The Ehrich Weisz Chronicles by Marty Chan

Author:Marty Chan
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-1-55455-859-9
Publisher: Fitzhenry & Whiteside
Published: 2015-01-26T05:00:00+00:00

SHOW BUSINESS

The theatres weren’t ready for moving pictures. Broadway managers slammed the door in Ehrich’s face. Theatres catered to the upper class with the works of Shakespeare, or playwrights like Charles Hoyt and his hit show, A Trip to Chinatown. Each haughty manager informed the group they performed live theatre. Ehrich downgraded his pitch to the vaudeville venues around Union Square.

The Bijou’s marquee had seen better days, and the loiterers outside suggested this place might be a tavern rather than an entertainment establishment. Still, the Bijou was their best chance of landing any kind of stage time. The venue was their last stop in a long line of rejections.

The husky manager eyed Ehrich as the teen adjusted his slightly oversized suit. He pressed his fake moustache against his lip and cleared his throat.

“What’s your act?” asked the man who reeked of garlic.

“We project moving pictures,” Ehrich said.

“What’s that?”

“It’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen.”

“They all say the same thing to land the job. Impress me.”

“Mr. Godfrey, this presentation is about the last day of a condemned man. He’s about to face the guillotine, and he doesn’t want to die. We tell the story using moving images.”

“This is show business. You dance? I can sell you. Sing? Even better. Tell jokes? I might be able to squeeze you in. Anything else? The audience will egg you off the stage.”

“What if the act were live? We actually witness a man putting his neck under the guillotine. He’s chained up in shackles, and at the last minute, he frees himself.”

“An escape act, huh? I don’t know. I already have a magician.”

“I tell a harrowing story. Will the condemned man free himself before the guillotine drops on his neck?”

“I like the notion, but I run a family show. What else do you have?”

“How about a transformation?” Ehrich said, grasping at straws. He thought of one of the tricks Robert Houdin wrote about in his book. The effect was the Indian Basket, in which a child was tied up in a wicker basket, but miraculously escaped. Ehrich offered it up. “I step into a trunk. The lid is closed, and when the trunk is open again, I am gone.”

“So?” the manager said. If there were a contest for the most cynical venue manager, Godfrey would take home the crown. He had more interest in Amina than anything Ehrich offered.

“And in my place, my beautiful assistant appears,” he added.

“She’s in the act?” Godfrey asked.

“Me?” Amina’s eyes were wide.

“Yes, she is,” Ehrich jumped in. He was scrambling now to land the deal. They needed to get on the bill if they were to have any chance of attracting Edison. “She is part of this incredible transformation.”

Godfrey chewed his bottom lip and cocked his head toward Ehrich but kept his eye on Amina’s leg. She stepped beside Tesla, hiding from the lascivious man’s ogling.

Ehrich stepped in front of the manager. “It’s an incredible performance where the magician and the assistant switch places.”

“I’m intrigued. I’ll give you a half-hour to impress me.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.