A Broad Abroad

[catko]

For a challenge at tv_universe to "Make a TV Show." Mine's a spin-off of...well, you'll see.

Title: A Broad Abroad



Synopsis: Martha Rodgers has decided to leave New York behind her. With her mystery-writer son Richard Castle getting married to NYPD's Kate Beckett, and her granddaughter Alexis doing a university year in Spain, she decides to split the difference and take up a position in a small Shakespearean theater troupe in outer London. She hopes this will give her career a boost—and her life, which had, let’s be honest, gotten into a bit of a rut, even with all the excitement of The Big Apple, Alexis’s hijinks, and the romance and homicides of Richard’s and Kate’s daily fare.

She adores London and relishes the notion of a regular acting job, though she knows her parts will be smaller and fewer. Still, the life of the theater, the footlights, the camaraderie, and above all the PLAYS—what can it be but wonderful?

Little does she know what history there will be in the histories, what drama in the drama. And that touch of black in the comedies. But she will soon find out what it is to be…A Broad, in London!

Dramatis Personae (click on for larger size)


Martha Rodgers is an actress. She has also been a life coach, an acting teacher, and, most regrettably, a secretary. She has been spending the last many years living with her son, the highly-successful mystery writer Richard Castle, and her granddaughter Alexis, but much is changing, and she wants to change too. She is a relentlessly positive individual, but even she admits that her life in New York City is in a rut. She's loved teaching in her acting school, which she bought with an bequest from an old flame, but she misses real acting--the smell of greasepaint, the camaraderie, the applause. She wonders if there are even roles for a woman of a certain age, when one day in Barney's she runs into an actor friend from the old days...
Andrew Nicos had been a fairly successful theater actor, especially in his youth, where his good looks and British charm assured him of multiple juve leads throughout his twenties and thirties in England and the States. But as he hit middle age, the parts he was offered were not to his liking, so he parlayed a small inheritance into buying a small community theater, where he serves as artistic director and producer. He seems conventional but is actually quite quirky; debonair but testy; and appears to be relishing his life with the creativity and undercurrent of stress and responsibility. He is assisted in his management role by...
Hortense Sio, a woman of some means who broke away from her upper-crust family to spend her time and money hob-nobbing with creative people. She is outspoken, hilarious, and quite knowledgeable about the theatre and its ways. She also deals well with actors, in her no-nonsense but appreciative manner, which definitely comes in handy with all the vehement personalities that spring up even in a community theater setting. But, behind her forthright manner there is a slight shade of mystery, as though she has something in her past--or present--which she keeps concealed. She spends a lot of her time hanging around the pub attached to the theater, which is presided over by...
Mac Beith, an American, also an alumnus of on- and off-Broadway, who had some kind of unspecified problem in New York, making it beneficial for him to leave the country and establish a lifestyle elsewhere. Outer London seems to be the best balance of "out of the way" and "in the mix" for him, and he manages the pub with a booming voice and great aplomb, often launching into Shakespearean soliloquies which delight the patrons, though less so the members of the theatre troupe who, of course, frequent the pub. He is single, and his relationship background only hinted at, but he seems to have a particular fondness for...
Callie Banh, another expatriate American, who acted in small roles in film and television, but moved to London to pursue a romance that has since fizzled. She decided to stay in England, and pursues a variable acting career in minor roles and advertising, while enjoying the freedom and the camaraderie of the Whitfield Theatre Troupe. She is happy to tell stories of being a semi-working actor, and she supports the more aspiring actors among them to go for advertising or other calls. In addition to her graceful charm, she has an inquisitive streak, and occasionally seems to be looking for hidden stories and histories. Of which, as it turns out, there are many, including those of...



Ben Edeck, a veteran Shakespearean actor of some reknown, who happens to be visiting his old friend Andrew just at the time that Martha comes to town. They are both delighted, having been well acquainted earlier in their careers--with a hint at a brief, torrid affair, perhaps? Ben has taken some time off his busy schedule to provide a small series of master classes for the troupe and to enjoy a staycation of sorts. He is magnanimous with his insights and generous with his praise, elegant in style, with a delightful, if somewhat erudite, sense of humor. But like the others in this small community, he carries a slight tension, perhaps around the eyes, of troubles and secrets as yet undisclosed. Perhaps he might reveal something to his frequent pint-sharing buddy...
Wes Morland, a professional TV writer and sometime West End theatre critic, who lives locally and was drawn to the pub, and subsequently the theatre troupe, seeking community and a nice place to raise a glass or two. Due to his ubiquity, he has been drawn into helping out with adapting plays to suit Andrew's artistic vision (and the varying talents and abilities of his troupe). Befitting his high-pressure profession, he is rather neurotic and a chronic smoker, but a gifted raconteur with a surprisingly hearty laugh. His experience and connections to the London TV world make him a magnet for...
Demi Trias, a certified, lapsed Sloane Ranger, who followed the usual London rich-girl path until some--again--unspecified event got her kicked out of art school and disowned by her industrialist father. Forced to "make it on her own" with only the (still fairly substantial) trust fund from her mother's side of the family, she drifts from the fashion industry into the theatre world, landing at the Whitfield due to having met Andrew at a party. Still, though her ambition is leavened by her laziness, she is still pursuing connections to try to land a regular paying job, acting at a more renowned level, which sets her competitively against...
Jacque Netta, a one-time child actor now trying to make her way back by using the Whitfield as a stepping stone. She made her mark as the youngest daughter in a popular BBC sitcom, until the combination of reaching "that awkward age" and a series of poor personal decisions sent her out of the public eye for a decade or so. She regained her personal equilibrium, got a college degree, and worked as a researcher until she again heard the call of the spotlight. She is still an accomplished actress, with a fierce intelligence and strong presence. She also carries the scars of her chequered past, which she tries to keep hidden from her colleagues, especially...
Troy Loos, another American, who originally came to London on an education-abroad program and stayed on as a student teacher, then a full-fledged teacher, in a low-income school nearby. He loves teaching, but his marvelous physical presence and beautiful voice got him recruited by Hortense to join the troupe. An easy-going, non-ambitious individual, he is well-liked by everyone, pursued by several of the women--and men!-- of the small community, and tries his best to mediate the various spats and intrigues that spring up among the more dramatic of the group. His genial demeanor doesn't prevent him from keeping a weather eye on...
I. A. Gogh, a local businessman who seems to be a friend of the theatre on one hand, and is well-liked due to his sense of humor and generosity at standing a round in the pub, but seems to have his eye on the pub and theatre properties in a way that is not altogether benign.

