The Little Theatre on the Seafront: The perfect uplifting and heartwarming read

David blew the air out of his cheeks. ‘They were awful, weren’t they? It was like two cats mating while someone played an out of tune violin.’

Mrs Andrews arrived early for her audition just as the last person was finishing. Lottie asked her to sit at the back where she made loud scoffing noises. The several hard stares Lottie gave did little to stop her. At last she was able to say, ‘Your turn, Mrs Andrews, if you’d like to take the stage.’

Lottie and Sid had met Mrs Andrews several times before. Her husband was a local MP and as such Mrs Andrews had a lot of influence, and money. She very much enjoyed her public role and was often called upon to attend posh events. After the advert had gone out, she’d emailed Lottie saying she didn’t think she should have to audition as she already had ‘considerable experience’, but Lottie had replied politely insisting.

Mrs Andrews walked up rolling her hips and wiggling her bottom like Marilyn Monroe in white jeans so tight you could see the outline of her knickers. David bent towards Sid and whispered, ‘She’ll put her hip out doing that at her age.’ Lottie hid behind her folder, laughing.

On the stage Mrs Andrews’ confident eyes scanned the panel. Her face was a seamless sheet of beige tan, slightly pinched at the eyes. Only her hands gave away any real signs of age from the wrinkles and gathering age spots. She flung her arms out wide. ‘“No shame but mine: I must, forsooth, be forced to give my hand opposed against my heart.”’

She clasped both hands against her surgically enhanced chest. ‘“Unto a mad-brain rudesby full of spleen; Who woo’d in haste and means to wed at leisure.”’

Although the mad flailing of arms was quite off-putting, her delivery of the monologue was reasonably good, better than a lot of the others they’d seen and reluctantly Lottie put her on the list. ‘That was good, Mrs Andrews,’ she said, unwilling to give her too much praise. She was already too big for her boots. ‘I’m sure we’d love to have you on board.’

‘Hear, hear,’ said the mayor and Lottie scowled at his simpering.

As the end of the day neared, the weary judges tucked into supplies of biscuits Sid had brought with him. ‘Oh, custard creams,’ said Lottie, taking three. ‘My favourite. Conner, would you like some?’

From the edge of the stage where Conner sat playing on his phone, he lifted his head and crept over, keeping his eyes on Mayor Cunningham. Poor boy, the mayor was quite intimidating.

‘Thank you so much for coming and helping us out on a Saturday,’ said Lottie. ‘I hope your mates didn’t tease you about being busy with some oldies like us?’

‘Nah, they didn’t.’ He took a couple of biscuits and shuffled away back to the steps. Lottie frowned. She couldn’t work out if he was shy or lonely. She hoped it was the former.

‘Who’s next?’ asked Mayor Cunningham.

‘Lee Carter,’ Lottie replied. ‘He’s the last one.’

Mayor Cunningham’s small pig-like eyes screwed up in disgust. ‘He’s a criminal. And he’s late.’

‘I’m sure he’ll be here any minute,’ said Lottie, ignoring the other remark.

‘Alright?’ called a voice from the back of the room. Thankful that Mayor Cunningham hadn’t said anything ruder, Lottie went to meet Lee at the door.

Lee Carter was one of the mechanics at the local garage. He was known for getting into the odd scuffle and had been fancied by all the girls in Lottie’s year at school, including her. He had a strong square jaw and short gelled hair, and had they been planning a production of Lady Chatterley’s Lover, it was clear what part he would play.

‘What will you be performing for us today?’ asked Lottie, by now feeling like a pro.

As he climbed the steps to the stage two at a time, Lee said, ‘I thought I’d do a bit of acting. S’alright, innit?’

‘Lovely,’ said Lottie. ‘Whenever you’re ready.’

Lee nodded and without pausing began to recite Marlon Brando in The Godfather. It was entertaining and not comical in the slightest. He had stage presence and charisma by the bucket full and Lottie couldn’t pull her eyes away. If she had anything to do with it, he was definitely in.

When Lee left, the mayor turned to Lottie. ‘Definitely not.’

‘Oh, for heaven’s sake,’ Lottie replied, unable to hide the exasperation from her voice. ‘Why not? I thought he was great.’

‘He’s a criminal.’

‘He is not,’ said Lottie, matching his determined expression. ‘He’s a perfectly nice man.’

Sid sat forward. ‘He got a warning for drunk and disorderly once, that’s all. And it was New Year’s Eve. Everyone’s drunk on New Year’s Eve.’

