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And then, the dreaded day had come.
September 3rd, the day Natasha, Pierre, & the Great Comet was to come to a close, and play their final show.
Josh was sitting out in the audience, and Katarina had already sobbed all weekend before each show. Katarina had pushed herself and worked the entire final week, which was something she'd never done (worked as much as she had this week).
This time, having Dave around to play Pierre was somewhat comforting, just like it was for Scott to come back and play Pierre as well. No one wanted this show to close, and the audience . . .
Everyone had gotten a roar of applause as each character was introduced in Prologue, and it had brought tears to the entire cast's eyes. "Oh, Pierre, our married feasting crank," Everyone sang, "Our most dear, most kind, most smart and eccentric, A warm-hearted Russian of the old school. His purse is always empty, because it's open to all."
The cast members looked at each other tenderly before singing, "Oh, Pierre. Just one of a hundred men, living out their final days in Moscow."
Brittain and Katarina huddled together as they went up the stairs, the song continuing. They needed to get on another layer of costume for Moscow, and then get back here to finish the song. It still hurt that the show was closing, but they had to out on a performance without the tears messing up their voices.
"Marya Dmitryevna Akhrosimova," Katarina sang, bowing to Grace.
"Countess Natalya Ilyinchna Rostova," Grace sang back, and then Katarina turned, putting a hand on her chest as she sang, "You must call me Natasha!"
She moved out of the way so then Brittain could sing to Grace, and Katarina wiped at her eyes. She tried not to sniffle too loudly, because she couldn't take the effect away from the audience. Even they were crying.
"Welcome, welcome to Moscow, where faded and fading princesses live. I'll take you where you must go, pet you a bit and I'll scold you a bit, my goddaughter, my favorite, Natasha, I will touch you on the cheek."
Grace put her hands on Katarina's cheeks, and then she turned, singing with Brittain, "My cousin and I are so pleased to be with you, while we wait on our fiancées, fighting in the war."
They went through the songs, all of them managing not to cry just yet, but Katarina predicted she would cry when singing No One Else. She sat down on some of the steps next to Shoba. They leaned their heads on each other, and intertwined their fingers with one another's. It was a sweet gesture to give each other reassurance for the night.
They both saw that Lucas was having a hard time keeping himself from crying, and it broke Katarina's heart. She decided she was going to go on during the duel again, because why not make it feel like old times?
Dave knew that she used to come on, but she had only ever done it once when he was playing Pierre. So now she was going to surprise everyone, even Josh. And it was going to be great! Because Shoba had even gotten her something to add on to Natasha's undergarments, to make it look like more of a costume.
The Private and Intimate Life of the House had just ended, and Katarina had gotten up to go to the top of the stage for it, leaving behind Shoba on the staircase. There were few songs where the cast didn't have any choreography, and No One Else was one of them.
Katarina basically had the stage to herself.
"The moon," She sang as the spotlight turned blue onto her. "The first time I heard your voice . . . " She held out her hands in front of her. "Moonlight . . . Burst into the room, and I saw your eyes, and I saw your smile, and the world opened bright. And the world was inside of me. And I catch my breath, and I laugh and blush! And I hear guitars. You are so good for me . . . "
She started turning, spreading her arms as she sang, "I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!" She hugged herself, and took a second to regain her balance. "Oh, the moon. The snow in the moonlight, and your childlike eyes, and your distant smile, I'll never be this happy again. You and I . . . And no one else."
As she went up the stairs, Katarina sang, "We've done this all before, we were angels once . . . " She looked to her side, where an audience member was sitting. "Don't you remember?"
She went up the stairs again, reaching the top of the stage. "This winter sky, how can anyone sleep? There was never such a night before! I feel like putting my arms around my knees, and squeezing as tight as possible, and flying . . . Away . . . Like this."
