Jesse St. James (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
grandiosely) wrote2021-03-13 07:50 pm
grandiosely) wrote2021-03-13 07:50 pm
Entry tags:
(no subject)
Jesse St. James
Rachel Berry
WHERE New York City, NY • Broadhurst Theater
anything can happen in the woods
Some kind of Into the Woods related shenanigans.WARNINGS None
The theater was bustling with excitement and last minute arrangements that needed to be made before curtain call. There were technical issues to correct, costumes that needed last minute adjustments, and an entire cast of actors that needed to prepare for showtime. While theater had the added benefit of repeat performances that could be adjusted as needed, the first show was often the one that drew in reporters and critics to review and critique. It tended to add an extra layer of urgency to making sure everything was as perfect as it could be. Then in the days and weeks that followed, everyone would settle into a well established and comfortable pattern.
For Rachel, the preshow chaos was something she was used to. What she really treasured though, was the quiet moments alone in her dressing room before a performance. It was a sacred time and as with every opening night, she treated it with care. She and Jesse were sharing a dressing room for the duration of the show, but he’d gone off a little bit ago to speak to the director. It gave her the time she needed to think, process, and imprint the moment and everything that had led up to it, into her mind.
When Jesse had been approached by a good friend and colleague, someone who had helped him with Jane Austen, about it being too long since Broadway had seen a run of the famous Sondheim musical: Into the Woods, he’d eagerly agreed. Though he’d always been a fan of Jack, he’d readily accepted the role of the Baker, under one stipulation; Rachel would be cast as his wife. Her credibility, having won a Tony the previous year made her desirable, and she was more than willing to take on such a challenging and well loved role. It had been awhile since she and Jesse had been on stage together and they always worked off the other flawlessly, making them perfect for any romantic lead.
She was excited to work off her husband again, and the show came at a much needed time. The last year had been spent mostly fulfilling the role of a dutiful surrogate to two of her best friends as well as recovering from the pregnancy. For the most part she was grateful for the opportunity, but it had not come without its challenges. For one, Rachel had not expected how attached she could grow to a life that was not in any way her own. By Jesse’s encouragement and well thought out arguments, she’d agreed it was best that they use a donor egg. Despite that, after the baby was born, her body had been flooded by hormones that only knew it was supposed to be caring for a child. It had left her with an ache she couldn’t understand and emotions that had been difficult to navigate.
Despite all the joy in her life, and how happy she was for Kurt and Blaine, it had been a struggle. Not even the reassurance that they could try for a child of their own soon had been enough to soothe the ache of what her body saw as a loss. It had felt raw every time the baby would seek to nurse or calm only to Jesse’s singing. It made a certain amount of sense. She and her husband had handled all the highs and lows of her pregnancy and its more intimate details together. When she was uncomfortable and the baby was keeping her awake, Jesse would sing to her stomach. It was no wonder by the time she was ready to pop, he was raring for her to carry theirs.
Between hormones and the perceived physical loss, her role in the baby’s life and her best friends lives had been complicated. Not unpleasant, just complicated. A month-long vacation in a small villa in Europe with just her husband had proven to give her the distance she needed to recover. By the time she returned the breast milk had finally dried up, her figure was returning and she was eager to get back to her work while her body fully recovered and she and Jesse could start trying for their own.
The whole situation allowed her to bring an authenticity to the role of the Baker’s Wife that pre-show reviews had called alluring and believable”. Though perhaps ready to start her life as a real mother, the show and everything it entailed had proven to be everything she needed to move forward. It wasn’t always easy, but her hormones were under control, her sex life was back on track and things were really good.
Sitting in front of the mirror, she puts a couple more pins into the wig and smooths her hands over her head to make sure it’s completely in place. She glances over at the clock, and her heart skips a beat, not too long now. They’d been doing dress rehearsals for a week now, but there was nothing like performing in front of a live audience. Glancing at the photos on the vanity, an old picture from Glee Club, a favorite picture of she and Jesse, and pictures of both of them with their Tony awards, she feels a calm wash over her. She was really doing well, and with her hair and make up done, and her costume on, it was only a matter of waiting until showtime.
For Rachel, the preshow chaos was something she was used to. What she really treasured though, was the quiet moments alone in her dressing room before a performance. It was a sacred time and as with every opening night, she treated it with care. She and Jesse were sharing a dressing room for the duration of the show, but he’d gone off a little bit ago to speak to the director. It gave her the time she needed to think, process, and imprint the moment and everything that had led up to it, into her mind.
When Jesse had been approached by a good friend and colleague, someone who had helped him with Jane Austen, about it being too long since Broadway had seen a run of the famous Sondheim musical: Into the Woods, he’d eagerly agreed. Though he’d always been a fan of Jack, he’d readily accepted the role of the Baker, under one stipulation; Rachel would be cast as his wife. Her credibility, having won a Tony the previous year made her desirable, and she was more than willing to take on such a challenging and well loved role. It had been awhile since she and Jesse had been on stage together and they always worked off the other flawlessly, making them perfect for any romantic lead.
