In Hambrock’s wickedly funny tale (after Other People’s Secrets), a theatre usher deludes herself into thinking she can be a star. Jessamyn St. Germain, 26, an aspiring actor and singer who’s floundered as an usher at a regional theatre in Vancouver for three years, assumes she’s a shoe-in for Maria in the company’s production of The Sound of Music, but the part goes to her frenemy, Samantha Nguyen. Instead, Jess is offered a backstage babysitting gig, wrangling the actors playing the Von Trapp children.
Her vocal coach, an unscrupulous woman who takes her money and fuels her irrational dreams, convinces her to take the job so she’ll be ready to join the production if needed. As rehearsals get underway, Jess, impatient to show off her talent, pushes Samantha into the city’s harbour. Samantha sustains only minor injury, but as Jessamyn goes to greater lengths to get what she wants, the tabloid-esque plot turns deliciously lurid.
Hambrock keeps the reader on edge via Jessamyn’s unreliable narration (she describes the seemingly kind Samantha as the “king bitch” of the stage), even manages to evoke sympathy for Jessamyn by exploring in flashbacks the roots of bottomless depths of wanting”. It’s a show-stopping performance. ECW, 19.95 trade paper (312p).