Chapter 6

After a couple of days of blocking scenes, it’s time to hear some of our music. Maurice had completed the orchestrations and the overture and entre act.

He brought in a couple of his keyboards and synthesizers. We were eager to hear what he’d done.

“DARLENE and CAITLYN! -- On stage, please?”

They came up, I asked, “Have you looked over ‘I Was Born?’”

They both said ‘Yes’ as I cleared everyone off the stage, putting them back to back telling them to sing out, not to each other, but to anyone who could listen.

My anticipation level rose as Audrey took my hand.

I nodded to Maurice. He played four measures and I pointed to Caitlyn...

NORMA
“I don’t know what happened,
in the first part of my life,
I never really tried
... to get along.”

“My mother and my father,
I don’t think were man and wife.
They made me think...
that I did not belong.”

GLADYS
“The man I don’t remember,
who gave me this little girl
I don’t recall exactly why I cried.”

“Until the day he left both of us,
he was my entire world
And since then...
I’ve felt that I was cast, aside.”

(Key change)

NORMA
“I was born, into a world
of love and hate
Depending how I felt
from day to day.”

GLADYS
“She was born,
it might ... have been to fate
All I know is that
I felt -- so betrayed.”

BOTH
“Our lives have intersected,
we both seem so disgraced
From where we felt
that we were left -- to die,
The only thing we have in common
is our pretty face,
Now we stand, here hoping, --
for a clear, blue, sky.”

GLADYS
“She was born...
it might have been to fate
All I know is that
I felt -- betrayed.”

NORMA
“I was born,
into a world of love and hate
Depending how I
felt from day to day.”

TOGETHER
N “I was born ... to live”
G “I was born to forgive”

They were turned around and holding one another at the end of it, I couldn’t have staged it any better.

The place became full of noise, applause, cheering and sobs. They wouldn’t stop. Caitlyn and Darlene were hugging each other. I glanced at Maurice, and saw a tear as well. He gave me a big thumbs up.

Holy Jesus H Christ – we got a great show, and they are both going to be stars.

I gave everyone a break, going up to Cora, my eleven-year-old Norma, and her mother, Theresa.

“Cora, could you go over and practice ‘What’s My Name’ with Maurice?”

“Sure, Richard,” she said getting up and raring to go.

Theresa said, “Richard, she never got a part like this before, thank you so much. Her confidence around everybody has grown by leaps and bounds. She was going to audition for ANNIE, but she knew about this show and was so excited to audition. That’s why she sang ‘Maybe’ at her audition.”

“Theresa, every one of my Norma’s will become legends. You heard little Caitlyn, and Cora has a bigger voice then she does.” I said.

After a couple of minutes, Cora got up on stage and asked, “Where do you want me to stand, Richard?”

I walked over to her, got down on my knees and spoke to her.

“Cora, this entire scene is just you, walking out to a light and singing. You sang wonderfully at auditions, but today, I need a volume control on you. This isn’t Annie, this is a little girl who feels totally neglected by her mother, and has already been passed around a couple of times, and she’s a little worried that nobody is ever going to want her or love her. Marilyn later talks about being tossed around between foster parents and her mother’s sisters, OK ... when you get to the final chorus, cut loose and belt!”

“Thank you, Richard,” she said, dropping the song on the floor.

“Maurice – ‘What’s My Name, ‘ please?” I asked.

Oh, the music he played created such a wonderful mood.

Cora took a step forward...

“I hope that I was
someone’s dream
On a cold and glorious morn
A precious little girl,
maybe walking
Through a field of corn”

“I know that life is funny;
I know it isn’t fair
But someone please tell me,
what’s going on
Because -- nobody seems to care”

“Is it Baker or Mortenson,
What’s my Name?
It all seems like a silly little game”

“I’m left at all of
these foster homes,
With people I don’t know
They put me here...
they put me there
With no place, else to go.”

“Is it Baker or Mortenson,
What’s my Name?
It all seems like a silly little game”

“I guess when you get lemons,
you make lemonade
But I’m just a little kid
and I’m so afraid”

“With all of my life,
being passed around
I just need some place to put
my feet firmly on the ground”

(Tears broke from her eyes, and she went on)

“Is it Baker or Mortenson,
What’s my Name?
It all seems like a silly little game”

“They call me ‘kid, ‘ or ‘you’
that’s awfully mean
I know that my first name
is Norma Jeane.”

“Is it Baker or Mortenson,
What’s my Name?
It all seems – like - a –
silly – little – game!”

For a split second, there was complete silence, then the cast and their mothers all stood up and gave a wonderful applause to this very talented young lady. I looked and saw Theresa dabbing at her eyes, applauding louder as anyone around her.