It's a Grand Night for SingingAuthor: Rorie Rating: G Summary: The JAG wives gang up on their husbands in a game. Author's Note: The game involved was made up off of the top of my head. I have no idea if this type of game even exists... if it does, then the similarity to an existing game is totally coincidental. Dedication: Jessica and Ellen, for obvious reasons. The gang from the chat room also for obvious reasons. And, most of all to HRM (though she'll never see this), for inspiring my love of classic musicals. WEBB
RESIDENCE It was the monthly no-kids night. A.J. and Carolyn Chegwidden's children were spending the weekend with their half-sister, Francesca Swanson, and her son, Paolo, at Oceana NAS, where Francesca's husband, Brad, was stationed. Bud and Harriet Roberts' gang was at home with A.J. in charge. Harmon and Sarah Rabb's children were also at home, but with the housekeeper's daughter, who loved to baby sit the brood, especially the newest addition, Matthew, the surprise born seven years after the second set of twins and a tubal ligation. Clayton and Lucy Webb's girls were spending the night at friends' homes. "Okay, Ladies, what game do you want to play?" Clayton Webb asked. The wives got together and conferred. Mac answered, a fiendish gleam in her eyes, "Tune Stumpers." The men groaned... this one always got them, unless they got a good category, and that rarely happened. Clay went to the closet and got out the game, he set up the board in the middle of the coffee table. "The ladies get to go first." Lucy picked a card and handed it to her husband. He looked at it, a look of dismay forming on his face. He showed it to the other husbands. "It's a conspiracy... I know it is." Bud exclaimed. "No fair... we might as well call this one right now." Harm said. "Ladies, the category is Musicals." A.J. announced. Carolyn laughed and hi-fived Mac. Lucy and Harriet looked amused. This was one game they were not going to lose. The men had no chance. Clayton pulled the cheat sheet out of the box... it was a list of musicals and famous songs from them included for the Broadway illiterate. There was a cheat sheet included for all of the categories that the game had. The guys generally had a chance if they pulled '60's rock, otherwise the women kicked their sixes. Harm grabbed the pad of paper to keep track of the score... the team got one point for every song they thought of... and sang at least one line from. The women had to say the title of the musical and the song, then sing the line... separate or together, it didn't matter. "Ready?... Begin." A.J. announced. "Oklahoma!" Lucy announced. "Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweeping down the plain, and the wavin' wheat, it sure smells sweet when the wind comes right behind the rain..." Carolyn sang, joined by Harriet. "Oh, what a beautiful mornin', oh, what a beautiful day. I got a beautiful feelin', everythin's goin' my way...." Lucy and Mac crooned. Harriet glanced over at Mac and nodded, "I'm just a girl who cain't say no. I'm in a turrible fix. I always say come on let's go, just when I orta say nix...." "Out of my dreams and into your arms I long to fly. I will come as evenin' comes to woo a waiting sky...." Lucy sang solo in her beautiful voice. Harm marked down four points for the ladies... this was gonna be a long round. Harriet suggested, "South Pacific." Bud groaned... he had just had to sit through this one the night before. Harriet glared at her husband. "I'd expect every one of my crowd to make fun of my proud protestations of faith in romance...." Lucy started off. "I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair, I'm gonna wash that man right outa my hair, and send him on his way...." Harriet sang. "There is nothing like a dame, nothing in the world. There is nothing I can name that is anything like a dame...." Carolyn warbled to everyone's amusement. "Some enchanted evening, you may see a stranger, you may see a stranger, across a crowded room...." was Mac's contribution. Another four points for the women. "Any one want to change games?" Harm asked hopefully. "Not on your life, Stickboy." Mac replied, "you just hate losing." "Let's try a modern one, shall we?" Mac asked her teammates. The ladies nodded. "Evita?" she asked. Harm rolled his eyes, she had dragged him to see that movie when it came out all those years ago, they weren't a couple then, she just couldn't get anyone else to go with her. He found out why, a couple hours of Madonna singing... he could have gone crazy sitting there. "Okay. The obvious." Lucy said, "Don't cry for me, Argentina. The truth is I never left you. All through my wild days, my mad existence. I kept my promise, don't keep your distance...." doing her best Patti Lupone impression... gestures and all. "Oh, what