RANSVESTIA

Nadine's eye swept over the group, checked their costumes. Marty Salter never looked butch enough, she thought angrily. If only he could be as tough a man as he was agile as a dancer She stopped, suddenly, a mad thought chasing through her mind. Marty looked back at her becoming nervous under her staring. Why not, she thought savagely. At least, it'll give them a show tonight. Nadine Boorman may be failing, but she'll go out with something for everyone to talk about.

"Come with me," she snapped at Marty, heading off stage towards the dressing rooms. She waved Farrell Prior, the only male black on the cast, to take over Marty's position. Sally Rader wouldn't mind, she thought fiercely. Farrell would make that pairing work much more attractively to the "liberated" audience they usually got at their performances.

Marty followed her very reluctantly down the narrow passage. He didn't know why he'd been pulled off the stage. Of all the dancers- they still thought of themselves that way despite what they were called upon to do-he was the most versatile. He'd done every role on the road, and he could pick up and do sections of others when they were missing, even for the girls at rehearsals. He was more versatile than anyone else, save for possibly David, who was a study of the show itself. Better for Nadine to leave out the inexperienced Babe, he thought miserably, not Marty Salter.

"Come on! Come on! We haven't got all day!" Nadine snapped at him and turned into the girls' dressing room. The dresser, Millie, looked up anxiously at the director's invasion of the room. Marty stopped at the door, the top hat twisting nervously in his hands. "Get Jackie's things ready!" ordered Nadine.

Millie blinked. Her eyes opened wide in surprise. "She's better?" she asked.

Nadine's mouth smacked in annoyance. She turned and eyed Marty. Millie's eyes followed hers and came to rest on Marty, who stood now stiff with shock and fear. Slowly, Millie began to smile.

"Use a shoulder-length wig, with heavy bangs," said Nadine curtly. "And long gloves. Gloves for all his skits. Short, black lace ones underneath. You'll have to stuff her out everywhere, too. Cotton-wool if you've nothing more realistic. And really heavy on the makeup."

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