The Mutiny

Lily was begging her actors not to leave.

They had just had a read-through of the new play Lily was hoping to produce. It was topical, gut-wrenching, and ultimately quite moving.

The actors hated it.

GLORIA: Why can't we do something funny? I'm sick of all this political stuff.
LILY: So you're just going to leave?
DONNIE: We're going to work at the Trenton Players. They're doing Barefoot in the Park.
LILY: Don't you want to do something significant?
GLORIA: I'd rather do something that people are actually going to see.

Lily's production--the thinly veiled attack on Nicholas Bennington--had not sold well, nor had it gotten good reviews.

Phillip Van Terriman called it--

"Almost as actually talking to Nicholas Bennington."

When Nicholas read that, he declared that one day he would murder Phillip, and not in a pleasant fashion.

LILY: I promise the next thing we do will be mainstream schlock, but first, can't we work on something with a little artistic integrity?
GLORIA: Let the other theaters do artistic integrity. We want to do Over the River and Through the Woods.
DONNIE: I've been in Into the Woods a few times.
LILY: A musical? You want to do A MUSICAL?

She flashed back to her college days, when she and Lisa would audition for the fall musical everyday.

LILY: When I get a brand new hairdo, and my--
DIRECTOR: NEXT!

It never stopped stinging.

The actors were all shuffling out. Lily realized she had to act fast. She'd never get people into the theater if they heard there was a mass exodus by the entire acting company.

LILY: Wait!

They stopped.

LILY: The Odd Couple. We'll do The Odd Couple if you all agree to stay.

The actors looked at each other, nodded, and returned to their seats.

Well, thought Lily, I didn't say how I was going to do it.