disappear. At the rate things are going, by this time next century there will be no rainforest left at all.”
Eel goggled at them. “I can’t think that far ahead,” she said. “And that’s enough gloomy stuff. I want another go on the zip-wire. I’m very good at it. I’m better than lots of the boys.” She ran away followed by William Todd, who had been cast as Tootles in Peter Pan .
“Selfish little beast; she never thinks of anyone but herself,” laughed Olivia affectionately. “She’s heartless just like Peter Pan and she boasts about how great she is just like him too.”
“Livy,” said Cosi shyly, now they were left alone. “Have you ever acted on a big stage in front of a huge audience?”
“I’ve really not done a lot of acting,” said Olivia. “I used to think it was silly and pointless. But I don’t think that now. I like it more and more. It’s cool. But mostly I do circus stuff. But I did play Juliet in a version of Romeo and Juliet on the high-wire at the London Palladium and that was massive and I loved it.”
“I bet you were really good at it,” said Cosima plaintively. “I’ve heard you when you’re helping Cosmo run through his lines. You’re fantastic as Wendy. Cosmo much prefers acting opposite you, I can tell. He’s much betteras Peter when you’re being Wendy in those little bits you do for me. In fact, he’s really good. I wish you were playing Wendy and not me. I know all the Swan children in the cast do too. I hear them whispering.”
“You worry too much, Cosi. Nobody thinks that, nobody whispers about you and you’re going to be fine. Gran’s been saying how well you’re coming along. And you’re already so experienced. You’ve had your own TV show and you’ve made movies. When you walk out on stage for the first preview with the audience out front you’ll forget all your worries and you’ll just be Wendy and you’ll be brilliant.”
Cosi grimaced. “Or I’ll make a complete fool of myself. TV and movies are different. You can retake the scene. It once took me sixty-two takes to get one line right. You can’t do that in the theatre, and the audience is out there in the dark, just waiting for you to make a mistake. Just like the crocodile with its jaws open waiting for Captain Hook. I can’t do it. I keep hoping the end of the world will arrive before the first preview.”
“Oh, Cosi, it will be all right on the night, I’m sure it will. Once you’ve done it the firsttime it will be a breeze,” said Olivia. “What does your dad think about all this?”
Cosi laughed bitterly. “What do you think? He just doesn’t listen and he wouldn’t care if he did.”
Chapter Fourteen
Eel, Tom and Cosmo were laughing so hard that they didn’t notice Jack come back into the Green Room. Under the watchful eye of one of the stagehands, they were playing with one of the three identical motorised crocodiles from Peter Pan . Three were required so the production could always have one on stage at any time, one in reserve and one in the workshop being mended. Tom and Cosmo were running across the Green Room and Eel was operating the remote control and making the crocodile chase them, its jaws snapping furiously. It was terrifyingly realistic and the tick-tock noise it made when it moved was rather ominous.
“Can you stop the noise just for a moment, kids?” asked Jack. “I need to think.”
Eel dropped the remote control and snuggled up next to Jack on the sofa. Cosmo began showing Tom a new computer game. He could still be really arrogant and rude, but Tom had begun to realise that a great deal of Cosmo’s bluster was simply to disguise his lack of confidence. When he dropped the front, he could be rather nice, and it was showing in his performance as Peter. Alicia’s hard work with him was beginning to pay off as he displayed the right mixture of cockiness and vulnerability on stage.
“Is everything all right, Dad? You look really worried,” said
Eel goggled at them. “I can’t think that far ahead,” she said. “And that’s enough gloomy stuff. I want another go on the zip-wire. I’m very good at it. I’m better than lots of the boys.” She ran away followed by William Todd, who had been cast as Tootles in Peter Pan .
“Selfish little beast; she never thinks of anyone but herself,” laughed Olivia affectionately. “She’s heartless just like Peter Pan and she boasts about how great she is just like him too.”
“Livy,” said Cosi shyly, now they were left alone. “Have you ever acted on a big stage in front of a huge audience?”
“I’ve really not done a lot of acting,” said Olivia. “I used to think it was silly and pointless. But I don’t think that now. I like it more and more. It’s cool. But mostly I do circus stuff. But I did play Juliet in a version of Romeo and Juliet on the high-wire at the London Palladium and that was massive and I loved it.”
“I bet you were really good at it,” said Cosima plaintively. “I’ve heard you when you’re helping Cosmo run through his lines. You’re fantastic as Wendy. Cosmo much prefers acting opposite you, I can tell. He’s much betteras Peter when you’re being Wendy in those little bits you do for me. In fact, he’s really good. I wish you were playing Wendy and not me. I know all the Swan children in the cast do too. I hear them whispering.”
“You worry too much, Cosi. Nobody thinks that, nobody whispers about you and you’re going to be fine. Gran’s been saying how well you’re coming along. And you’re already so experienced. You’ve had your own TV show and you’ve made movies. When you walk out on stage for the first preview with the audience out front you’ll forget all your worries and you’ll just be Wendy and you’ll be brilliant.”
Cosi grimaced. “Or I’ll make a complete fool of myself. TV and movies are different. You can retake the scene. It once took me sixty-two takes to get one line right. You can’t do that in the theatre, and the audience is out there in the dark, just waiting for you to make a mistake. Just like the crocodile with its jaws open waiting for Captain Hook. I can’t do it. I keep hoping the end of the world will arrive before the first preview.”
“Oh, Cosi, it will be all right on the night, I’m sure it will. Once you’ve done it the firsttime it will be a breeze,” said Olivia. “What does your dad think about all this?”
Cosi laughed bitterly. “What do you think? He just doesn’t listen and he wouldn’t care if he did.”
Chapter Fourteen
Eel, Tom and Cosmo were laughing so hard that they didn’t notice Jack come back into the Green Room. Under the watchful eye of one of the stagehands, they were playing with one of the three identical motorised crocodiles from Peter Pan . Three were required so the production could always have one on stage at any time, one in reserve and one in the workshop being mended. Tom and Cosmo were running across the Green Room and Eel was operating the remote control and making the crocodile chase them, its jaws snapping furiously. It was terrifyingly realistic and the tick-tock noise it made when it moved was rather ominous.
“Can you stop the noise just for a moment, kids?” asked Jack. “I need to think.”
Eel dropped the remote control and snuggled up next to Jack on the sofa. Cosmo began showing Tom a new computer game. He could still be really arrogant and rude, but Tom had begun to realise that a great deal of Cosmo’s bluster was simply to disguise his lack of confidence. When he dropped the front, he could be rather nice, and it was showing in his performance as Peter. Alicia’s hard work with him was beginning to pay off as he displayed the right mixture of cockiness and vulnerability on stage.
“Is everything all right, Dad? You look really worried,” said
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