Nikki nervously wrung her wrists, her stomach twisting as she tried to calm herself. She still couldn't believe she had landed the biggest role of her career, and that she'd be performing beside the biggest superstar in the world. Troy Armitage won awards left, right, and center wherever he went, and he was the only guaranteed box office success in today's era. Then he was a billionaire, one of the most handsome guys out there, and a record-breaking musician as well.
Sometimes, it was hard to believe Troy Armitage was even human.
That was exactly why she wasn't confident about this meeting. She had been acting for nearly a decade, yet her experiences with big Hollywood stars who tried their hand at Broadway were rarely pleasant. Theater actors understood what it meant to build something small and intimate. They didn't care about having dozens of assistants fussing around them or about getting the most luxurious dressing rooms. They weren't "stars."
Whenever she worked with a "star," she would count the days until they left for a blockbuster film, and a long-term replacement could finally be found.
And now she was here again.
Undoubtedly, having Troy as part of the cast was huge. His involvement would boost the profile of every actor in the production, especially since he owned one of the big six studios and could open doors for them all. But was having such a high-profile superstar worth dealing with his potential tantrums for months?
"You seem worried," Josh Gad noted as he walked beside her. "Are you one of those girls who has a crush on Troy?"
Nikki shot him a glare. "No. I was just thinking. This is probably the biggest project of my life. The creators of [South Park] and [Avenue Q] are teaming up with Harry Potter. The moment we go into previews, it's gonna be booked out for weeks. Probably months."
"Months is correct," Josh agreed. "I once tried to get tickets to [Billy Elliot] when Troy was performing there, and I couldn't get them. And he wasn't even a teenager back then. His fan base has exploded since because of his music and more mature looks."
Nikki narrowed her eyes. "Why do I feel like you're a bigger Troy fan than I am?"
Josh shrugged with fake innocence. "He's a very cool guy. I met him last month when Trey and Matt asked me to record some demo songs with him, and I never felt like he was a billionaire."
"I don't believe that," Nikki said bluntly.
"See for yourself then," Josh replied confidently.
One by one, the other cast members filed into the studio for the table read. Today was the first full read and sing-through of the musical. Trey and Matt had insisted that every actor must attend, and they'd even added a clause in the contracts that allowed anyone to leave the production after today if they felt the show didn't suit them or if it clashed with their beliefs.
It was an unorthodox decision, but after reading the script, Nikki understood why. The play could offend a lot of people very easily because of its crass humor and religious mockery.
Just then, the studio door opened again. Another man stepped inside, and his mere presence silenced the room. He wore a grey beanie, a loose light-blue T-shirt, khaki pants, and worn sneakers. Everything he had on was plain and simple, nothing flashy, nothing that screamed money. In fact, he was dressed more casually than anyone else in the room.
The only thing that made him stand out from the rest was the fact that he had walked in with two bodyguards. From what she had read about him, even that was out of necessity, not a display of wealth.
Trey Parker, Matt Stone, and Robert Lopez all hugged him like they had known him for years. Troy greeted them warmly before making his way toward her and Josh, repeating the same easy, familiar gesture.
"Hey, man!" He pulled Josh into a half-hug. "How's it going?"
"All good, man," Josh replied.
Then Troy turned to her and offered his hand. "You must be Nikki. I saw you on Broadway in [All Shook Up] a few years ago, and you were magnificent in it."
Nikki stared at him, wide-eyed, as she shook his hand. She struggled to believe he had not only seen her play but liked it enough to remember her name.
"You know me?" she managed to ask.
Troy nodded seriously. "I try to remember the good actors in any movie or play I watch. And you were very good."
"Thank you," Nikki said softly, almost shy.
Troy shifted slightly so he was addressing both her and Josh. "So, I didn't have time to grab lunch. Do either of you know what's good in the area?"
Nikki blinked at the sudden shift in conversation but answered anyway. "New York's pizza is world-famous for a reason. There's a place around the corner called Tony's. Their pizza is to die for, and it's really cheap. He sells a huge slice for, like, a dollar."
Only after she finished talking did she realize she was recommending dollar-slice pizza to one of the richest people on the planet, who probably wouldn't care even if the slice cost a thousand.
"That sounds great!" Troy said with genuine enthusiasm. "Feels like it's been ages since I had traditional New York street-style pizza." He turned to one of his security guards and motioned him closer.
Within moments, the guard had instructions to get pizzas for everyone in the room, not just for Troy.
"Should I take orders for everyone?" the guard asked.
