Oh trespass sweetly urg'd! Give me my sin again.
“Okay Blake if you could read Romeo and Kris you take Julian. Take it from the line ‘I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptiz’d’.”
Kris moved to the front of the stage, script in hand, and turned away from Blake. Looking out into the auditorium Kris took a breath and centred himself. Kris focused on Blake’s lines so that he wouldn’t miss his cue. Hearing the words Kris turned to face Blake.
“What man art thou, that, thus bescreen’d in night…”
Kris moved towards Blake as he spoke. He continued his movement as once again he made his way through the dialogue he had already spoken several times today.
When his manager had told him about the auditions for an all male production of ‘Romeo and Juliet’, now called ‘Romeo and Julian’, Kris had reluctantly agreed. He knew that, due to his size, he would be asked to audition for Julian. Unfortunately it was Mercutio that he really wanted to play; a role he’d been hoping to play ever since he’d read the play in college. But a job was a job and the director, a wunderkind called David Cook, seemed to know what he was doing so Kris would happily take Julian, or any other part he could get, just to be part of the production.
This was the forth time today that Kris had been asked to read this scene, always with a different Romeo. He really hoped that bode well for his chances but still he focused in on his movements, his intonation. He wanted to give David something he’d not seen before, some reason to hire him over anyone else who might audition. Kris tried to play with the preconceptions of Julian, tried to make him strong and soft at the same time. He tried to remember that he was playing a man, not a girl, no matter what the source material said. One thing he had tried really hard to do was manufacture a connection with the consecutive Romeos but apart from one, some guy named Matt who David had then read for Mercutio, there had been nothing. There was always something missing. This time felt no different.
David obviously agreed because after Kris and Blake had finished the scene Blake was let go.
“Kris, could you hold on for a second please.”
“Sure.”
As he had done all day Kris felt a pang of sympathy as he watched Blake leave the theatre. Kris was beckoned to the front of the stage.
“First I want to say thank you for sticking around all morning, you’ve been a life saver. This next one’s the last before lunch I promise. I really like what you’ve been doing, giving me something different every time, but I’m still not sure what I’m looking for. I’ll let you know when I find it. But you definitely have a part, I’m just not sure yet which one.”
Kris thanked the man and moved back to the centre of the stage. He was a little shocked at David’s honesty. It wasn’t unheard of let an actor know they’d been cast while still at the audition but it was pretty rare. Picking up his bottle of water Kris once again looked over his script. Hearing the auditorium door open Kris looked up to see a tall, slender man with a head of jet black hair make his way through the theatre to the stage.
Kris watched as the man grabbed his script, dropped his bag on the seats in the front row, and made his way onto the stage. He watched as the man walked straight towards him smiling. Kris shook the hand that extended towards him.
“Adam Lambert.”
The voice was a lot softer than he had been expecting
“Kris….Kris Allen.”
“Nice to meet you Kris Allen.”
Adam’s eyes met his and Kris could see a hint of eyeliner outlining them. Their pale blue colour was a surprise and Kris felt himself getting pulled into them.
“Okay, Adam, Act 2 Scene 2, if you could start from the line 'I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptiz’d’. When you’re ready.”
Kris watched as Adam straightened his shoulders and moved to the other side of the stage. He watched as Adam turned around to face him, took a breath, and began.
“I take thee at thy word. Call me but love, and I’ll be new baptiz’d. Henceforth I never will be Romeo.”
Kris had moved towards all the other Romeos but he’d never felt himself drawn to them as he was to Adam. He felt as though his movements were out of his control; he let his body take him where it will.
Adam and Kris continued to move around the stage, ebbing and flowing towards and away from each other. Kris felt himself looking up into eyes that had not once left his throughout the scene except to check the script.
“Thou know’st the mask of night is on my face, else would a blush…”
“Hold up for a second.”
Kris stopped speaking and turned to David. He felt Adam do the same next to him. David looked thoughtful and excited.
“Kris if you could now read Romeo and Adam you take Julian. Adam take it from where Kris left off.”
Kris was a little shocked by the change but knew not to let it fluster him. He pulled himself a bit straighter, opened his legs a little wider, and pulled his body weight forward a little from his shoulders. Kris watched surprised, as Adam kept his stance strong, not wilting in the slightest, but softened his gaze. Adam’s broad shoulders kept their entirely male shape but his face held a gentler quality. Kris watched in interest as Adam combined the feminine and masculine in a way he had unable to.
Kris saw Adam give him a little nod to signal he was about to start.
“Thou know’st the mask of night is on my face, else would a blush bepaint my cheek…”
Again Kris felt the pull as Adam read the lines. The space that he had put between them soon disappeared and once again he was looking up into the cobalt blue of Adam’s eyes. Adam smiled down at him and Kris felt the rest of the world fall way.