She was excited to work off her husband again, and the show came at a much needed time. The last year had been spent mostly fulfilling the role of a dutiful surrogate to two of her best friends as well as recovering from the pregnancy. For the most part she was grateful for the opportunity, but it had not come without its challenges. For one, Rachel had not expected how attached she could grow to a life that was not in any way her own. By Jesse’s encouragement and well thought out arguments, she’d agreed it was best that they use a donor egg. Despite that, after the baby was born, her body had been flooded by hormones that only knew it was supposed to be caring for a child. It had left her with an ache she couldn’t understand and emotions that had been difficult to navigate.
Despite all the joy in her life, and how happy she was for Kurt and Blaine, it had been a struggle. Not even the reassurance that they could try for a child of their own soon had been enough to soothe the ache of what her body saw as a loss. It had felt raw every time the baby would seek to nurse or calm only to Jesse’s singing. It made a certain amount of sense. She and her husband had handled all the highs and lows of her pregnancy and its more intimate details together. When she was uncomfortable and the baby was keeping her awake, Jesse would sing to her stomach. It was no wonder by the time she was ready to pop, he was raring for her to carry theirs.
Between hormones and the perceived physical loss, her role in the baby’s life and her best friends lives had been complicated. Not unpleasant, just complicated. A month-long vacation in a small villa in Europe with just her husband had proven to give her the distance she needed to recover. By the time she returned the breast milk had finally dried up, her figure was returning and she was eager to get back to her work while her body fully recovered and she and Jesse could start trying for their own.
The whole situation allowed her to bring an authenticity to the role of the Baker’s Wife that pre-show reviews had called alluring and believable”. Though perhaps ready to start her life as a real mother, the show and everything it entailed had proven to be everything she needed to move forward. It wasn’t always easy, but her hormones were under control, her sex life was back on track and things were really good.
Sitting in front of the mirror, she puts a couple more pins into the wig and smooths her hands over her head to make sure it’s completely in place. She glances over at the clock, and her heart skips a beat, not too long now. They’d been doing dress rehearsals for a week now, but there was nothing like performing in front of a live audience. Glancing at the photos on the vanity, an old picture from Glee Club, a favorite picture of she and Jesse, and pictures of both of them with their Tony awards, she feels a calm wash over her. She was really doing well, and with her hair and make up done, and her costume on, it was only a matter of waiting until showtime.
no subject
As the opening wishes went through, lamenting the things they still wanted that mostly came as consequences to their original wishes, Jesse can't help but resonate with the feelings behind it. It's a very human concept, of course, but he can feel his throat threatening to tighten when he sings, "I'm going to be a perfect father." He's never had a very easy time singing that line, even in rehearsals, able to relate too deeply to the Baker's fears of failing his own children due to never having a decent example, but yet again he manages to get through it, the emotion simply adding to the performance.
The music comes to an end and Rachel still comforts their baby as he tries to reassure her they will have room, only to be met with the option of moving. He waves his hand in dismissal of the very thought. "No. We will not move this was my father's house. And now it will be my son's." They continue to argue about the witch for a moment as she hands the baby over to him and Jesse holds him far from his body, cradling him like a glass sculpture he needs to find a place for rather than an infant.
"Oh, why does he always cry when I hold him?"
no subject
Rachel sighs, playing the role of exhausted wife and mother as she begins to rock the baby while Jesse reassures her that he'll take care of him when he's older. The prop of the doll was more realistic than it had been back in the original Broadway performance, better weighted to hold and just as the audio calms down the fake cry, Rachel slows the rocking. She takes a seat in the prop chair looking content as she sings sweetly to the newborn, "We had to go through thick and thin."
She looks up at Jesse with all the love in her eyes as the entire cast sings in unison of their happiness, trailing off as the sounds of cracking and crashing break out around them and set pieces fall in a well rehearsed way. She lets herself fall from the chair, pulling the child against her and holding him protectively until the noise and set settle down. The baby starts to cry again and she looks frantically up at Jesse, before telling him that they are both alright.
no subject
"You! Have you done this to our house?"
The Witch gestures to her own garden which is destroyed and the three begin to ponder over what could have happened, listing mythical creatures that could have destroyed the place like dragons and griffins, before Jesse finally offers, "Giant?" and the Witch goes still before agreeing. A Giant. Rachel proclaims they have to tell someone and Jesse has to bite down on his cheek to keep a straight face as the Witch looks around in confusion.
"Who're you gonna tell?"
The audience roars with laughter before Jesse is able to shout, "The Royal Family, of course!" The Witch goes on a rant about the uselessness of the family and how giants are too hard to fight anyway. She crushes the bug under her foot before pulling it off, eating it, and leaving. They stand in silence for a good moment, before Rachel turns to him.
"We are moving."
It takes his all to not laugh with the audience, but he shakes his head, going to grab his scarf and hat so he can make his way to the castle. He stops by Jack's house to check on the family and ask for any aid. Jack's Mother reasonably refuses despite his begging and eventually he leaves for the castle once more. He is presented to Cinderella and while the stewards repeatedly try to remove him, he manages to get the Princess's attention as he finally gets on his knees in front of her, clinging to his hat tightly.
"We have a young child! Princess, please... Our child was very difficult to come by. And his safety is of great importance to me." He can feel the tears burning in his eyes and knows it is coming through in his voice and on his face. When the steward asks if he's done, he hesitates for only a moment, before nodding and pulling himself to his feet. There's a glimmer of hope as the Princess promises to tell the Prince when he returns, and his voice is full of emotion when he responds. "Thank you."
He goes to walk back towards the bakery as the other scenes unfold their own stories.