Chapter 19

Jeff went on, “While we’re waiting for the rest of the cast, can I talk to you about something I heard about you two?”

Uh-oh. The cat may be out of the bag, I thought to myself. I looked over to Carol who had started shaking like a leaf.

“Sure,” I said, couching my words.

“What’s up,” said Carol, equally careful in her tone.

“Do you guys travel from La Cienega every day?” he asked us.

“No, Jeff, Carol ... lived in La Cienega, before we were a couple. Now, of course, we live together in a home we bought recently together, that is less than a mile from the campus.”

“OK, then ... I was worried about all that time that would be wasted, driving back and forth to rehearsals. No big deal, then.”

“Carol and I are ready to start rehearsing, Jeff, what’s on the schedule tonight?” I said happily changing the subject.

“What have you guys learned?”

“Our ... my younger brother and her older sister came into town to see the show opening night and we kind of spent the whole time showing them around.”

“So, two brothers married two sisters. That’s a great idea for a play ... maybe even a musical,” Mr. Calhoun exposited. “Well, not a problem. We’re scheduled to rehearse the ‘Sobbin’ Women’ number tonight. Well, come on up with your scripts and we’ll put you through your paces.”

I went up, giving a kiss to Carol on my way up.

Now, most of the story and music in this stage production came directly from the 1954 MGM musical of the same name. Fortunately, I recall this number and after Jeff placed me on the stage where he wanted me, we got going. After a few lines between the other brothers, Adam walks in and through this song, explains to his younger brothers all about the ‘sobbin’ women’.
Maurice started on his keyboard:

ADAM Tell ya ‘bout them sobbin’ women
Who lived in the Roman days.
It seems that they all went swimmin’
While their men was off to graze.
Well, a Roman troop was ridin’ by
And saw them in their “me oh my”,
So they took ‘em all back home to dry.
Least that’s what Plutarch says.

Oh yes!
Them a woman was sobbin’,
sobbin’, sobbin’
Fit to be tied.
Ev’ry muscle was throbbin’, throbbin’
From that riotous ride.
Oh they cried and kissed
and kissed and cried
All over that Roman countryside
So don’t forget that
when your takin’ a bride.
Sobbin’ fit to be tied
From that riotous ride!

They never did return their plunder
The victor gets all the loot.
They carried them home, by thunder,
To rotundas small but cute.
And you’ve never seems so,
They tell me, such
downright domesticity.
With a Roman baby on each knee
Named “Claudius” and “Brute”
SIX BROTHERS Oh yes!
Them a woman was sobbin’,
sobbin’, passin’ them nights.
ADAM While the Romans was goin’ out
hobbin’, nobbin’
Startin’ up fights.
They kept occupied by
sewin’ lots of little old togas
For them tots and sayin’
“someday women folk’ll have rights.”
GIDEON Passin’ all o’ them nights.
ADAM Just sewin’!
While the Romans had fights.
CALEB “Hey listen to this”
Now when their men folk went to fetch ‘em
Them women would not be fetched.
It seems them Romans ketch ‘em
That their lady friends stay ketched.
ADAM Now let this be because it’s true,
A lesson to the likes of you,
Treat ‘em rough like them there Romans do
Or else they’ll think you’re tetched.
SIX BROTHERS Oh yes!
Them a women was sobbin’, sobbin’,
Sobbin’ buckets of tears
On account o’ old dobbin’,
Dobbin’ really rattled their ears.

ADAM Oh they acted angry and annoyed
GIDEON But secretly they was overjoyed
ADAM You must recall that when corralin’ your streets
BROTHERS Oh, oh, oh, oh them poe little dears.
ALL BROTHERS Oh yes
Them a women was sobbin’,
sobbin’, sobbin’ Oh yeah
Weepin’ a ton Then sobbin’ women
Just remember what Robin, Robin, Robin Oh yeah
Hood woulda done. Them sobbin women.
We’ll be just like them three merry men
And make ‘em all merry once again.
ADAM And though they’ll be a sobbin’ for a while
ALL Oh yes!
We’re gonna make them
sobbin’ women smile!

Jeff led the rest of the cast in the applause, coming up to me, and slapping my back. He gave me some additional business to do during the moments that the other brothers are singing and dancing. We went through it all again, and then Jeff called for a break.

I went down off stage right to Carol and I saw her smiling up at me. She got up to me and told me how good I sounded. Just as we were breaking up a kiss, Jeff yelled, “Carol, I doubt you know this next song, but if Randall and you would get up and listen to the song ‘Love Never Goes Away’, while Maurice, our pianist, plays it once through for you guys.”

A new bit of information about both Carol and myself, is that we are, what is called ‘singers by ear’, meaning once we’ve heard a song, played in the proper key, it’s learned and stored for immediate recall. It’s time for a little bit of ‘showing off’ to Jeff.

We listened to Maurice play it on the piano, while looking through the music and lyrics. What a beautiful ballad this song is, we hummed at the appropriate moments we would be singing.

There were some breaks for dialogue and there was a musical interlude and key change just before Milly starts to sing. The young man playing Gideon came up to us and joined in for his few moments of singing during the song. He was very young looking, Gideon being the youngest of the seven brothers. We finished with Maurice, and walked away towards the middle of the stage.