America: Child stars start with The Shining

Chapter 88 The Picky Christine

Leonardo DiCaprio stood next to Charles, looking somewhat nervous.

Although he had already performed in "Peter Pan" on Broadway and was somewhat prepared, he still underestimated the popularity of the musical "Oliver Twist".

It's worth noting that when he performed in "Peter Pan," the theater was only about a third full, and most of the audience members were parents with their young children.

After all, the main audience for this stage play is mostly children, and it tells an adventure story centered around children.

Therefore, it's already quite good that such fairy tales can attract the love of some children.

But Oliver Twist is quite different.

This musical is adapted from Dickens's long realistic novel, which itself belongs to the category of serious literature.

Its audience is very wide, and after being adapted into a musical, it has become even more popular among the upper class.

It certainly has elements that could attract children's attention, such as orphans, streets, and pickpocket gangs, but just look at the audience below the stage and you'll know that this musical is not aimed at underage children.

Middle-aged men in suits, ladies wearing pearl necklaces, young couples arm in arm, and theater critics with scrutinizing eyes were all seated in the audience.

The theater was now completely full.

In the past, this would have been a very rare sight.

Keep in mind, this is a Broadway theater; all the seats combined have nearly a thousand.

Only a musical of the caliber of "Oliver Twist" can achieve such a sold-out performance on its opening night.

Of course, this also means that every actor standing on the stage tonight will be scrutinized by countless eyes.

Behind the heavy red curtain, hushed conversations could be heard from the audience.

Little Li swallowed hard, his palms starting to sweat.

He subconsciously straightened his collar, still feeling somewhat uneasy.

His role wasn't actually that big, after all, he was just a supporting character.

Compared to Ciel, the male protagonist, the pressure he has to bear is on a completely different level.

Thinking of this, he subconsciously looked at Charles standing next to him.

The other person seemed very calm, as if they were not affected at all by the large audience in the theater.

Charles always seemed to have this confident demeanor in front of him.

Whether it was during the audition for "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial" or now.

Just then, Charles suddenly turned his head, glanced at him, and, as if sensing his inner tension, said, "Don't be so afraid."

Just as Leonardo DiCaprio was about to say something in his defense, he heard Charles continue, "Anyway, it doesn't matter if you don't perform well tonight. The newspapers and news will probably only criticize me, so relax."

Leonardo DiCaprio was stunned for a moment after hearing those words.

He almost burst out laughing. His previously tense nerves relaxed instantly because of Charles's joke.

Leonardo DiCaprio took a deep breath and suddenly felt less nervous.

Sure enough, only Ciel would dare to joke around in this kind of situation.

He should also try to learn from Charles, that's how an actor should behave, always being as relaxed as possible in any situation.

Only in this way can one fully immerse oneself in the performance.

So, Leonardo DiCaprio, with a stern face, stood next to Charles.

The two of them stood like statues in a corner backstage.

Immediately afterwards, he saw Jennifer Aniston, who had just changed her clothes, walk over. With the help of the makeup artist, she looked like a completely different person.

During rehearsals, Jennifer Aniston mostly wore casual clothes that allowed her to move around easily, with her hair casually tied back, making her look like an ordinary girl who had just run away from school.

But now, after she changed into her stage costume, her entire demeanor has changed.

It was a slightly worn dress, with deliberately distressed marks on the hem. Her hair was also styled in a somewhat messy way by the stylist, making her look less bright than usual and more approachable.

When Leonardo DiCaprio saw Aniston appear, for some reason, he suddenly became a little nervous.

It wasn't for any other reason, but mainly because Aniston looked very relaxed, not at all like an actress about to step onto the stage.

Aniston walked over to the two of them and immediately noticed the unusual situation.

She glanced at Leonardo DiCaprio's tense expression, then couldn't help but cover her mouth and burst out laughing.

She teased, "Leonardo, you look like you're about to be hanged. Relax, don't be so tense."

Leonardo DiCaprio twitched the corner of his mouth. Did it really look that obvious now?