Not me, thought Lottie, sadly. And not Sid. She was normally asleep by nine-thirty. ‘I think you’re overreacting, Mayor Cunningham. All he did was try and steal a bollard.’

‘He looks like a thug.’

‘I disagree,’ Lottie said, remaining calm. After all, she was the acting chairman and she could pull that card out again if she needed to. ‘And I vote yes.’

The mayor eyed her disapprovingly then turned to David for his casting vote. ‘David?’

‘I vote yes, too,’ said David. ‘He’s a very good mechanic.’

It wasn’t quite the reason Lottie was hoping for but never mind. Lee was still in.

The mayor looked back at the empty stage, his lips a thin pink line.

Just as they were beginning to pack up, the door squeaked again and Lottie spun around to see Sarah Powell creeping in. She grabbed her clipboard and checked the list. Sarah wasn’t due to be here. Perhaps she’d come to speak to the mayor.

‘Excuse me,’ said Sarah in a small voice. ‘I was wondering if I could still audition.’

‘What the devil?’ exclaimed Mayor Cunningham edging out into the aisle and Lottie shot him a glance that said, ‘Shut up or I’ll stab you.’ Thankfully, he did, but she followed him with her eyes until he sat back down, just to make sure. At first Lottie thought Sarah was ill. Her face was pale and her top lip clammy. Then, from the way she was wringing her hands in front of her, Lottie realised she was nervous. No, not nervous, terrified.

Although she’d been pretty hateful at the committee meeting, the Sarah that stood in front of her was almost childlike. Lottie felt sorry for her and said, ‘No, it’s not too late. What are you going to do for us?’

‘I … I was going to sing. If that’s okay?’

‘Yes, it’s fine. I won’t have your music though. Will you be okay without it?’

Sarah nodded and Lottie worried she might throw up at any minute.

‘This way,’ said Lottie, gently holding her elbow and leading her forwards. She could feel her trembling beneath her fingers. Sarah climbed the stairs and gazed around as if searching for the exits, ‘Take your time, Sarah,’ said Lottie, softly. She’d never seen anyone so terrified. Lottie angled her head and smiled, hoping to put her at ease.

Even from the third row they could see Sarah was shaking and her hands were clasped in front of her, the knuckles white. ‘What are you going to sing for us, Sarah?’ asked Lottie, keeping her tone light and friendly. She hoped it would prompt her to begin.

Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out. She was paralysed with fear. Lottie felt the heavy silence of the room weigh on her shoulders. The poor woman. This must be so embarrassing and awful for her. Unsure what to do Lottie turned to Sid. He winked with his usual easy confidence, then walked onto the stage and whispered something into Sarah’s ear. Some of the fear disappeared from her face and she gave a nervous laugh. Sid returned to his seat and Sarah closed her eyes.

After a pause she began singing ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, in a soft but powerful voice. The song was one of Lottie’s favourites and always gave her goose bumps but as Sarah sang even her goose bumps got goose bumps. Every nerve in Lottie’s body tingled with emotion. Sarah’s hands moved in time, even without the music, clenching and releasing her fists.

There was something so pure and heartfelt in Sarah’s voice, it was like it enveloped Lottie’s soul. Sarah’s face registered terror when she finished and opened her eyes to the stunned silence. Lottie immediately stood and clapped and Sid and David joined her.

‘Thank you,’ said Sarah, in a hushed voice, her face reddening and tears forming in her eyes.

‘You were marvellous,’ said Lottie. ‘You’re definitely in.’

Mayor Cunningham slowly stood to join them and once Sarah had left said, ‘If that’s all of them, Miss Webster, I’ll be off.’

‘Yes, that’s everyone,’ Lottie confirmed, an enormous smile on her face. ‘Quite a good turnout, don’t you think, Mayor Cunningham? I think it’s been a pretty successful day.’ She didn’t care if he couldn’t wait to be out of there, or if she was just rubbing it in – she’d had the best day ever and Greenley-On-Sea had proved to be a hotbed of talent.

Mayor Cunningham strode past her then paused at the door. ‘I concede, Miss Webster, it was a better turnout than I expected.’

Lottie and Sid high-fived. The Greenley Players were officially reinstated.

Chapter 8

Sid wandered aimlessly along the seafront and took a deep breath of the salty sea air. The bright gold afternoon sun reflected off the sea in a glorious haze of light and strangely shaped clouds drifted across the sky. The seashore was littered with clumps of dark green seaweed and the regular dog walkers chased their mischievous dogs away from it.

