played together for years." Even if Drake still might punch the guy in the face, Zani's gotten over the cheap shot/joke. "Are you guys going to get back together again? Or was it just a one-shot performance?"
The 3/4ths of Bronze Corsair almost seem like they aren't used to the amount of attention their getting. It's just been a very long time for them. "Thank you, all of you. But, damn, really you should be congratulating the new generation. Lady Lyrienne here. I haven't heard a voice like that since Sara Cruz when I was a kid. And I'll be damned if Hell If I Know doesn't go down as amazing band of -this- generation. You guys got talent, no denying that."
"You're all very kind." Trish says, making sure to bow to Lyrienne when she arrives. "Our stlyes may be different, my Lady, but I've been a fan of your quality of work." A glance over at Marcus. "Oh, just get me a drink, Grumpy." she says, only have to see the expression on Marcus's face. Drummers. But the question about getting back together, she glances at Cole.
"Ah, I think I'll save that answer until Missy here has gotten her interview, I did promise her that. So I think we'll leave you in suspense till then."
Drake lets Lyrienne approach Letha first… the noblewoman got there first after all, but he's not far behind, raising up the paired red cups, "Sour Candy for such a sweet motherfucking performance." No need to go meet up with Drake, for here he is. He glances over to the aging rockstars, adding in another grin, "You guys weren't so bad either. Okay, pretty damn awesome. And you totally shouldn't say stuff like that about us. It'll totally go to our head."
"Thank you," Lyrienne replies, dipping her chin to Cole. "I can't tell you how much it means to hear that from someone who isn't a teenager." She winks at that, taking a long drink from her cup. "I've been trying to work away from the old stuff lately, so it's good to hear the new stuff being so well-received. And Letha, if you're interested in performing, you really should act fast. I can get you a meeting with a few execs if you'd like," she offers.
Lyrienne's approach earns Letha a bright smile. "Lady Lyrienne," she says brightly as she steps up to embrace her with a quick hug. She offers her a friendly squeeze. "You did magnificent. I loved all of your songs. You cellist was also excellent." She then smiles toward Drake, stepping up to accept the cup of her Sour Candy cocktail. She looks quite pleased with it, sipping to relax her nerves once more.
"Thanks," Matt replies, offering another grin now. "I really appreciate that." At the question if the band are going to get back together again, he shrugs a little bit. "Maybe in nine years time or so?" There's a bit of a grin as he answers, though. "At the moment, we're all a bit happy about where we are, but who knows what the future brings, hmmm? Maybe people will try making records with others instead, just to see how well that goes?"
"Nine years? well, if you live that long. Might be a bit of a challenge." Zani laughs, and then she says, "C'mon, let's go backstage and congratulate that last group, they were fucking awesome." She turns and heads that way, without really waiting on Matt, though she expects he's following. She hangs back though, letting Lady Lyrienne and Drake take center stage.
Trish and Marcus seem content enough to watch in the background, even while they themselves are being greeted by the few fans that have been given access to backstage. As for Cole himself, he doesn't mind being tossed in the throng of musicians. "Well, I'm not spring chicken, that's for damn sure. But whatever the music is about, Lady Lyrienne, doesn't matter. What does is the effort put into it. An hot damn, that was some stuff I can approve of. Especially your newer work. May not share the same style, but I can sure as hell respect it." He waves a hand at Drake, grinning. "Shit. It went to our heads for awhile. We came down off our cloud. Age has a tendency of teaching some good lessons in humility."
Drake extends out the other cup to Letha as well, "Oh hell no, both of these are yours. I'm not drinking this stuff…" He shifts the coat slung around the back of his neck, then drops his free hand to pat the journo on the backside and then slip his arm around her waist, "So what'd you think, Vallas? You get why we're so crazy about this shit now? The pure… fucking… rush. Not much in the world can compete, eh?" He nods to Cole, "I'll worry about that when I get old. Humility's for suckers right about now."