"Nah," Troy said with a casual wave. "Just get multiple pizzas with all sorts of toppings. If there are extras, we can send them to the homeless shelter nearby."
So that's how the rich behave. Why waste time taking individual orders when you can just get everything and donate what's left?
That small interaction told Nikki far more about Troy than any article or rumor ever had. So far, she liked him much better than any of the other stars she had met over the years.
Soon, the production team called everyone to take their seats. Troy sat in the middle of the long table, Josh on his right and Nikki on his left. The atmosphere settled into a focused but excited buzz.
"Alright," Matt said loudly, getting everyone's attention. "Now that we're all here, why don't we do some introductions, starting with you, Troy?"
"Hey, guys!" Troy said cheerfully. "I'm Troy Armitage, and I'll be playing the role of Elder Price. I'm looking forward to working with you all. The last time I worked on a Broadway musical was a while ago, but I still consider it one of the best experiences of my life. I have full confidence this one will be even better."
Even though she hadn't known Troy for long, Nikki believed him. He seemed genuinely excited to work on the musical. Moreover, he looked very approachable and friendly. And there was something else too, an effortless charisma that drew people in and made them want to talk to him, to be near him.
Maybe that's what sets superstars like him apart from actors like her.
(Break)
September 2009, Manhattan, New York City
[I Believe - The Book of Mormon]
~I believe that Satan has a hold of you
I believe that the Lord God has sent me here
And I believe that in 1978 God changed his mind about black people~
Everyone in the room burst into loud laughter as soon as I sang that line. Their reaction made me crack a grin despite all my efforts to keep a straight face.
Before 1978, black people couldn't hold positions of authority in the LDS church. Had the American government not intervened and threatened to revoke their tax-exempt status, nothing would have changed. Yet many of the church's devout followers still believed that God had simply changed his mind in 1978.
That was what I loved most about [The Book of Mormon]. Most of the lines that seemed to cross a boundary were rooted in facts.
"Even after a month of rehearsals, I still can't believe we're doing this," Robert Lopez said with a wide grin when we were done for the day. "I've been working on it for so long that now that it's almost ready to go on stage, it feels unreal."
I placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "Believe me when I say this, you three have created a masterpiece. I haven't seen a funnier musical or play in my entire life. After seeing [Avenue Q], I was already a big fan of yours, but this one takes it to the next level. It'll be a Broadway staple for decades to come."
He nodded gratefully, though I suspected he didn't truly believe it. Even so, I knew it was true. Even in the late 2020s, The Book of Mormon would still be going strong.
Beside me, Josh Gad nodded enthusiastically. "Troy's right. This is the best fucking thing I've ever been a part of."
Principal cast members like Nikki James, Andrew Rannells, Michael Potts, Brian Tyree Henry, and several others were spread around the studio, sitting on chairs or standing beside music stands. This was just one of the many practice sessions we had been doing for the past month.
Andrew Rannells, who originally played Elder Price, was now playing the gay-in-denial Elder McKinley. He will also be my understudy, which made his role extremely important and difficult because he had to know all of his lines and songs, as well as mine. It was strange seeing how my presence had already shifted small but significant parts of the timeline.
Matt Stone, who had mostly stayed quiet during rehearsals, finally spoke up. "I think we're done for today. We can meet again on Monday to continue. Unless someone has something they want to suggest about their character or about the story in general?"
No one spoke up, so everyone started packing their bags and trickling out of the room one by one.
"Troy," Nikki said suddenly, catching my attention. "Some of us, Josh and a few others from the cast, are going to the Mets game tomorrow. Would you like to come along?"
"Baseball?" I asked to be sure.
"Yeah," Josh replied quickly. "Come on. It'll be fun. We have some good tickets."
Sports were not my thing. In fact, I was downright terrible at any game involving a ball of any kind. Even if I ignored all that, I'd have to upgrade the tickets for privacy reasons. Sitting in the regular stands wasn't something I could just do without creating chaos.
Luckily, I had the perfect excuse.
"As much as I'd love to go with you guys, I'll be performing at the VMAs on Sunday," I said with an apologetic smile. "Tomorrow, I'll be rehearsing for it all day."
"That's so bad," Josh groaned.
"Maybe next time?" I offered as the two of them headed out.
Once the door closed behind them, the room fell quiet. Only Trey, Matt, Robert, and I remained. It felt like the perfect moment to revisit a conversation we'd already had.
"Have you guys thought about my proposal to buy the streaming and adaptation rights to [The Book of Mormon]?" I asked.
