Narrative Double Page Spread

Elena Book

The olden days:

Well it was 1957,musicals were quite the hit then, you know we didn’t have the television box thing people have now-a-days if you wanted entertainment you would walk to the nearest video and go to a show. I remember the first show I ever went to it was ‘West side story’, oh that was wonderful I was around 21, my father took me and my mother there for my birthday. Oh it was a wonderful night and between you and me the person that played Tony weren’t bad looking. That I think was the first time I knew that on the stage was I’m meant to. From that point on every Sunday morning after church I would head to the local community centre and take part in the classes for aspiring actresses, I did that for about 3 years until we did a stage production of our own. We just did the simple snow white from that Disney company I got the part of snow, which at this time was an advantage because I didn’t know there was a scout in the audience. Well I tried my best and watched the man approach Kenny our director after the show, Kenny was over the moon jumping up and down putting all the props on bouncing around the stage and then just as I was about the leave he approached me. I thought to my-self ‘oh know I messed up didn’t I’, he said, ‘there was a scout here he want to see what else you do meet him at the light house theatre next Thursday the name is Jim partelli’. I was just in utter shock I mean it seems like yesterday I was sitting next to my dad in the theatre. So anyway I went along to the light house and got taken to a room just to the left of the reception desk, I remember because the door said stars only that brought a smile to my then young face. Yes so I went inside this room and Jim was sat there on this couch with a cigarette in one hand and whiskey in the other he greeted me and invited me in. he told me to stand in the light so he got a good a lot at my completion he must have been staring at me for 10 minutes that got awkward fast. Jim invited me to sit down and we discussed what journey I had to take to achieve the dream of an actress; however we read a part of a script and that went amazingly well and then he said the word’s that in theory changed my life. Jim said, ‘I would like you to work in my new stage production’. Before he could even say what it was called I agreed and smiled so much that my cheeks were stuck in that position for all of half an hour. We then went on to discuss the path my life was starting to take he said you need an agent and a personal stylist and we have so much to do. Still amazed I just sat there and nodded. Before I knew it I was in rehearsals I managed to get my friend Katie a part in the cast with the Lead cast with ‘ME’, I lost touch with her after we did that show but I heard she went on to do wonderful things so maybe my change of paths didn’t just benefit me.so we did this show and then the offers just started rolling in I went onto to star in Hairspray and Wicked oh that’s one of my favourites. Life had been kind to me I was successful I had my family’s support I had a place in New Jersey it was great. So you know as the years went on and technology advanced Films started to do musical films and funny enough I was actually a part of a Disney musical production called lemonade mouth not too long ago actually that was so much fun like you don’t have to worry about messing up because they can do so much editing is it now-a-days. So my young show days are over now I mean I’m 57 I got 1 kid 3 grandchildren and my loving husband it’s been 38 years now so all in all I have lived a really good life, you know I thought my days in the lime light are over until I got the call to come onto the radio I agreed and did a couple of days per week then that turned into every weekend and now I play show tunes on the radio and it’s like re-living my life it wonderful I love it and am I now ready to set into my old ages.