Pilot Episode: Summary

"Richard, please! Do show a little care, that suit is Chanel!" Martha simultaneously gazed in the mirror, patted her hair, and side-eyed Castle as he struggled with the zipper on her Bendel garment bag. "Yes, Mother, but even your wardrobe is subject to the laws of physics," expostulated Castle, as Beckett moved to intercept. "Come on, Castle, out of the way. Slow down; have some patience. You have to ease it up....see?" Smoothly, she got the bag zipped, folded, clasped, and set next to the others in the living room. "Patience?" grumbled Castle, as he hefted two more pieces of luggage, "Living in an all-female household, you say I need patience?"

"Hush, now, darling, don't be so testy. The way you are rushing, you'd think you can't wait to see the backside of me. And in that," looking mischieviously over her shoulder, "You wouldn't be the first."  She accented her words with a hip wiggle; Beckett barked out a laugh and Castle winced and groaned.

"Now, Mother, that is so not true. Of course, it will be nice to have the place to ourselves, now that we are all hitched up." He looked thoughtfully at Beckett and gave her a wink. "But with both you and Alexis going...I'm really going to miss you, miss our family." Suddenly somber, he reached out for his mother's shoulder as she passed by him, and pulled her into a hug.

"Oh, sweetheart." Martha gazed into his eyes and patted his cheek. "It will be a change, but a marvelous one. For all of us." Turning, she picked up her purse, and called out, "Alexis! Come on, darling, the car is here. Our Adventures Await!"
*****
Martha clasped her carry-on bag as she followed the stream of stumbling passengers toward the baggage claim at Heathrow. She herself did feel a bit exhausted; the first-class seat had been lovely, but it had been a long travel day, what with seeing Alexis off on her flight to Madrid; waiting the two hours for her own (albeit in the Virgin Airways first-class lounge, very nice); then the six-plus hour flight. Still, she was here! In London! She felt a shiver of excitement and slight trepidation, as she rode down the escalator and began plotting her next step--find a skycap, gather her baggage, then hire a car, or a cab, to the theater....

As she exited the security gate, something caught her eye. There, among the car-hires and chauffeurs with placards saying "Mr. Jones" and "Dr. Phillips" was a hand-lettered sign saying "American Diva." And above the sign, a middle-aged, toothy grin. "Andrew!" she squealed, rushing forward into a tweedy hug. "You came to meet me! How simply marvelous of you!"

"But of course! I wouldn't leave to to fend for yourself," smiled the man, taking her bag and ushering her forward.  "Not after practically shanghai-ing you in Barney's to come join our modest little troupe."

"Oh, I'm absolutely thrilled! Just as I said. It couldn't have come at a better time. Now," as they navigated their way through baggage claim and out to the hired car, "Dear, do catch me up. Tell me what I've gotten myself into."

"Well, how does drama, intrigue, mystery, backstabbing, romance, tragedy, jealousy, and suspense sound to you?"

Martha struck a pose. "Darling, you know. I do so love Shakespeare."

Andrew chuckled warmly. "Ah, no, I wasn't even talking about the plays. Just about the company." He gave her a wink, and as the car moved into traffic and through the thrilling streets of London, Martha could feel the warmth of her excitement and curiosity grow.

Music:



The Tracks
Love is All Around (Sonny Curtis) [aka The Mary Tyler Moore Show theme]
Applause (Bonnie Franklin)
That’s Entertainment (Judy Garland)
Show People (cast of Curtains)
Three Shakespeare Songs (Ralph Vaughan Williams)
A Foggy Day in London Town (Michael Buble)
There's No Place Like London (Shirley Bassey)
The Theatre (Pet Shop Boys)
Love is All Around (Joan Jett)