Trey and Matt exchanged a look before Trey replied, "Isn't it a little too early to consider that?"
"Not really," I said, shaking my head. "I won't be adapting it to film right away. Right now, I just want the right to stream a recorded performance with the original principal cast, five years after the premiere. And I think the offer I've made is more than generous. The movie adaptation won't happen until ten years from today, or until after this production ends, whichever is earlier."
Trey inclined his head slightly. "That's true. $7 million is a substantial portion of our budget. And based on projections, we'll recover that within a year of opening. But you'll move on from this project after then, and we can't predict what will happen after that."
I decided to sweeten the deal.
"All right, what if you sell me the streaming rights now, but I can't stream the recording until you've recovered five times your initial investment, or five years from the premiere, whichever is later? Provided, of course, that the show continues for the next five years."
The trio turned toward each other, and this time I could see the offer genuinely interested them. I stepped away to give them space to discuss it. The five-times clause protected the musical's long-term health. On average, a successful show took six to seven years of continuous performance to reach that threshold. If the musical ended before that, I wouldn't be able to stream it at all. And with the three million upfront payment, they'd recover costs even faster. It was a win-win.
"We can agree to that," Matt said after a few minutes. "But only if you increase the amount to $10 million."
I considered it for a moment before countering, "Eight. That's my final offer. We all know I'll essentially take all the risk here, even with that deal. Take it or leave it."
They shared another look before Matt answered for them all, "Deal."
Considering Disney paid $75 million for the rights to [Hamilton] in 2020, I was getting a bargain for [The Book of Mormon].
(Break)
"We are live today from Radio City Music Hall, where you'll be seeing the MTV Video Music Awards very shortly," the host announced excitedly. "Our next nominees to walk the red carpet are two of the hottest young names in the music scene. Both have multiple number-one albums and songs, and both are multiple Grammy winners."
The camera shifted to reveal a giant pumpkin carriage being pulled by two horses. The horseman, wearing a detailed and ornate face mask with a black tux, guided the carriage forward until it reached the start of the red carpet.
Two handlers stepped in to steady the horses as the carriage rolled to a stop. The horseman stood, walked to the pumpkin-shaped door, and opened it, revealing Taylor Swift in a stunning silver dress. He offered his hand, and she took it gracefully as she stepped onto the carpet.
"Wow, Taylor, you look like a real princess tonight," the reporter exclaimed.
"Thank you," she said with a bright smile.
"I was told you'd be arriving with someone else. Was there a change of plans?"
Her grin widened. She turned to the masked horseman standing just behind her. Slowly, he removed his mask, revealing none other than Troy Armitage.
Immediately, the fans outside went wild at his appearance. Screams, shouts, and cries of his name echoed from behind the barricades.
"And that's the Troy effect," Taylor said with a laugh. "No one screamed my name like that."
"Well," Troy replied with a grin, "I'm your number one fan, so I'll gladly shout your name whenever you want."
"But that doesn't count," Taylor shot back. "You're, like, one of my best friends. You're supposed to do that for me."
The reporter chuckled at their easy banter before saying, "By the way, I have to say, I loved you two in the video for 'Love Story.' Would you like to share with our audience how you came up with that?"
Troy laughed openly. "I can't say no to Taylor. I was a little surprised when she asked me to be in that video, and the song was so great that I was happy to be a part of it."
Taylor glanced at him thoughtfully, then added, "Actually, I asked Troy to be in that video because I wrote the song for him. I had a crush on him before we became friends, and I wanted to confess my feelings to him, but my parents told me no. I was so angry that I locked myself in my room for hours. When I finally came out, I had 'Love Story.' So it's undoubtedly one of my favorite songs ever. That's why I wanted him in the video."
The reporter's eyes sparkled as the weight of that revelation hit him. This was the kind of story that could dominate headlines. He wanted to ask more, maybe even steer the conversation toward a possible romance between the two of them.
"I think we should let others have their turn on the red carpet," Troy said smoothly, guiding Taylor toward the entrance. "Come on, my lady, let me escort you inside."
"Why, thank you, my good sir," Taylor said with a giggle, playing along before they disappeared into the venue.
The reporter stood there beaming, already knowing the story behind the origins of "Love Story" would blow up everywhere by morning.
Unfortunately for him, he had no idea that something far bigger was going to happen in just a few hours, overshadowing every other headline of the night.
____________________
AN: Check out my second story, 'Swimmer to Superstar (A Hollywood SI)', which is now publicly available.
Link: www(dot)fablefic(dot)com