Sid was bored. Lottie was busy again. She had another committee meeting coming up and wanted to go through all her nan’s papers to make sure she knew everything inside and out. As the auditions had gone so well and the troupe was now all go, she’d decided to catalogue all the different plays the old Greenley Players had done and do something called ‘brainstorming’, which sounded incredibly painful. Sid had offered to help but she wanted to be alone. Perhaps he could nip round later with her favourite pizza. She’d like that.

Sid sighed. He was happy for her, of course he was, it was just that all this suddenly being alone took some getting used to. They’d spent mostly every weekend together for years. Not all day every day, but they’d nip into town together, go to Nick’s record shop, look at the tat in the Saturday market, have Sunday lunch in their favourite old-fashioned pub, that sort of thing. He kicked a stray pebble back onto the beach. Anyway, she was too busy to meet him and as it was a Sunday he found himself at a loose end with no one to play with.

The piece of paper with Selena’s number on rustled in his pocket. She’d given it to him weeks ago and he still hadn’t had the courage to do anything with it. Every time he looked at the note and thought about calling he’d see the carnage in his flat and decide she was still way out of his league. But it wasn’t too late, was it? Not like with Lottie. He could always call Selena and see if she wanted to meet for a drink. He wouldn’t say dinner, he didn’t want to sound pushy. But they could have a drink as old uni mates catching up, just like Selena suggested.

Sid found himself nodding along to the voice in his head and before he lost his nerve, grabbed his phone and called. She sounded happy he’d rung and they agreed to meet at the Hare and Hounds at seven. Sid hung up and decided he would break the habit of a lifetime and wear a shirt, as long as he could find where he’d left one.

The pub was in the next village along from Greenley and had bare wooden tables, chalkboard walls and a menu that boasted things like spinach foam and hazelnut jus. Sid entered and creased up his nose at the strange smell.

Selena spotted him from over her shoulder and waved. She was already sat at the bar in a short black dress that displayed her amazing figure. Her long hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, but still reached down past her shoulders. Sid wondered how a woman who looked like that could ever be interested in him. As the fear mounted he pushed it down and ran a hand through his combed hair. Glad he’d checked for signs of a monobrow before leaving, he walked forward to meet her. ‘Hello.’

‘Hello,’ she replied, smiling. ‘I was worried you weren’t going to show.’

She’d been worried? Really? ‘Why?’ he asked. He wasn’t late.

‘I don’t know. I thought at first maybe you were ignoring me.’ Selena giggled nervously and turned back to her nearly empty drink.

Sid felt the knot in his stomach loosen a little. He wasn’t sure if it was a surge of self-confidence or his normal just-not-giving-much-of-a-fuck attitude returning, but he began to relax. ‘Yeah, sorry about that. It’s been pretty mad these last few weeks with all the am dram stuff.’

‘That sounds fun.’

Sid perched on the barstool next to Selena and his leg brushed hers as he climbed up, sending a shiver through him. ‘It was okay.’

‘Anyone I know in the group?’ Selena finished her drink.

‘Maybe. I can’t really say yet. We’re going to print a list in the paper this week. Would you like another drink?’ Sid asked. He needed one. The nerves in his tummy were biting again making him feel sick.

‘Yes, please.’ Selena turned to the barman who stood waiting to take their order. ‘I’ll have a glass of champagne, please.’ She turned back. ‘If that’s okay?’

‘Of course.’ Sid ordered a beer for himself and drank half of it. ‘Shall we find a table?’

Selena nodded and smiled before slipping elegantly from her stool and grabbing her coat. For a guy with no experience it seemed to be going pretty well so far. He hoped the rest of the night would too.

Selena led them to a table by the window and sat down. ‘Thanks for the champagne. Wine’s a bit of a killer for me and I don’t really like beer or spirits. Too many shots when I was at uni.’

‘On those one pound a shot nights?’ He laughed. ‘Yeah, me too. The Student Union’s got a lot to answer for.’

Selena angled in towards him. ‘Do you remember when that guy’s shoe ended up on the roof of Cooper Building and was there for the whole term?’

‘Oh, yeah.’ Sid smiled at the memory. Most of his uni days were a faded blur now, barely recalled. It was nice to talk about them with someone again. He’d been so happy then. ‘They never did find out who it was, did they?’

Selena laughed and shook her head. ‘I always imagined him hopping home that night all drunk and wobbly.’

Sid chuckled too.

