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[0:00] Harrison White: Welcome to The Flame, where everybody is family. The Flame was made possible through the support of listeners like you. If you enjoy the show, consider joining our Patreon at patreon.com slash theflamemusical. Thank you for listening and enjoy the show.

[0:19] Harrison White: Previously on The Flame.

[0:22] Jasmin Savoy Brown: I need a drink.

[0:23] Leigh Holmes Foster: This is why I told you to get a drink before handing over that eviction notice to the cutie at the bar.

[0:28] Jasmin Savoy Brown: She was cute, wasn't she?

[0:30] Leigh Holmes Foster: Just breathe.

[0:31] Jasmin Savoy Brown: This can't be happening, I must have just read.

[0:34] Leigh Holmes Foster: Listen.

[0:34] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Just breathe.

[0:35] Jasmin Savoy Brown: She looks familiar, have I seen her before?

[0:39] Jasmin Savoy Brown: That summer night after our CLE class.

[0:43] Jasmin Savoy Brown: We wrecked those dirt bikes that we'd secretly jacked.

[0:46] Jasmin Savoy Brown: I'm out.

[0:46] Jenn Colella: Joe, can you still do that trick with your...

[0:50] Harrison White: What's going on up in here?

[0:53] Harrison White: How did that have so much junk?

[0:55] Jasmin Savoy Brown: But here in this place where you loved me so, you held me close and you watched me grow.

[1:04] Jasmin Savoy Brown: I'm not your baby girl anymore.

[1:16] Harrison White: How about you save the packing for another day and we go home?

[1:21] Harrison White: Now, let's check back in with Jamie.

[1:25] Ellie Brigida: So that's it? Everything that I've done, that Victor's done, it's gone?

[1:33] Ellie Brigida: Victor's daughter just walks in and destroys it?

[1:36] Leigh Holmes Foster: Her friend said there might be a chance.

[1:39] Ellie Brigida: There's no chance, Heather.

[1:41] Leigh Holmes Foster: James, where are you going?

[1:43] Ellie Brigida: I just, I need to go on a walk.

[1:46] Ellie Brigida: It's suffocating in here.

[1:48] Ellie Brigida: Shit.

[1:49] Ellie Brigida: This is not good.

[1:51] Harrison White: Let's check back in with Sam and Mel.

[1:53] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Maybe Mel has gotten through to her.

[1:56] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Some days I just wonder if my dad ever loved me, you know?

[2:03] Leigh Holmes Foster: Don't we all?

[2:05] Leigh Holmes Foster: This seems very personal.

[2:06] Harrison White: Let's go back to the bar.

[2:09] Jenn Colella: One Calexa on the beach.

[2:11] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Thanks, Joe.

[2:13] Jenn Colella: See? People like my gay drink names.

[2:16] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Yeah.

[2:17] Leigh Holmes Foster: You good, Heather? You're less combative than your usual self.

[2:21] Leigh Holmes Foster: I'm worried about Jamie.

[2:22] Leigh Holmes Foster: She went on one of her depression walks, and you know how long those can take.

[2:27] Jenn Colella: She probably just went to get one of her somber slurpees and crummy cookies. She'll be fine.

[2:37] Leigh Holmes Foster: You're an adult, Jamie. Just call her.

[2:48] Ellie Brigida: Hello?

[2:49] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Hi.

[2:50] Ellie Brigida: Is this Sam?

[2:51] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Uh, no.

[2:53] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Who's asking?

[2:54] Ellie Brigida: This is Jamie Parker, the owner of the bar. I just wanted to talk to her.

[2:57] Jasmin Savoy Brown: She gave you my—

[3:01] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Hold on. One sec.

[3:04] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Hello?

[3:05] Ellie Brigida: Hi. This is Jamie. I was hoping we could talk about my leasing agreement.

[3:08] Jasmin Savoy Brown: There's nothing to talk about, really. I thought the letter was pretty explanatory.

[3:12] Ellie Brigida: It is. I get it. You're not renewing my lease. Is it for financial reasons? Because I can pay more.

[3:18] Ellie Brigida: Your dad was just giving me a deal.

[3:20] Jasmin Savoy Brown: It's not a money thing. It's—

[3:22] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Never mind. Um, there's a bunch of buildings open in the neighborhood. I'm sure you'll find a new place in no time.

[3:28] Ellie Brigida: Right. So we're good?

[3:30] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Just peachy.

[3:31] Ellie Brigida: Great. All right. See you around, Jamie.

[3:34] Jasmin Savoy Brown: See you around, Jamie.

[3:36] Ellie Brigida: Ugh, I hate her.

[3:40] Leigh Holmes Foster: That was not that bad.

[3:42] Ellie Brigida: I don't know why I was so worried about talking to her.

[3:44] Leigh Holmes Foster: Seriously?

[3:45] Ellie Brigida: What?

[3:46] Leigh Holmes Foster: That was a very civilized conversation. We're both on the same page now.

[3:49] Ellie Brigida: Ugh, you are clueless.