“…O gentle Romeo! If thou dost love, pronounce it faithfully:…”
Kris reached up and placed his free hand on Adam’s cheek. He quickly glanced at the script to get his cue, and his next line, and then looked back into the gaze that held his own. Gently he brushed his hand down Adam’s face, fingertips trailing down his jaw. The stubble bristled slightly as his fingers flowed across it. Heat swelled in Kris at the texture. His hand moved down Adam’s neck, his fingers feeling the bobbing of his adams-apple as he swallowed. His hand came to rest on Adam’s chest and Adam’s hand moved to rest lightly on top of his.
“Sir, by yonder blessed moon I swear that tips with silver all these fruit-tree tops, -”
“O! swear not by the moon, the inconstant moon,…”
Adam pulled away on the line and Kris felt an emptiness that he had not been expecting. The more Adam moved away, the more Kris followed. The more Julian knocked down Romeo’s oaths, the more desperate they became. In that moment there was nothing more important to Kris than to regain the feeling he had when he and Adam were touching.
He could hear the desperation in his tone when he spoke.
“O! wilt thou leave me so unsatisfied?”
Adam’s gaze locked onto his again.
“What satisfaction canst thou have tonight?”
“The exchange of thy love’s faithful vow for mine.”
Kris felt his voice crack as the line poured out of him. Somewhere in the last few minutes he’d lost control of his performance.
The smile that graced Adam’s face was unlike anything he’d seen before. The light that came into his eyes, they way they twinkled with joy and mirth and lust, was aimed straight at him. Kris felt all his resolve melt. Romeo and Julian be screwed, Kris and Adam, that was the tale Kris wanted to be a part of.
“I gave thee mine before thou didst request it;”
Kris surged forward, his legs taking him of their own accord to the man in front of him. He reached up with his right hand to pulled the taller man’s head down a little. He stretched onto his toes to meet the mouth halfway. Feeling Adam’s hand move around his shoulders Kris wrapped his free arm around Adam’s waist. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but Kris was pretty sure those were stars he’d just seen. Pulling away slightly Kris couldn’t bring himself to break the contact so he kept his arms firmly around the body in front of him.
Looking up into Adam’s face Kris could feel the blush rising on his cheeks.
“And yet I would it were to give again.”
“That’s enough. Thanks guys.”
Kris reluctantly pulled away from Adam’s grasp and moved over to his bottle of water.
“Could both of you come over here for a second please.”
Both men walked to the front of the stage. Kris offered Adam his water and was rewarded with yet another smile. Kris was beginning to think he’d do almost anything to be on the receiving end of one of those.
“Please sit.”
Both men sank to the stage floor. Kris sat with his legs dangling off of the end of the stage, Adam folded his to his side. Kris watched as David picked up two sheets of paper before walking over to them.
“Rehearsals start next Monday. I expect you to be here and warmed up ready to start at 8:30 precisely.”
They were both handed a piece of paper on which a schedule was printed.
“I expect you to be off book in 2 weeks, curtain up a month from now.”
“You mean we’re hired?”
Kris was startled at the surprise in Adam’s voice. He looked over at the other man and could see nerves that he had not noticed before.
“I mean you’re hired.”
David smiled at them.
“Don’t you have other people to audition?”
“I don’t really see the point in looking at anyone else. Thank you for your time.”
“Thank you so much.”
Kris grinned at Adam and then David.
“Yeah, really thank you.”
After saying his thank yous Kris jumped off of the stage. He moved over to grab his bag and put his jacket on. Turning around he saw Adam waiting for him in the aisle.
“Coffee?”
Kris grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He smiled at Adam.
“Coffee sounds great.”
They made their way through the auditorium and out onto the street. Kris had been in the theatre long enough that he had forgotten how bright it was outside. He moved to keep pace with Adam and they fought their way through the lunchtime crowds.
“Would you believe that I was hoping to be cast as Mercutio?”
“I would…but Mercutio doesn’t need to be able to kiss that way and it would be a waste to ignore a talent like that.”
“You liked it?”
“Kris, I think like is an understatement. I will have to ban you from doing that on stage again though, I nearly lost my place.”
“I’m amazed you didn’t.”
“So rule one, no kissing Adam like that on stage.”
“What about off stage.”
Kris turned to look at Adam but he’d barely moved before he felt lips on his. It was harder and rougher than the kiss on stage had been but no less intoxicating. As he pulled away Adam grinned at him.
“Oh you’d better keep kissing me like that off stage.”
Kris smiled back and they resumed the walk to the coffee house. He wasn’t playing Mercutio but he couldn’t help feeling that maybe Romeo might turn out to be more fun after all.