America: Child stars start with The Shining

Clara originally just wanted to test Ciel's singing ability.

If he barely passes, she wouldn't rule out casting him as the male lead in "Oliver Twist," but she would feel a little regretful.

After all, musicals are more than just acting.

However, if Charles's singing skills are only barely passable, she can find someone to train him for a period of time, and he should be able to perform better then.

Of course, these thoughts were fleeting for Clara, and she no longer needed to consider them.

This child gave her another unexpected surprise!

Ciel clearly has his own understanding of how to use singing.

While technically he is indeed not as good as those young actors who have received systematic training on Broadway since childhood, his breath control is not stable enough, his vocal transitions are not as beautiful, and in some places you can even hear obvious signs of immaturity.

However, he cleverly turned this weakness into his own unique characteristic.

He infused his emotions into his singing, making the entire performance more authentic and allowing listeners to easily immerse themselves in the character's situation.

This is a very sophisticated approach, something that a child star wouldn't normally show.

Clara realized that she seemed to have really underestimated the child.

Moreover, she was becoming more and more satisfied with Charles.

This child not only has excellent acting skills, but also a great singing voice. In fact, I would say that her a cappella performance just now was quite amazing.

What's even more remarkable is that this child has his own understanding of the role, unlike other children who simply imitate the old version of the song.

She has acting skills, a singing voice, and even some innovative ideas...

Clara thought about it carefully.

Isn't this exactly the ideal male lead she's been looking for?

However, Clara did not immediately reveal these emotions.

She simply sat up slightly, her gaze still fixed on Charles.

After all, auditions are not just about an actor's amazing performance in a single moment.

When an actor stands on stage, the most important thing is not whether they can move people in a single moment, but whether they can maintain the character's state throughout the entire performance.

Especially musicals, which are a type of theatrical production, are extremely demanding on the actors' energy.

After all, they not only have to perform on stage, but also sing, and even coordinate with stage movements and some large-scale physical actions.

This level of difficulty is absolutely incomparable to ordinary stage performances. The performance intensity of those singing and dancing idols is far less than the requirements that musicals place on actors.

Therefore, even though she was very satisfied with Charles's performance just now, she did not rush to make a judgment.

She wanted to investigate further.

Of course, there's another layer of meaning behind this.

That is, Clara wanted to hear Charles's singing again.

In fact, because of that performance, some new ideas about the script had already vaguely surfaced in her mind.

If possible, she even wanted to readjust certain songs and plot points based on Charles's performance.

Clara nodded in agreement.

Charles stood opposite, having already finished singing a complete aria.

Thanks to the boost from his equipment, his performance this time was very consistent.

There were almost no obvious mistakes in either breath control or pitch accuracy.

Even some of the high notes, which are not easy for a child's voice, were sung by him very naturally.

After the song ended, the room was quiet for a short while.

Immediately afterwards, Charles saw a satisfied look on the face of the middle-aged woman sitting opposite him.

Clara did have some reservations about Charles at first.

However, this view is not simply directed at Charles herself, but rather stems from her emphasis on this new version of "Oliver Twist".

She was very clear about the significance of this drama to her, so she was very picky about the casting of the male lead.

Therefore, as long as Ciel demonstrates a performance that she approves of, her opinion of Ciel will naturally change immediately.

Clara looked at Charles and finally spoke:

"Ciel, I am very satisfied with your audition performance."

She paused briefly, a gentle smile appearing on her face.

"I think... you can go back and wait for our notification. Make sure to clear your schedule by then, okay?"

After saying that, she winked at Charles with a friendly expression.

The assistant director standing to the side glanced at Clara with some surprise.

He clearly remembered that before Charles came in, Clara seemed to not care about him at all.

And now?

Their attitude underwent a complete 180-degree change.

Moreover, Clara's reply just now was already quite obvious.

This was clearly a subtle hint to Charles, telling him that the male lead for the musical had already been decided on the spot!

Thinking of this, the assistant director leaned close to Clara's ear and whispered a reminder:

"Director Clara, there are still a few child actors behind us..."

His point was that it was a bit too hasty to decide on the male lead so quickly.

Clara merely glanced at him and calmly said:

"What does it matter? We still have other castings to finalize, right? Assistant director, don't worry, we'll take our time choosing."

Clara's expression remained perfectly calm.

It was as if the person who had seemed a little irritated because the male lead hadn't been chosen yet wasn't her at all.

Upon hearing this, the assistant director couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth.

You didn't say that before Ciel came into the room!

At that time, you were clearly more anxious than any of us here!

Of course, he only dared to think these words in his heart.

The assistant director sighed softly but didn't try to persuade him further.

After all, no matter what, this was a major issue that was finally resolved.

At least, the choice of the male lead, which had been the most agonizing issue for them, has finally been settled.

On the other hand, Charles already had a plan in mind.

The director has already made his point so clear, so isn't the meaning quite obvious?

The lead role in this new version of "Oliver Twist" has basically fallen to him.

So, Charles thanked each of the people present, bowed politely, and then turned and left the audition room.

Once the door was closed again, Clara leaned back in her chair, picked up her water glass, and took a sip.

Then, she picked up the resumes of other actors, glanced at them casually, and said in a relaxed tone:

"Alright, let's hurry up and audition the next actor."

......

In the corridor.

The actors waiting outside exchanged glances, all showing expressions of surprise.

What's going on?

Why hasn't Charles come out yet after being inside for so long?