[3:59] Ellie Brigida: This sucks. She and Victor worked so hard to bring this bar to life, and it's just being ripped away.

[4:05] Leigh Holmes Foster: All right, Mama Hen. I'm sure she's fine. You know how she gets. She probably feels all alone.

[4:12] Jasmin Savoy Brown: I don't know what I can do to fix it.

[4:14] Leigh Holmes Foster: You know that's not true, though. She has you.

[4:16] Leigh Holmes Foster: And me. But I understand my hierarchy in the friendship pyramid.

[4:21] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Whatever. You're her best friend, and if anyone can get her out of this slump, it's you.

[4:27] Ellie Brigida: Wow, that was a very nice and mature thing for you to say.

[4:32] Leigh Holmes Foster: Yeah, it happens. Once in a blue moon.

[4:34] Jenn Colella: Two I-smell-Appletinis are ready for consumption.

[4:38] Leigh Holmes Foster: Will you be fine on your own for a bit? I'm gonna go find Jamie.

[4:43] Jenn Colella: Uh, I don't think you have to look very far.

[4:46] Leigh Holmes Foster: Why is she walking into the alley?

[4:48] Jenn Colella: It's her go-to crying place.

[4:51] Leigh Holmes Foster: All right. I'm going. While I'm gone, talk to some of the regulars. See if they'd be willing to write a letter or something like that to Sam. Just show that we want to stay here.

[5:00] Jenn Colella: You can count on me. One Villanelle's viva via!

[5:15] Jenn Colella: How you doing, Jamie? I see you're double-fisting those Slurpees.

[5:21] Ellie Brigida: The mean old lady who yells if you mix the Slurpee flavors was there. It's basically a sin to not mix the Slurpees. She's gotta know that by now.

[5:31] Ellie Brigida: So I was talking to Joe, and—

[5:33] Ellie Brigida: Why does everything I touch fall apart?

[5:36] Leigh Holmes Foster: James, that's not true.

[5:37] Ellie Brigida: Yeah. Yeah, it is.

[5:40] Ellie Brigida: This thing with the bar, James, none of this is true.

[5:42] Leigh Holmes Foster: Yeah, it is. This thing with the bar, James, none of us saw this coming. It's not your fault.

[5:48] Ellie Brigida: And we can fix this. I know we can.

[5:50] Ellie Brigida: There's nothing to fix. Victor's daughter's gonna sell the bar to some asshole developer who's gonna turn this place into some trendy pop-up bullshit, and all of this will be over. Gone. Just like Victor. All the work he put into this bar, destroyed.

[6:09] Leigh Holmes Foster: Hey, bud. How about we get down from there? You're making me a little nervous.

[6:14] Ellie Brigida: God, I suck. I lost the one piece I had left of Victor. I couldn't get Rachel to stay with me. I always forget what day the recycling gets picked up. So not only am I a lonely loser who has pity cries on top of dumpsters, I'm also killing the earth.

[6:27] Heather: Holy shit!

[6:30] Leigh Holmes Foster: Thanks, Heather.

[6:35] Leigh Holmes Foster: I'm here to catch you and put you back down with your feet on the ground so never forget you mean the world to me. We've always been each other's thick and thin, the tonic to my gin. You're my family.

[6:54] Leigh Holmes Foster: Don't ever worry that you'll be alone. I'll be guiding you home like a lighthouse on the sea. At the end of the day if it's work or it's play, just remember you've got me.

[7:10] Leigh Holmes Foster: Remember sophomore year at the night of 13 beers? Who carried you home and put you to bed and sang you a song and stayed up all night to see that you slept?

[7:23] Ellie Brigida: Yeah, okay, I get it. But most importantly, who'd do it again?

[7:30] Leigh Holmes Foster: When your life feels like a tragedy, nothing's quite how you imagined it'd be. But I can guarantee it's always you and me.

[7:45] Leigh Holmes Foster: Cause I'm here to catch you and put you back down with your feet on the ground so never forget you mean the world to me. We've always been each other's thick and thin, the tonic to my gin. You're my family.

[8:05] Leigh Holmes Foster: Don't ever worry that you'll be alone. I'll be guiding you home like a lighthouse on the sea. At the end of the day if it's work or it's play, just remember you've got me.

[8:21] Leigh Holmes Foster: For the summer we spent at a sleepaway camp and you fell head over heels for that girl in the van. So you tried to learn the drums but somehow you broke your thumb.

[8:35] Ellie Brigida: And when she signed your cast, she thought your name was Jackie.

[8:41] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Yeah, that one was pretty embarrassing.

[8:44] Ellie Brigida: It was, wasn't it? When you feel like luck is out of your sight, or that nothing's turning out to be right, you gotta keep in mind, I'm always by your side!

[9:01] Leigh Holmes Foster: Cause I'm here to catch you, and put you back down with your feet on the ground. So never forget you mean the world to me. We've always been each other's thick epic, the tonic to my gin. You're my family!

