Artistically Relevant

Lily was at the post-opening night party for The Tempest.

The evening had been a rousing success. Phillip Van Terriman, the local theater critic, was laughing throughout the run, and afterwards came over to tell her how thoroughly he had enjoyed himself.

Lily had turned the reception area of the converted design office where her new theater resided into a lovely little island with cocktails being served in hollowed out pineapples.

It was a little excessive, but she wasn't ignorant to how much of an impact she needed to make. Everybody was anybody in the Rome theater scene was within feet of her.

Luckily, the first person she was going to deal with was a friend.

LISA: Terrific production, Lily. I really enjoyed it.

Lisa hadn't enjoyed the production at all, but she laughed at all the right places in support of her friend.

LILY: Thank you so much. Who's this handsome guy on your arm?
RITCHIE: Don't get too excited. I'm just looking around for that yummy boy who played Caliban.
LISA: Ritchie is the new resident actor at Potter's Theater.
LILY: I didn't know you were looking for new actors.
LISA: Just to replace Nicholas, but I welcomed the opportunity to get some new blood in the theater.
VOICE: Your father's on the desk wasn't enough, Lisa?

The three turned to see Nicholas Bennington make his way over to them.

LILY: That was tacky, Nicholas.
NICHOLAS: I'm sorry, but I thought tacky was the theme of the night. I mean, honestly, pineapples?

Nicholas extended his hand to Ritchie.

NICHOLAS: Have we met?
RITCHIE: Aside from sleeping together, no, we haven't.
NICHOLAS: I see Ritchie's not going to play my little game.
LILY: You two slept together?
LISA: Ritchie, I don't know if your new health coverage takes care of s.t.d. testing.
RITCHIE: Be nice, Lisa.

Nicholas laughed very loudly, and Lily realized if she didn't calm him down he could make a scene.

LILY: So I'm assuming you didn't like the play, Nicholas?
NICHOLAS: Are you kidding? I loved it.
LISA, RITCHIE, and LILY: You did?
NICHOLAS: It was terrific, but then again, it's The Tempest. You don't have to do anything to it. You just have to try not to screw it up.
LISA: A very simplistic yet unsurprising theory coming from you.
VOICE: I actually agree.

Lily knew who this would be. Trevor showed up at the party blotto, most likely because the review for Bless the Frogs and Toads had come out that morning, and...well...it wasn't kind.

From the review by Phillip Van Terriman in The Rome Gazette

"Watching Bless the Frogs and Toads is like being shot out of a cannon into a swamp full of crocodiles that tap dance on you before they disembowel you."

Phillip was being kind.

TREVOR: I thought the production was great, but completely irrelevant.
LILY: What do you mean irrelevant?
TREVOR: Lily, you're doing community theater mainstays here with trumped up production values. Nothing you've done had any artistic relevance. Do you think anybody's going to remember this show five years from now?
LISA: As opposed to Kiss the Iguanas, which I'm sure will be talked about for decades.
TREVOR: Make fun if you must, but at least I'm trying to say something. I'm trying to make a difference. What are you doing besides making some money?

Trevor stumbled off leaving Lily feeling like a mainstream hack. She felt like her night had been ruined.

NICHOLAS: Oh Lily, I forgot to tell you. Alex is going to be directing my next show.
LILY: That's impossible. Alex has no interest in directing.

Alex had told her as much the night before when they were lying in bed together after taking in a movie.

ALEX: I will never direct--ever.

Alex had lied.

NICHOLAS: No, I think he just didn't want to direct here, and after what I saw tonight I can't blame him. Where's the challenge, Lily? You're never going to attract great talent if you don't produce pieces great talent is drawn to. Hell, you might as well do Godspell and follow it up with Barefoot in the Park at the rate you're going.
LISA: Nicholas, why don't you climb up on a table and make a fool of yourself? Oh wait, you've already done that once this year.
NICHOLAS: I do have to go chat with Phillip. I want to make sure he gets a good quote from regarding your little talent show--oh sorry, I mean--production.

At this point, Lily was nearly in tears.

LISA: Lily, don't listen to a word he said--or Trevor.
RITCHIE: They're both catty little bitches.
LISA: I should know, I was married to one.
RITCHIE: And I bedded the other.
LISA: They're jealous because you have a huge success on your hands.

But the truth was--

LILY: They're right. I'm not doing anything of note. I'm just doing what's easy.

And it occurred to her that Alex had suggested as much, and then deserted her to go work with Nicholas. It was almost like...

...He didn't want to be near her.

LILY: I feel sick.

She tried running to the bathroom but it was blocked by a crowd of patrons, so instead she turned and--

PHILLIP: Oh nooooo...

--threw up right into Phillip Van Terriman's pineapple.

NICHOLAS: Well, Phillip, that should give you a hell of a headline.

It was then that Lily changed her entire outlook on theater.

And a war was about to begin.