I have a nice friend called Bunny who is quite nice. A handsome guy. Tall dark and handsome. Six two and strapping a decent job. Nothing is wrong with Bunny. Nothing at all. Well… (pauses) The only thing which might be wrong with Bunny is… he has two teeth missing at the front—

All of the other women in the salon burst out laughing.

SHARMAINE:

You got to be joking! Novelette I—

NOVELETTE:

I told you, you were picky. That’s nothing a good dental plan couldn’t fix. You have a dental plan at your job Sharmaine, maybe you could help poor Bunny out?

SHARMAINE:

You’re not serious!

NOVELETTE:

Well you want a good man you help him out!

SHARMAINE:

I think I’ll be ok…

NOVELETTE places her finger in SHARMAINE’s hair while mumbling.

NOVELETTE:

Every good woman needs a good man ain’t nothing wrong with Bunny and his teeth. Showing off because you are some big movie star now! Hollywood, Hollywood!

The lights go down the GRIOTS sing an upbeat jazzy show tune as SHARMAINE steps into her spotlight.

SHARMAINE:

I think the only thing I ever really knew I wanted to do was to be an actor. (She smiles to herself and becomes very excited.) I wanted to be an actor! I wanted to be a star! And I must have been around eight years old when I saw Lily Tomlin on TV and I knew then without a doubt that was what I was going to do. And my Mom she jumped right in! She was a believer from the start. Mom was always giving me her famous pep talks. Sharmaine you can be anything or do anything. You know sometimes if you want something Sharmaine, and you believe in something you just have to fight for it. No matter what other people tell you. Fight for what you want. (two beats) And I remember in grade three, Sarah Thompson got picked to be the main character for our class play. She got to be the sun. And to make matters even worse, Claire Wilkens got picked to be the moon. Miss Collins thinking she was being multicultural and adding a little Caribbean flavor to the whole production, did me a huge favor by casting me as the star. The star. The lousy star who was on stage for about two seconds and said one lousy line. (very melodramatic) “I am the star. I shine bright.” Yeah the star sucked! And I went home and I was devastated. To me at eight years old the Hollywood dream was already over. (She imitates her mom with a slight Caribbean accent.) Come on Sharmaine; say I am the star I shine bright. (She states it again a bit differently.) I am the star I shine very bright. (imitating her mom again) You think they will notice if you put in one more extra word? (beat) It wasn’t looking good. And then finally the night before the concert Mom figures it out. (beat) two a.m. and we’re in the kitchen cutting out cardboard and gluing aluminum foil on to a huge cardboard cut out of a star. And picture this. The night of the concert. Sarah and Claire show up in their pretty little dresses and bows to read their ten million lines. Mom is sitting smack centre in the front row. (Mom’s voice, “Wait till you see my chile!”) When the lights go down I watch from the sides of the curtain as mom grabs a flashlight out of her pocket and that’s my cue to come out! Mom shines the flashlight on to the stage, I walk into my light. The light hits the aluminum foil nearly blinding the entire audience! The stage looks like it’s on fire! I am in my glory because all eyes are on me! Mom firm and steady keeps shining the flashlight. Every one says, wow! and then is silent as I say my one line. “I am the star, I shine bright”. Mom oblivious to the fact that some people were nearly blinded, by my dramatic entrance.