‘I like your shirt,’ Selena offered and Sid blushed. He wasn’t used to receiving compliments on his clothes.

‘Thanks. Are you glad to be back in Greenley?’ he asked. Selena’s olive skin glowed in the sunlight shining through the window and her long dark hair reminded him of a chocolate waterfall.

‘Sort of. Obviously I wish it had worked out with my ex-boyfriend. I thought at one point we were going to get married, but it just wasn’t to be. I’m happy to be back for a while though.’ She ran a hand over her ponytail and pulled it around over her shoulder the ends resting on her cleavage.

Sid pictured her ex and in his mind, he looked like Harrison Ford playing Han Solo. Someone rugged and handsome. In short, nothing like him.

‘So what about you?’ Selena asked before taking a sip of her drink. She sounded genuinely interested and Sid’s nerves rose up once more, wanting to give her the right answers. ‘Did you come back straight from university?’

‘Yeah.’ Sid thought about mentioning his parents but didn’t. He didn’t want to ruin the mood. ‘I got a job on the paper then decided to stay. I’ve been with the Gazette ever since.’

‘Didn’t you ever want to work for a big paper or the BBC or something?’

‘No. Not really. I’d have to wear a suit then.’ Sid joked but it had taken all his self-control to wear one for the entirety of Elsie’s funeral. Thoughts of Lottie threatened to push in but he buried them. He hated the way his brain did that. ‘And I’d have to sit in a hot stuffy office. I think I’d miss the sea.’

Selena ran her fingers over the stem of her glass and her voice was all soft and dreamy. ‘That’s one of the things I missed most when I was up north. I love being by the sea and hearing the waves. Even though I could do without the seagulls waking me up at stupid o’clock in the morning.’

‘Definitely,’ agreed Sid, and he told her about the enormo-gull that had attacked him the other week. Hearing Selena laugh was like listening to his favourite record. A feeling of warmth flooded through him, and pride at having been the one to make her smile.

‘I’m surprised you survived,’ she replied, a hint of a laugh still in her voice. ‘There was one in town harassing pedestrians the other day. Some poor old man who was sat on the bench opposite the museum had to fight it off with his walking stick. I couldn’t stop laughing. You should have heard the names he was calling it.’

Sid grinned. ‘You’d be surprised at the wide vocabulary of the older generation.’

Selena laughed again and Sid watched her face as it filled with joy. ‘So what about you?’ he asked, unwilling to let the conversation fall into silence. ‘Any plans for a big career somewhere?’

‘No, not really.’ Selena kept her eyes on the glass as she shrugged. ‘I like what I do. It makes people happy. Do you live on your own?’

Sid tensed up. Did he look like one of those guys who had always lived on their own, all scruffy and untidy? Or worse, smell like it? He resisted the urge to try a surreptitious sniff of his shirt. ‘Umm, yeah. Yeah, I do.’

‘That’s nice. I’d kill for some space at the moment.’

He could understand but felt a tinge of sadness for something he’d never have again. He’d got on well with his parents and he missed them.

‘But I’m saving up,’ Selena continued, cheerfully. ‘So I should be able to rent somewhere within a few months.’ She looked up at him from under her impossibly long eyelashes and her dark brown eyes held him captivated. ‘Anyway, are you seeing anyone at the moment?’

Sid frowned. ‘Umm, no. No, I’m not.’ He thought about mentioning Lottie but what would he say? She wasn’t his girlfriend so what was the point of saying anything? He didn’t know much about girls but he knew they could get jealous. He’d read it in a copy of GQ at the doctor’s once. Sid swallowed the other half of his beer.

‘Thirsty?’ Selena joked.

He felt his cheeks burn. ‘It is quite hot today.’

Her face lightened. ‘We have been talking nonstop.’

They had, hadn’t they? He chanced at a look at his watch. They’d already been there for forty-five minutes. Wow. It only felt like five. In his mind he applauded himself at how well things were going and watched Selena smile back. He noticed her cheeks plumped up when she did and he wanted to stroke the smooth pink tinged skin. ‘Did you want another one?’

‘Yes, please, but I’ll need something to eat before I drink too much more or I’ll get tipsy. Even on this, I’m still a bit of a lightweight.’

Before Sid could worry about rejection he said, ‘We could eat here if you like?’ He glanced at the menu. He had no idea what a compote was but the odd smell he’d first encountered had gone away and he was sure he’d be able to find something suitable to eat. Every pub had a variation on a good old burger after all.

