The so-called personality

During the performance, there was a sudden interruption, which was as annoying as a roller coaster suddenly losing power during a flip. It was extremely distasteful. In the Broadway theater, it was considered impolite to bring a camera, and photography was strictly prohibited. And using a flash? That was absolutely outrageous.

Suddenly, a flash went off in the audience, and the murmurs of discontent filled the air. Hugo and Joseph were no exception. As Hugo turned his head towards the left side of the first floor, he caught a glimpse of the mysterious guest directly extending both middle fingers, expressing their protest in a strong manner.

Apart from complaining, the audience couldn't do much, and they didn't intend to either. They quickly turned their attention back to the stage, ready to continue watching the performance. However, the performance that was still underway on the stage suddenly came to a halt, or more accurately, Katharine came to a stop.

"Sir who used the flash, would you please leave?" Katharine walked to the edge of the stage, facing the spot where the flash had come from, and spoke out loudly. At this moment, Katharine leaned on her cane, her gait unsteady, but she still held her head high, expressing her anger with pride and righteous words.

This unexpected incident silenced the venue instantly. The culprit clearly didn't want to step forward and admit their mistake, but Katharine would not allow such a thing to happen. "Let me say it again, leave! Otherwise, the performance will not resume!" Katharine's voice echoed on the stage, her words less polite this time. She repeated it again, "Get out!"

Sure enough, someone hastily stood up in the left section of the audience and walked somewhat unsteadily towards the theater entrance. When his figure disappeared into the play of light and shadow at the door, Katharine returned to her position, adjusted her breath, and resumed her performance state. She brought the audience back into the drama of "A Matter of Gravity".

Although Hugo had heard countless times that Katharine was a highly individualistic and outspoken woman, and her glorious deeds were widely known, witnessing Katherine standing on the stage exerting her power, her formidable presence showed no signs of diminishing with age. It left people stunned and even tempted to applaud and cheer for her.

Perhaps many people would describe Katharine as temperamental or even capricious, but Hugo preferred to use the word professional to describe her recent behavior.

A member of the audience using a flash during the performance not only showed disrespect to the performers but also disrupted the rhythm of the performance. It also affected other audience members, hindering their engagement. Therefore, Katharine expressed her dissatisfaction on behalf of the actors and the audience, driving the offending viewer out of the theater.

Perhaps Katharine was an outspoken person, but she was also a dedicated actress.

This reminded Hugo of the first half of 2013 when the esteemed British actress Helen Mirren was performing in a stage play in London's West End. The loud noise from an ongoing parade outside penetrated through the weak walls of the theater, causing great distress to both the audience and the performers. In response, the actress who had won an Oscar for portraying Queen Elizabeth II, known as "The Queen", walked out of the theater wearing a theatrical costume adorned with pearls and a crown. She used dramatic language to sternly express her condemnation, saying, "Quiet! I am performing here, and people have paid a lot of money for the tickets!"

Then, the parade became quiet.

In fact, Katharine's actions today had striking similarities to Helen's. While displaying their dominance, they also demonstrate their professionalism and focus.

Hugo couldn't help but wonder if he were on stage, would he also reprimand external disturbances due to being too focused on his performance? Although Hugo's personality was not like that, who knew what the result would be if he stood on the stage of a theater play? However, in the short term, Hugo couldn't find an answer. With his limited abilities, it was unlikely that Broadway would invite him to be part of a play.

Although there was a small incident just now, Katharine, who returned to the performance, had no problem at all. She quickly regained her state and continued to deliver a brilliant performance for the audience. The audience members were clearly professional and didn't whisper among themselves. They immediately refocused on the performance and immersed themselves in it.

But perhaps influenced by Katharine's imposing image, when Hugo watched her performance again, words like "strong" and "dominant" kept popping up in his mind. This contrasted with the character she was portraying, leaving Hugo somewhat amused and perplexed. Nonetheless, this also increased Hugo's admiration for Katharine because she could smoothly transition between different roles without creating any sense of rejection or discomfort for the audience.