Why did Aniston notice how nervous he was as soon as she walked over?

Aniston raised an eyebrow, then leaned closer to Charles and whispered, "Boss, I'm so nervous right now, what should I do? Do you have any ideas?"

Charles turned his head and glanced at the excited expression on Aniston's face, almost rolling his eyes.

You're not nervous at all; you're just incredibly excited because the performance is about to start!

Charles sighed helplessly, not wanting to pay any attention to the other person. It can only be said that she is indeed worthy of being the future queen of American dramas, and has a natural sense of belonging when facing the stage.

Given a chance, she dares to step up and show off her charm.

Just then, a staff member from backstage quickly walked over and whispered, "Everyone get ready, the show will start in three minutes."

As soon as these words were spoken, the previously noisy backstage area immediately quieted down considerably.

Many actors began checking their costumes and props to avoid any mistakes.

Charles stood quietly in place, looking in the direction of the curtain.

This premiere of "Oliver Twist" is also very important to him.

This is his first public appearance since the passage of the Juvenile Liberation Act, and it is bound to attract a lot of attention. Since the day of the court hearing, newspapers large and small have published his name, which has greatly increased his fame in Los Angeles.

As he walked down the street, many locals were able to recognize him.

This kind of news is always the easiest to spread.

This also made him realize that a movie star's fame comes from many aspects, and it is definitely not enough to just keep his image on the big screen.

Ciel must establish himself in various fields so that he can always leave a lasting impression on the audience.

Therefore, for this Broadway performance, he must strive to showcase his acting skills and amaze the audience!

Charles closed his eyes and slowly adjusted his breathing.

He wasn't nervous at all; on the contrary, he was enjoying the feeling.

Because as long as he can still stand on the stage and appear in front of the audience, it means that he is still an actor.

As long as there are plays to perform, he has a reason to continue living in this world.

For Ciel now, acting is everything!

He never wanted to experience the kind of suffering he had in his past life again.

come on!

Let everyone see him!

Let everyone remember him as an actor!

Charles opened his eyes, his gaze resolute.

The performance is about to begin.

Christine sat in the audience, adjusted her gold-rimmed glasses, crossed her slender legs, and couldn't help but yawn.

She is an independent theater critic whose main job is to come to the Broadway theaters every day to watch a few plays and then write some reviews.

Newspapers of all sizes like to invite her to write articles, and she also frequently appears on television, participating in related programs.

Even the Tony Awards, the highest honor in American theater, have many judges who are acquaintances or friends of hers.

In short, Christine is a highly authoritative theater critic, and some of her articles are widely circulated among theater enthusiasts.

Today, she naturally came to see the premiere of "Oliver Twist" with a specific purpose in mind.

To be honest, she didn't have high expectations for this performance.

After all, Christine had already seen the old version of the "Oliver Twist" musical before, and she thought it was impeccable in terms of both its execution and stage effects.

Therefore, although Broadway theaters have invested a lot of manpower and energy in the new version of "Oliver Twist," Christine believes that there is no chance of it surpassing the old version.

It's like remaking a classic. Sometimes, even if the investment and technology are much higher than they were decades ago, or even far surpassed, you just can't recreate that familiar feeling.

The reason is simple: most remakes of classics are made by trial and error, and are inevitably influenced by the original works.

Secondly, most viewers will also bring their impressions of the original work to the viewing experience when remaking the new version.

Of course, some remakes of classics are unsatisfactory simply because they are poorly made.

It's just unknown what genre the new version of "Oliver Twist" will be.

Christine leaned back in her chair, adjusted her glasses, and shifted the position of her crossed legs slightly, every movement exuding an air of upper-class elegance.

There was a notebook on her lap.

Inside was a draft she had prepared in advance, containing a review and preview of the new version of "Oliver Twist".

If the arrangement of this musical doesn't exceed expectations, it should be pretty much the same as what she wrote in her script.

That would save her the time of rewriting the manuscript.

Just as Christine was thinking this, suddenly, the lights in the theater went completely dark.

The performance is about to begin.