‘That’d be lovely,’ Selena replied, edging closer so her leg rested against his. Sid admired her full pink lips and wondered what it’d be like to kiss them.

Sid switched to Coke as he was driving but they drank and chatted, and he found that Selena was surprisingly funny. She made jokes at her own expense, which he liked, and they talked about the music they used to listen to. They chatted about uni friends and speculated on where they were now, wondering if any of them had ended up doing the jobs they’d actually studied for. As Selena pointed out when she’d touched his arm, he seemed to be the only one doing that, which was a win as far as she was concerned.

But the moment that blew Sid away was when, during dinner, the conversation turned to Eighties movies and Selena said one of her favourite movies of all time was The Goonies. Sid had a mad passion for Eighties movies and The Goonies was one his favourites too. Selena even knew the names of all the Brat Pack.

‘You fancied Andrew McCarthy?’ Sid asked, unable to hide the surprise from his voice. Andrew McCarthy had always played the shy, geeky characters. Characters like Sid, and the flicker of hope he’d been harbouring suddenly flared up.

‘I know,’ she replied, smiling. Her eyes dipped in embarrassment as she tucked her hair behind her ear. ‘But I bet you always fancied Molly Ringwald,’ she teased.

Sit sat back holding his empty glass of Coke, shaking his head. He had. There weren’t many people who even remembered those movies, let alone still watched them. He’d thought he and Lottie were the only ones. ‘Maybe a little,’ he replied, pretending to scratch his cheek to see if the heat he felt inside was noticeable. When Selena sipped the last of her drink he found himself saying, ‘One for the road?’

When Sid drove them home that night and parked in front of Selena’s parents’ house, he didn’t know if he should give her a kiss or not. The date had gone well. Better than well, actually. He didn’t have anything to compare it to but it had been fun.

He pulled on the handbrake and turned to Selena. ‘I had a really good time. Thanks.’

‘Me too.’ There was a glint in her eye but he didn’t know if it was just the moon reflecting down.

Sid waited for a second but she didn’t get out. He could smell her perfume and the hairs on the back of his neck raised with anticipation. Was she really waiting for a kiss? From him? Of course from him, he thought, there was no one else there. He was just about to lean in and see if she would welcome a peck on the cheek when a wave of nerves so strong they nearly pushed his dinner out of his stomach rolled over and without thinking he sat back.

Selena looked away and her voice was quiet. ‘Goodnight then.’

He felt so jittery all he could say was, ‘Umm, goodnight.’ And she glanced at him one last time then opened the car door and climbed out.

Fuck it.

Chapter 9

Lottie strolled down to the theatre about a week after the auditions. The first meeting of the amateur dramatics group was about to begin and they were waiting outside for her to unlock the door. The evening air had cooled and some of the players did little dances on the spot to keep warm. Thankfully, work had been slow and David had let her go early to have time to grab something to eat before the meeting.

Some of the successful auditionees had already dropped out but there was still a decent number and a bolt of sickness shot through Lottie at the thought of speaking in front of everyone. But Lottie knew she had no choice. Her nan really was a scheming old so-and-so. She was having to face every conceivable fear doing this, and even some she didn’t know she’d had.

Lottie opened the theatre door and led them inside. As they entered everyone peered around as surprised as she’d been the first time she saw it.

‘Gosh, it really needs some work doesn’t it?’ said Gregory.

‘I had no idea it was this bad,’ Cecil replied.

Sarah caught up with Lottie as she walked down towards the stage. ‘I’m not sure our budget will even make a dent on all this.’

‘No, it won’t,’ Lottie replied with a sigh. She’d have to deal with that sooner or later but right now she wanted everyone to be cheerful and enjoy this first meeting. ‘But it’s okay, we’ll think of something.’ Sarah smiled and took a seat.

‘Yuck, what’s that stink?’ called Mrs Andrews, tottering in wearing silver high heels.

‘It’s just a bit of damp, Mrs Andrews,’ replied Lottie. ‘It’ll get better as we clean up.’

‘Is that what we’re doing today?’ she asked, panicked.

‘No, Mrs Andrews, don’t worry. If everyone could take a seat, please?’ The players filled the front row, watching her and her voice wavered until she hit her stride. ‘Welcome, everyone, to the first meeting of the Greenley Players. I thought today, as it’s our first meeting, I could introduce myself and we could discuss some plans for the group. I want everyone to be involved in the decisions that are made about where we go from here. This is a community theatre so we should all get a say. I thought we could start by going around and introducing ourselves?’