The Curtain Rises

By the author, Jim Doti

It’s clear from the last page that Jimmy is on to something. But exactly what it is still not clear to the reader. Now that the curtain is ready to rise, it’s time to reveal the idea Jimmy got while watching his Mom’s expressions. That reveal will actually serve as the climax to the story. First, though, I need to set the stage figuratively and methaphorically. In page 25-26, I try to add color by describing the audience and rising excitement and tension on the part of the actors, especially the elves.

An important decision I made here is to show Jimmy blowing his line as he’s done in rehearsal. The difference, though, is that he “lifts and stretches his arms out from his sides” as he says his line. That “verve” is the difference that makes his mispronunciation of “good” less obvious to the reader.

When the night of the play arrives, the four elves are dressed in the raggedy elves’ outfits that Jimmy’s mom made for them.

They look funny wearing the long, pointy ears she placed over their real ears. Peeking from behind the curtain, being careful not to step on each other’s bare feet, the four elves watch people entering the assembly hall. Jimmy sees his mom, dad and “nonna”, his grandmother take their seats.

“Hey, you little elves. Stop peeking!” exclaims Mrs. Lyons excitedly. “The play is about to start.”

As Jimmy and the elves rush off to the side of the stage, where they can’t be seen by the audience, the choir takes its place behind the curtain. The elves watch as the curtain rises, the choir starts to sing the opening song, and the shoemaker and his wife walk onto the stage.

Jimmy sees Terry wearing his shoemaker costume and a shaggy wig of white hair. He hardly recognizes Mary as the shoemaker’s wife. She is wearing a dress of blue and white frills and a gray wig styled into a big bun at the back of her head. Terry is cutting dark brown cloth meant to look like leather, and Mary is stirring a pot of pretend soup on top of a stove made of painted cardboard.

Terry and Mary say their lines and walk off the stage. Then Mrs. Lyons pushes the elves forward, whispering, “Now!”

Hurrying onto the stage, Johnny says, “This place feels warm and cozy.” Then Neil exclaims, “I have an idea! Let’s help the shoemaker finish the shoes he’s making.”

Jimmy knows it’s his turn to speak. He takes a deep breath. Then he lifts his arms, which he’s been holding stiffly at his sides, and thrusts his hands out to the audience. After hesitating for a moment, he says, “Now that’s a good idea.”

On the next two pages, I set the scene for the climax. This is the point in the play where Jimmy uses the idea he got from his mom to give his last spoken line special verve.

Again, he mispronounces the word “good”. But by “pointing his finger to the rafters,” he uses his body movements to bring expression to his last spoken line.

This is where Lisa’s illustration will be critically important in showing visually that communication extends far beyond simple words. She’ll need to show a confident Jimmy thrusting his hand in the air as he uses verve to express the full meaning of “Now that’s a good idea.”

Jimmy knows he didn’t say “good.” But no one laughs at him, not even Johnny. Jimmy hears applause from the audience as he and his fellow elves walk off the stage.

“Well done, boys. And I like the way you used verve, Jimmy,” Mrs. Lyons says as she winks at him. “But it’s not over yet. You still have your final scene.”

Jimmy sees Terry and Mary move in back of a door to hide from the elves.

That is the elves’ cue to walk back on stage, where they see new clothes, shoes, and meat pies waiting for them. Suddenly, Terry and Mary jump from behind the door and tell the elves they made all this for them in appreciation of their hard work.

The elves run behind a door to put on their beautiful new clothes and bright green shoes, and then hurry back out on stage to pretend they are hungrily devouring the meat pies.

The shoemaker and his wife walk over to the elves and ask them to come back every night to sew the shoes. Mary says, “In return, we will mend your new clothes and shoes and have hot and juicy meat pies for you to eat.”

That line is Jimmy’s signal. He sets down his meat pie, gets up from the table, and walks to the center of the stage. He opens his eyes as wide as he can. He looks out at the audience and sees his mom looking intently at him.

Jimmy sharply raises his right hand, points his finger to the rafters, and exclaims loudly and with verve, “Now that’s a good idea!”

At that moment, the audience leaps to its feet, clapping and cheering and laughing. But Jimmy can tell if it’s the nice kind of laughing, not the mean kind and the sparkle in his eyes makes it clear that his smile is a real smile, not the fake kind as he gazes out at the audience.