The climb down felt more precarious than the ascent had done, and Evelyn put her tumultuous feelings on hold while she made sure she reached the level of the stage safely. Jos went down the steps before her, and Evelyn felt safer knowing she was there. Once they were back in the wings, Jos led her away from the stage and into a rather institutional corridor, where the brick walls were painted cream and the heating pipes ran along the ceiling, with no attempt to hide them or make the area more pleasing. It was a marked contrast to the auditorium of the theatre but, in some ways, a more comforable place to be. They went down some stairs and turned to the left, where Jos opened a door into a dark space with a low ceiling.
“This is the orchestra pit,” Jos said. She flicked a switch near the door and electic light filled the space. Evelyn saw a circle of chairs and music stands, empty and expectant. “We say pit but only the front part is actually a pit in front of the stage. We have this bigger area under the stage in case we need a bigger orchestra, you see. We don’t fill it for the pantomime, but if we were staging an opera or suchlike, we’d need the full area.”
“Of course. I never knew there was a space under the stage at all,” Evelyn said.
“Not all theatres have one.” Jos turned off the light. “Now, come and see the dressing rooms. None of the actors or actresses are here at the moment, so I can show you whichever ones I want. Shall we see the one we give to the leading lady?”
“Yes, that would be lovely.” Evelyn realised she didn’t really care any longer. Interesting though the theatre was to her, made more so by it being Jos’s world, where she was comfortable, all Evelyn really wanted now was to spend time with Jos. To perhaps share a cup of tea with her and talk. Perhaps to risk a hint about her feelings.
A short way along the corridor, Jos turned into a doorway and twisted the handle. “This is Alexandra’s dressing room. She’s Dick Whittington himself.”
Evelyn followed Jos through the door and into the room beyond. Where she had been expecting glamour, what she found was actually rather functional. The room was quite small with a ceiling that showed patches of damp in the plasterwork. The room did not benefit from any natural light at all, though the electric lights were quite bright, including the bulbs that surrounded the large mirror, clearly for the easier application of stage make-up. The dressing table in front of the mirror was a chaos of pots and bottles, tissues and sponges. Towards the back of the room was a metal clothing rail on which hung several stage costumes. Evelyn lingered on these for a moment, as the most tangible evidence of the colour and splendour of the stage itself. They were the typical costumes of the principal boy in any pantomime, long fitted waistcoats, tight breeches, frilly neckerchiefs. One outfit, clearly what Dick wore before he found his fortune, had brightly coloured patches sewn into it, clearly to suggest his poverty and need to mend his clothes. At one end of the rail was a much more ornate costume, in rich red and trimmed with gold thread. A matching tricorn hat hung over the end of the rail, plumes of ostrich feathers cascading from one corner. This was clearly Dick’s costume for the finale, when he would marry the beautiful Alice Fitzwarren as a rich man, at the beginning of a happy ever after, and then take a final bow. Although she was sure the costume looked very rich and expensive in the stage lighting, here on the rail it hung limp and rather dull. The quality of the fabric was not high and the fastenings allowing the actress to make a quick change were all too apparent. Sometimes, Evelyn thought, it was better not to see behind the illusion.
“What do you think?” Jos said, watching Evelyn.
“It’s really interesting to see all of this,” Evelyn said. But she felt compelled to honesty with Jos. “I have to admit though, I almost don’t like to see it. I love knowing the secrets of this place, but somehow, seeing the costume here, away from the lights, is almost sad.”
“I think it’s more like that in pantomime season. Everything on stage is so glorious, that everything behind the scenes seems so very drab,” Jos said, looking around. “I prefer it here, away from the glare. But I do understand.”
“I think it reminds me that it’s all artifical, in a way,” Evelyn said, relieved that she’d not disappointed Jos with her response to the dressing room. “More so than seeing all the scenery. You know the stage set isn’t real, but I think I like to pretend the characters are, the fairy-tale world isn’t just an illusion. Which is awfully silly when you think about it!”
Jos smiled. “I don’t think so. There’s enough artifice in the world, you have to suspend the cynicism and just believe in magic occasionally. Even when you know it’s not really magic.”
“Yes, that’s it.” Evelyn smiled. “There is rather a lot of artifice in the world, isn’t there? I mean, I notice it more here than I did in West Coombe. No one really bothered so much there.”
“Not everyone here bothers either, you know. Although there’s nothing wrong with making your life a performance, if you’re happy. I don’t mind people worrying about their clothes or painting their faces or performing any role they like, as long as they’re true to who they want to be. It’s
