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"Wildcats!" Ms. Jenn yelled backstage after the performance. "This is going fine. I am mostly proud. And I heard Big Red has not thrown up in over 20 minutes," she said.
"She heard wrong," Marcus muttered, who was wearing his Cogsworth costume, a little too loudly.
"Every great performance needs an X factor!" Ms. Jenn continued, ignoring Marcus. "Something special that puts it over the top! A little birdie has just told me where our Menkies judge is sitting...and I'm thinking that with just a few minor adjustments, we can make this gentleman feel every bit as welcome as the intruder that my mother clubbed over the head when I was a girl."
"I-I thought she just hog-tied him," Seb said in confusion, wearing his Chip costume. Nadia glanced at EJ, who was staring at Ms. Jenn in utter and complete puzzlement.
"She just hog-tied him," Ms. Jenn replied, making everyone give each other a confused glance. "When the next song begins, I have directed Benjamin Mazzara and his lighting-ists..."
"They're called grips," Natalie told her.
"...to spotlight our judge," Ms. Jenn continued, ignoring Natalie. "And then I need you all to make him feel especially and uniquely welcome." Everyone began to whisper to each other about whether this would be a smart idea or not. "Any questions?"
Gina lifted up her feather duster slowly. "Many questions..."
"Should we just do what we rehearsed?" Seb asked. "Doesn't that feel a little desperate?"
"Yeah, and shouldn't we just treat the judge like any other guest?" Nadia questioned.
"It feels that way for a reason, Sebastian," she replied with a stern look before she looked at Nadia. "And no. He isn't a food critic, Nadia. This is theater and we need to up the ante to impress him." Nadia and EJ glanced at each other, not sure if this was a good idea at all. "Besides, Carlos is a seasoned professional who can roll with anything...right?"
Carlos stared at her in shock before he looked up to Seb for help. Seb looked at him before he looked back at Ms. Jenn. "He says, 'Help!'"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Nadia stood in between Ms. Jenn and EJ as they watched their friends start to perform 'Be Our Guest' to the audience. It was probably the hardest song to perform in rehearsal, so Nadia hoped it went well.
"Ma chère Mademoiselle, it is with deepest pride and greatest pleasure that we welcome you tonight," Carlos, as Lumière, said to Ashlyn, as Belle, in a fake French accent as Gina, as Babette, pushed a chair towards them both. "And now we invite you to relax. Let us pull up a chair as the dining room proudly presents: Your dinner." The spotlight then flashed on the judge and he made a confused expression as some people began to laugh.
