She collapsed to the ground, in a pool of yellow satin.
Mom’s nails dug into my arm and she whispered something, but I couldn’t reply, my voice strangled into silence.
The fight, the gun battle in a theater not unlike this one, was brutally painful to watch. It was a duet, it was a duel, and when Ash finally seized the gun and pushed into Sergei’s face, his own twisted with hatred, I couldn’t help letting out a hoarse cry.
Someone in the audience screamed, and I cringed. Mom gripped my hand even more tightly.
“It’s okay,” she whispered. “You’re safe here.”
Another gunshot cracked out and the music died away in a crash of discordant noise. Then lights and sirens and shouts filled the theater as the backing dancers were transformed into police officers.
Ash picked up Sarah from the floor, cradling her to his chest, the noise and chaos swirling around them.
She ‘woke’, if that’s the right word, and the eerie, sudden silence made me feel as if I’d gone deaf.
A full moon lit the stage.
A beautiful, magical moondance
It was a foxtrot American Smooth, danced with every bit of astonishing grace and flair, so lyrical, so touching. And so uncomfortable to watch Ash making love to someone else, no matter how beautiful the dance.
But then something unexpected happened. He pulled a small box out of his pocket, a ring box. But instead of offering it to Sarah, he walked to the front of the stage and jumped off.
The music died away, and from the way all the dancers gathered onto the stage, grins on their faces and barely suppressed excitement, I knew they’d been expecting this.
Voices hushed as Ash walked toward me, the ring box in his hand.
He stood in front of me, then slowly sank to one knee.
“Laney, you are my sunshine, moj son?ek. I loved you before I knew it. And although you are my wife, today I kneel before you and ask you to take me as your husband forever, in this life and in the next. Never leave me again, my love. Be with me always.”
He opened the box, presenting me with an engagement ring, a stunning yellow diamond that matched the little sundress I’d married him in.
I held out my hand, a glazed expression on my face.
“You shine so brightly,” I whispered.
“You’re the one who shines, moj son?ek.”
I laughed quietly. “At least I know what that means now. Sneak.”
Ash smiled his beautiful smile, and slipped the ring onto my finger, then leaned forward to give me a searing kiss that broke a hundred hearts, including my own.
“You made me very proud last night,” I said, cupping his cheeks with my hands. “Don’t stop. Dance like the world is watching.”
Mom coughed, and when I glanced at her, she was wiping her eyes.
Ash stood up straight, grinned and winked, then vaulted back onto the stage as the band broke into Beyoncé’s Crazy, and the maddest, wildest, craziest, most over the top and life-affirming cha-cha that I’d ever seen. The entire cast was on the stage, giving it their all, saying that life goes on that love goes on and that evil will never win.
My feet burned with agony as I struggled to stand.
“What are you doing?” hissed Mom.
But I had to. My arms and legs shook with the effort, but I stood with the rest of the audience, clapping and cheering, our applause raising the roof of this tiny theater. And I sobbed wildly, damn sure that I was ruining my makeup.
Finally, the dancers stood at the front of the stage to take their bows, chests heaving with the strain, sweat glistening on their faces, on their arms, and the biggest smiles on their faces.
And there was my Ash, my love, my husband, shining so brightly.
“I love you,” I whispered.
He saw my lips moving, and he raised his damaged hand to rest it over his heart.
I love you, too.
TORTURED, HORRIFIC, TERRIFIC
I thought I’d seen it all, seen every kind of dramatic trick to manipulate an audience’s emotions. I’ve seen real pigs eyes used during that scene in ‘King Lear’. I’ve seen a version of ‘Coriolanus’ so bloody that the front row had to be given raincoats to wear, but last night every emotion was drawn out of me willingly in the freshest, most brutally honest performance it’s been my privilege to experience.
Ash Novak’s ‘Slave—A Love Story’ was not my first choice for a night of entertainment. Ballroom dancing is full of sequins and cheesy grins, or so I thought, but this talented dancer and choreographer suspended then dissolved every crumb of disbelief, in a magical, gut-wrenching, life-altering display of brilliance.
Every step was another piece in a horrific story of modern-day slavery, human trafficking and organized crime.
If this show doesn’t break your heart, then you should see a doctor to check you still have one.
The charismatic lead never put a foot wrong, and was ably support by Sarah Lintort, Yveta Kuznets, Gary Benson and Luka Kokot.
Chicago’s must-see show. Catch it while you can because it’s going to be the hottest ticket in town.
Five months later