[9:21] Ellie Brigida: Don't ever worry, you'll never leave me. I'll be guiding you home like a lighthouse on the sea. At the end of the day, it's worth a root to remember, you've got me!

[9:43] Jasmin Savoy Brown: I love you, Heather.

[9:45] Harrison White: While they have a moment, let's check in on Jo.

[9:54] Jenn Colella: So, let's say this bar was being shut down.

[9:58] Ellie Brigida: How shitty would that be?

[9:59] Jasmin Savoy Brown: What? Jamie's closing the bar?

[10:02] Jenn Colella: Of course not.

[10:03] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Huh, good. You scared me for a moment.

[10:06] Jenn Colella: Oh, stay scared because she's being evicted. In a way, we're all being evicted.

[10:12] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Lilz, what's taking so long? Mama wants to play human-sized Jenga.

[10:17] Dana Piccoli: Jessica, they're closing the bar.

[10:21] Liz Mongrello: What?

[10:22] Dana Piccoli: Yeah, yeah, but keep it on the DL, you know? Don't want to start any drama.

[10:27] Jenn Colella: Between those two gossips, everyone in the bar will know in three, two...

[10:32] Liz Mongrello: Jo, Lilz said the bar was being shut down.

[10:35] Jenn Colella: Yeah, Victor's daughter doesn't want to keep it open. She doesn't like it.

[10:39] Liz Mongrello: Yo, what does that mean?

[10:41] Jenn Colella: You know how some people can be? Spark a few embers, sprinkle a little gas, next thing you know, you've got a...

[10:48] Liz Mongrello: Hey Jo, Victor's homophobe daughter is closing the bar?

[10:52] Jenn Colella: Seems like it.

[10:53] Liz Mongrello: Oh, there is no way that's happening. Where's Jamie?

[10:56] Jenn Colella: In the back, with Heather. I've already looked at the eviction.

[10:59] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Well, it's more of a notification saying that her lease won't be renewed, but still, it's airtight.

[11:03] Jenn Colella: Seems like there's nothing we can do. Well, maybe...

[11:07] Jasmin Savoy Brown: Maybe what?

[11:09] Jenn Colella: How do you fine folk feel about a public display of our displeasure over this wrongful eviction?

[11:17] Liz Mongrello: Are you sure I look okay?

[11:19] Dana Piccoli: Yeah.

[11:21] Liz Mongrello: I feel like you're lying to me.

[11:23] Dana Piccoli: I mean, you are rocking the Alexa eye paint look right now, but I think you're rocking it.

[11:28] Jenn Colella: I gotta say, we've left Jo in charge of the bar three times today, and not once has anything been destroyed.

[11:33] Liz Mongrello: Yeah, Jo's been unusually helpful today.

[11:36] Jenn Colella: That's the spirit!

[11:39] Harrison White: What in the world is going on in there?

[11:41] Jenn Colella: Patrons of the Flame are ready to fight!

[11:45] Liz Mongrello: What?

[11:47] Jenn Colella: I asked you to get a few people to write some letters.

[11:50] Liz Mongrello: How did you organize a protest in less than an hour?

[11:53] Jenn Colella: I played Gavroche in Les Mis last year.

[12:00] Harrison White: Listen to this.

[12:03] Jenn Colella: I played Gavroche in Les Mis last year.

[12:34] ♪ Musical number: "Keep It Lit" — performed by Jo (Jenn Colella), Jamie (Ellie Brigida), Heather (Leigh Holmes Foster) and the Flame ensemble ♪

[14:37] Harrison White: Seems like we have a protest on our hands. Join us next week for Act 1 finale. Thank you for listening to The Flame. Please subscribe, rate and review, and tell your friends. Join us every Wednesday night at 6 p.m. Pacific Standard Time, 9 p.m. Eastern Standard Time for a weekly listening party on Zoom. Follow @TheFlameMusical on all social media accounts. The Flame, an LGBTQ romantic comedy musical. Story by Ellie Brigida and Leigh Holmes Foster. Book by Caitlin Clear. Music and lyrics by Leigh Holmes Foster, with additional lyrics by Caitlin Clear. Directed by Caitlin Clear and Valerie Rose Lohman. Produced by Lez Hang Out Productions.

[15:32] Harrison White: Starring Harrison White as the narrator. Valerie Rose Lohman as Mel. Guest starring...

[15:54] Harrison White: Additional ensemble vocals by...

[16:12] Harrison White: Orchestrated by Ellie Brigida. Additional orchestration by...

[16:37] Harrison White: And in our lovely orchestra, Alan McCourt on violin and viola. Molly Goldstein on cello. Beth Goodman on winds. Brianna Childers on French horn. Grace Massara on drums. Bethany Vandenbrink on bass guitar. Janna Heidenreich and Ellie Brigida on electric guitars. Ellie Brigida on piano. Rich Kelly on trumpet. And Ben Owens on trombone.

[16:59] Harrison White: Thank you so much for listening to The Flame. Drinks on me next week.

[17:01] Harrison White: Thanks for watching.