a circus. Oh, what a show. Argentina has gone to town, over the death of an actress called Eva Peron. We've all gone crazy, mourning all day and mourning all night. Falling over ourselves to get all of the misery right...." Harriet and Carolyn duetted. "I don't expect my love affairs to last for long. Never fool myself that my dreams will come true. Being used to trouble, I anticipate it, but all the same I hate it. Wouldn't you?..." Mac sang. "I'm not talking 'bout a hurried night, a frantic tumble and a shy goodbye. Sneaking home before it gets too light. That's not the reason that I caught your eye...." Harriet sang, with a decided blush creeping up her face. "The King and I." from Carolyn. "Cats." from Lucy. "Carousel." from Mac. "The Sound of Music." from Harriet. "Brigadoon." from Lucy and Mac, at the same time, which inspired a fit of giggles from the ladies and amused looks from their husbands. "Grease." from Harriet. The suggestions and the tunes flew... the women were definitely on a role. They were showing no signs of stopping. Harm quit writing down the scores... he couldn't keep track of them anymore. "My turn again." Carolyn announced. "How about Phantom of the Opera?" A.J. smiled, he had gotten tickets to that show the last time it had played in Washington. Carolyn was so surprised, and thrilled. She walked on cloud nine for the week before and the week after the performance. Mac led off, "Think of me, think of me fondly when we've said goodbye. Remember me once in a while, please promise me you'll try...." "Angel of Music, guide and guardian, grant to me your glory. Angel of Music, hide no longer. Come to me strange angel...." Lucy sang beautifully... she had actually sung Christine in a concert performance of the work. "Night-time sharpens, heightens each sensation. Darkness stirs and wakes imagination...." Harriet added. Carolyn contributed, "No more talk of darkness, forget these wide-eyed fears. I'm here, nothing can harm you, my words will warm and calm you...." Lucy whispered something in Mac's ear, who passed it on to Harriet, who passed it on to Carolyn. Lucy and Mac (as
Christine): In sleep he sang to me, in dreams he came... Harriet and Carolyn
(as the Phantom): Sing once again with me our strange duet... L & M: Those
who have seen your face H & C: It's me they hear... All four:
Your/my spirit and your/my voice H & C: In
all your fantasies, L & M: Were both in you.... All four: And in
this labyrinth H & C: Sing, my Angel of Music! (not sung) L & M: He's there the Phantom of the Opera.... Mac then let Lucy take the part exclusively as she had no hope of ever hitting the high notes of the end vocalizations of this piece. When Lucy was finished, the husbands gave the wives a standing ovation. "It's clear to us who the winners are..." Clay began. "But, Clay, you guys haven't even gone yet." Harriet pointed out. "It's hopeless. We quit adding up your points..." Bud said. "Yeah, we know when our sixes have been kicked." Harm added. A.J. wisely kept his mouth shut. The game over, Harriet, Carolyn, and Mac helped Lucy clean up the living room. It was amazing how many snacks they went through during the game. "I have a feeling they won't be letting us pick next month." Harriet said seriously. The other ladies looked at her and each other and started laughing. "Goodnight." Clay and Lucy said, standing on the front porch. "Goodnight." the others answered. "Next month's at A.J. and Carolyn's, right?" Mac asked. "Yep." Carolyn answered. The three departing couples headed out to their cars. Harriet looked over at Carolyn and started in, "It's a grand night for singing... the stars are shining bright...." The other two women joined in to finish the chorus, much to their husbands' exasperation. "It's a good thing no one was drinking tonight." Bud said, "Or else we'd have a full production of Jesus Christ, Superstar going here. Mac opened her mouth. "Don't even think of it, Ninja-girl." Harm warned. "Or what, Flyboy?" she countered. Harm whispered something in her ear, her eyes got wide, a seductive smile spreading across her beautiful face. "I don't know how to love Him...." "Just wait until I get you home, Sarah." Harm said, climbing into the car. "That had better be a promise, Sailor." she countered, as she, too, got in. The End. The song snippets belong to Rodgers and Hammerstein and Andrew Lloyd Webber. The complete song belongs to Andrew Lloyd Webber. The title of this silly piece refers to the song from State Fair, which belongs to Rodgers and Hammerstein. All of them, except for the lyrics to the song, "Phantom of the Opera," are off the top of my head. The lyrics for "PotO" are from the libretto that was included my my CDs of the cast recording. |
|
Page design: © May, 2008. Rorie
Brianne Web Designs J |