Lyrienne returns Letha's hug with a flash of a smile as she steps back. "I'll be sure to pass that on," she says in regard to the cellist. "I expect she'll appreciate it even more after your own performance." She moves to the side, making room for the others with an amused smile toward Drake and his hands. "Ric will be crushed that he missed your performance," she adds to Cole. "Would you forgive me if I asked for an autograph to bring back to him?"
"Hey, if we didn't kill each other back when we played together, we should still be safe." Matt remarks a bit lightly, before he nods a bit as he hears Zani's words, moving to follow after her now. Glancing around every now and then, just to see if there's someone he knows there in the crowd.
Zani laughs at Matt, glancing back his way. It's a fairly quick pass through to backstage, at this point, since they did take part and all. And Drake's back there already. Hanging back lasts for a bit, but Zani isn't really the type so after a bit, she does step forward, flashing a big grin. "That was totally awesome," she says, brightly. "You guys made stars explode in my gut." She seems to mean that as a compliment at the least.
"Hell, I'm not expecting you to. Live the shit up while you can." Cole grins. "But I guess that makes me a sucker then, eh?" A shrug. "Eh, suppose I'm alright with that." Letha gets a smile. "Well, we might need a bassist against sometime. Might want to remember that. Just in case." A wink. "You never know." But the remark for an autograph makes him laugh. "Sure, I can do that. Haven't been asked for one of those in a damn long time. Ric, right? Oh, Cedric. Lucky guy, you devoting songs to."
Letha quickly downs her first Sour Candy, and then intends to sip on her second with a more relaxed state. She breathes out a steady sigh as she offers Drake a warm smile. "I get it. But… wow… I think I'm happier writing about it." Though there does seem to be a hint of comfort and satisfaction in the wake of her own performance. She nods her head toward Zani, offering her a wink.
Drake shakes his head at Cole, "Hell no, man… right now." He taps his chest with his free hand, now that its free of the second cup, "Like, young. You're safe, Cole." He glances over to Zani as she approaches, and he nods his agreement, even if he wouldn't put it that way. Letha's response causes him to laugh, "You're crazy, blondie, but I'm totally cool if you're sure about it." He points over to the geezers, "But if you turn down another shot to play with Bronze Corsair…" He laughs easily, then shrugs, "You know… I think I might try one of those damn cigars that Khourni gave me…" Plucking one out and clipping off the tip, he asks, "Anyone else want to blaze up theirs?"
Lyrienne grins at Cole. "If I bring home an autograph, he's going to insist I'm the luck one," she promises, bringing out a program and offering it over. "Thank you so much."
Matt smiles now, as he gets hold of something more to drink, before he looks over at the others. "Seems like the entire thing was a great success, don't we all agree?" he asks, after a few moments of pause, before he offers a bit of a grin in Cole's direction. "You know, there's been many years I was hoping you guys would get back on the stage. Lots of the inspiration we got when we started out was from Bronze Corsair." Another pause, before he looks to Drake again, offering the man a quiet nod, but not saying anything to him yet.
Zani beams at Drake, oblivious to the mucked up metaphor she threw out there. She grins at Letha, at the wink. "You rock, Ms. Vallas," she says earnestly. And then to Cole she says, "Oh hey, if you are giving out autographs, can I get some too?" She'll even include Matt in that, since she can. There's a hopeful look on her face, along with one of those lightbulbs like she just got a great idea.
"Thanks, Zani," Letha breathes out a sigh, offering her a honest grin. "But, I've got to go check in with El-El… I have an exclusive to report." She winks to Cole before she starts to step away, taking her Sour Candy with her. She has stopped trembling in the wake of her first concert performance, and she is looking quite high as a kite — in a happy way.