From the audience's reactions, it was evident that Katharine's performance easily won them over. It made the slightly dull second half of the show full of surprises and added charm to the profound themes. Although Hugo wasn't a devout Catholic, after experiencing the time travel, he couldn't clearly say whether there were gods or spirits in this world. Under Katharine's "persuasion", his mind began pondering questions of life and death, religion, and faith. It's fair to say that this is the allure of performance.

When the entire performance came to an end, Hugo didn't even realize how time had passed and exclaimed in astonishment, "Is it over already?" However, he immediately stood up and applauded sincerely, expressing his genuine appreciation for the actors' splendid performance.

Joseph, on the other hand, jumped up in excitement, clapping his hands vigorously and rapidly like a seal. Hugo had never seen Joseph like this before. He could clearly feel the slight trembling in Joseph's body due to his excessive excitement, causing the smile on Hugo's face to widen involuntarily.

Not only Hugo and Joseph, but the entire audience stood up collectively, giving the most enthusiastic applause. This included the group of people sitting to the left of Hugo, the mysterious guest who even stood up politely and clapped his hands, and even the seemingly dozing tall guy who hesitated for a moment before standing up and applauding together.

There weren't many audience members present today, probably less than two hundred, and one had been expelled by Katharine in the middle of the performance. However, the partially occupied audience seats erupted with the most passionate support, a thunderous applause that came from the audience's heartfelt appreciation. In such a serious and formal setting as the theater, there were no screams, whistles, or cheers—only solitary applause. Yet, the continuous and unending applause composed the audience's direct affirmation of the actors. The praise conveyed through applause alone resonated through Hugo's soul like an overwhelming torrent. This was the true power of live performances!

Hugo didn't know how long he had been applauding, but everyone in the audience stood proudly, like straight cypress trees, continuously clapping. It might have been ten minutes or fifteen minutes; the passing of time was irrelevant. Hugo only knew that his reddened and swollen hands were fully releasing his inner excitement. Perhaps, only in the presence of theater or opera, would there be applause lasting several tens of minutes because it was the only way for the audience to express their inner emotions and their sole channel to give feedback to the actors.

Due to the enthusiastic applause from the audience, the actors had to come on stage three times to take their bows. Katherine, in particular, received a solo round of applause that lasted for three minutes. This is the charm of Broadway. The audience's preferences were immediately evident, and their satisfaction with the actors was expressed openly and directly, without any disguise. At the same time, the audience's sensory experience of the performance was laid bare for all to see. This can be both a blow and a motivation for the actors, serving as the ultimate test of their authenticity in performance.

"After your evaluation of the play just now, you are absolutely right." After the applause gradually subsided, a voice came from the left side, engaging in conversation. The voice was unique, somewhat hoarse but very gentle, not loud at all, rather soft-spoken. As it entered Hugo's ears, a sense of familiarity washed over him. "I was curious earlier if I had seen you before. Now it seems that I didn't mistake you for someone else."

Hugo instinctively turned his head to look and said, "Thank you..." Then he saw the man in front of him, and in an instant, it felt like he had been struck by lightning. He stood frozen in place, unable to utter another word.

The man before him had a pale complexion, with a pair of rosy lips that stood out. His nose was straight and sharp, dividing his face like a sharp blade, and his not-so-bright eyes were lined lightly underneath. His black, slightly curled hair fell casually on his shoulders. At this moment, he had put on his hat, covering about a third of his face. Even so, this face was still clear and familiar, even more familiar than Hugo's own face.

Although Hugo had been living here for over a year, he still found himself somewhat unfamiliar with his own face. There were even moments when he would stare at his own face and be filled with questions, "Who is this?"

But even if Hugo didn't recognize his own face, there was no way he wouldn't recognize the face of the man before him. The true identity of this man instantly rendered Hugo, who had experienced many grand scenes, speechless, leaving him standing there like a foolish idiot.

The man before him was the one and only in the world, a man that could never be replicated in the long river of music.

Michael Jackson.