As I mentioned last night, after I rudely posted a link to one of my old blog posts in a comment on Art’s blog, Pouring My Art Out, I started chatting with my blogging buddy Trend, of TrentLewin.com about that piece. I told him that in an exercise for my memoir writing class, I had to write the same story from two different points of view. The link I posted was to the first version of that story. Trend and I figured it would be fun for me to post both pieces.
Here is Part 1.
This is Part 2, The Flip Side
The Audition
Six Admissions judges from London’s Central School of Speech and Drama met at the Rathskeller, a bar in New Haven, Connecticut, to discuss the afternoon’s auditions of prospective American students in April 1974.
Google Image
“How did you mates fair? We had four who were bloody awful,” said Nigel, after ordering a pint and sitting down. Nigel, along with Charles and Anna, was one of three judges on the second panel. The others joined their colleagues and smiled at the three members of the first panel already seated at the table.
“There’s one ace in our lot,” said James, speaking for the first panel. “We all agree he should be admitted.”
Anna rushed in: “We had one that was quite memorable.”
The group quickly pushed aside the folders of the rejects; no chat was needed. All six knew the criteria for admission and talent was a prerequisite. They went on to the three applicants who would be offered slots in September’s class.
“Now tell us about this other one” James said opening the folder they’d kept in reserve. “Do we have another offer to make to Elyse?”
“Well, she is,” Anna said, smiling and showing Elyse’s picture, “quite photogenic, I’d imagine she’d be good on film. On the whole, though, delivery of her comedy piece wasn’t good.”
“Her timing,” said Nigel, “was a bit off.”
“It was at first,” added Charles smirking. “But later she showed real promise.”
“Her Juliet speech was spot on. And she looked like Juliet, which always helps,” Anna continued.
“Well, she’s quite young,” said James, “Only 17. She should look the part! Can she sing?”
“She belted ‘Adelaide’s Lament,’ a song that makes me queasy. She performed it well, though, comfortably. She has a strong singing voice that could be developed nicely with additional vocal training.”
“OK,” said Natalie, speaking up for the first time. “It sounds like she did an acceptable audition, but not a stellar one. That makes her borderline in my book. Why was she so memorable?”
“Because,” said James, trying to not laugh over his own punchline as Anna and Charles began guffawing. “Fuck me if, on her way out, she didn’t walk into the broom closet and close the door!”
“She didn’t!!”
“And she stayed inside there,” added Anna, wiping tears from her eyes. “She was in there for eons. She must have not known what to do.”
James went on, “She finally slunk out and said rather sheepishly ‘uhhh, that’s a broom closet.’ She hung her head and walked out the proper door, poor dear.”
“If she’d come out singing and dancing,” chuckled Nigel, “I would have suggested she skip training and head straight for Broadway.”
They added Elyse’s folder to the pile of on the left.
Google did it to me
FiftyFourandAHalf 
Those judges, they were likely sitting over their suds and spuds wondering how to pass you in. They loved you but couldn’t find the right words. I think you got it all wrong.
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I think I will take your version and run with it!
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This is so brilliant… because in my head, I play every moment of my life over and over from so many points of view… of course, I am a little crazy… so… uh…
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It was a really fun exercise. But I think that the story is much better from my point of view than from theirs!
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but every coin has two sides… and every crazy person has 247…
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I bet now you always exit a broom closet kicking and singing “One!”
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One is the Loneliest Number?
Mostly, if I see two doors, I ask which is the correct one. See? I learned. The hard way, but I learned!
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I was thinking of “One” from Chorus Line, as you exit with a top hat and cane, totally carrying it off like it was deliberate.
But asking first is good, too.
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I don’t like these judges, they’re mean!
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They were! They should have taken me on as a student ANYWAY! Sigh.
But I think they weren’t that mean. They didn’t laugh at me until I left the room, so that’s something!
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If I had been one of the judges, I would’ve put you through. When something’s that memorable, you gotta do something with it.
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In truth, I wouldn’t have been able to go if I HAD gotten in. My health issues, that had started a year or two before this, really went nuts at the end of my senior year. and I had to always fine health insurance. (The NHS wasn’t seen by my doctors as a viable option. And I was a woos. And walked into a closet)
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Awwww, You gave it your best shot Elyse – there isn’t much else you can do.
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Nope. Some things are just not meant to be, Paul. Like me and stardom! C’est la vie!
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Coming up next: the side of the story told by the broom closet. 🙂
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That would take some work. I’d have to neaten it up before exposing it to people!
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But just look what you gave them to talk about. Probably for years to come!
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Probably.
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