"I'm safe." Cole echoes. "I'm glad I have the assurances of the great Drake Danger." the old singer chuckles, but indeed plucks out his own cigar. "This is my treat. I'm going to be resting my voice tomorrow because of this. Now, someone light me." Taking the program, he smiles, getting a pen from his pocket. "To Ric: Luckiest husband in Haven. Cole Ventralis." he makes sure he writes the name big. "Not a problem, my Lady. Only if you give me one too. My daughter grew up with your music. She may have her own band, but she still has her idols." Chuckling, he nods to Zani. "I almost feel popular again." And Matt gets a friendly nod. "People have been asking for a reunion for longer than I like to admit. It may not of been the entire gang, but it works for me. Just glad to bring some joy to these people. And maybe the kids here will remember that one day, long ago, their parents used to rock too."
"Similar reasons to why we decided to join together for this one single event," Matt offers, before he adds, "And yes, they probably need to be reminded of that every once in a while." That offered to Cole, before he looks to Letha as the woman takes her leave now. "I may actually need your help for something, one of these days, if possible, Miss Vallas," he offers to the reporter, after a few moments of pause, before he adds, "Of course, it can wait for a few days…" Looking to Drake as well, he offers the man another nod now. "May I speak with you for a few moments?" he offers, a bit quietly.
Zani waves to Letha, and then finds a program, handing it over to Cole to sign as well. She'll get the rest of his band as well, if they will. "Thank you so much," she says, eyes all bright. "This has been a concert I am never going to forget." She looks over at Matt, and once Cole hopefully signs his autograph, she looks at the lead singer for the slightly younger band. "Yours too, maybe?" she asks.
Ohboy, Roxy had found something to drink and found a party. Dancing to the music had been the whole theme. When the concert ended, she'd finished her drink, said goodbye to her newfound friends and now finds herself heading backstage. She's not drunk, but she's sure had a good time dancing, singing along and just in general having a good time. Seeing those gathered around, her lips tilt in a smile as she approaches. "Looks like I'm missing the best party."
"Gladly," Lyrienne laughs to Cole, taking back the one program and claiming another to add her own autograph in elegant, looping script. "Spread your wings, Lyrienne Orelle," she signs, passing it back to Cole. "Now, if you'll all excuse me, I should be checking on my husband soon. It was a pleasure," she says warmly, then backs away from the group.
Drake passes the clippers and lighter around, finally sparking up his own cigar and closing away the lighter. He draws on it once, then coughs, shaking his head, "Yeah… no. Not for me." He blinks at Letha a moment, frowning as she starts to waft off, and he gives a wave, "Lemme know when you're done." He watches her head off, then blinks, realizing he's still got her jacket around his neck. He takes a step away, and then Matt's talking to him, "Uh… I should get this back to her… what's up though?"
There's another brief pause, as Matt glances around for a few moments, before he moves to place a hand on Drake's shoulder, offering the man a brief nod as he says something quietly to him. That done, he waits for the answer, although he takes a moment to sign the autograph for Zaniyah. After all, one'll have to give the fans what they want, right? Especially the ones of the cute female kind.
Cole is more than happy to give Zani an autograph. "Hey, you stick with this band. You're gonna go places. If you're lucky, you'll get into the hall of fame like we did." A grin is added to that as he passes the autograph to her. "But I hope by then maybe you'll have a different name." Borrowing that lighter, he shakes his head, smiling. "Yeah, well, my voice doesn't bounce back nearly as well as yours does right now." His cane taps the ground idly." He bows again to Lyrienne when she makes her exit. "Goddamn, a lot of good talents these days. All sounds different, but the talent is still there."
Drake tenses when Matt puts a hand on his shoulder, his right hand starting to curl just a bit despite the cigar held between his fingers. The murmured words cause him to relax a bit thought, and he nods, "Yeah. Tell you what… there'll be plenty of interviews after, just mention it then." He shrugs his shoulders, "Dunno… just rubbed me the wrong way." He finds the nearest trash can, and tosses out his cigar, then shrugs, "We're cool." He raises a hand, "See y'all 'round, thanks for makin' this thing work." And then he's off, headed out of the theatre.