Stage Struck

Gertrude Langerfelder, hoping to make it big as an actress in New York, renames herself Eva Lovelace and visits every theater agent and producer on Broadway. At producer Lewis Easton's office, Eva waits patiently while Lewis meets with young writer Joseph Sheridan, who is adapting Lewis' latest play. Recognizing actor Robert Harley Hedges sitting near her, Eva charms him with her naïve ambition and confidence, and he later introduces her to Joe and Lewis. Although Lewis, who sees hundreds of aspiring actors each day, tries to discourage Eva, her brash self-assurance attracts Joe, who inadvertently insults her by suggesting that she try out for chorus work. Joe is distracted by the arrival of stage star Rita Vernon, who has been offered a part in the new play but would prefer the lead role in the play Joe has just begun, pages of which Lewis has shown her in secret. Rita tells Lewis that although the role in the current play is too small, she will accept it in return for a chance at Joe's next play, and Lewis, who is Rita's lover, agrees to her demands. Meanwhile, Harley encourages Eva to try out for the Actors Studio, and is captivated by her passionate response that she has "something special" to give to the stage. After thanking him warmly, Eva shocks Harley by bursting into Lewis' office to say goodbye in person. Joe follows Eva out and invites her to audition for a small role as a peasant waitress, while inside the office Rita and Lewis negotiate the terms of her contract in between kisses. At the audition, Eva tries too hard to glamorize the role and is dismissed by the director, Constantine. Months later on the opening night of the play, Joe paces nervously outside the theater, and is pleased to see Eva there. She gladly accepts Joe's proposal to watch the play together, and delights Joe with her excitement at being backstage. Later, when he reads the rave newspaper reviews of the play, he insists that she accompany him to a party at Lewis' house. There, Eva, overwhelmed by the glamorous crowd, drinks too much champagne and begins to recite lines of Shakespeare. When she climbs the stairs to perform the balcony scene from Romeo and Juliet , it seems certain that she will embarrass herself, but with Harley's help she soon mesmerizes the crowd with her talented rendition. Even Lewis is amazed, and later asks her to call him at the office. On her way out, Eva falls asleep in the guest bedroom, and when she wakes at four a.m. and wanders into the living room, she finds Lewis just preparing for bed. She admits that she is in love with him, prompting Lewis to kiss her. Hours later, Lewis instructs Joe to meet him in Central Park, where he tells Joe he mistakenly encouraged Eva, who is now in love with him, and wants Joe to give her money and tell her to leave town. Even though he knows that Lewis is trying to protect Eva from his playboy lifestyle, Joe, who is in love with Eva, is disappointed and angry. He rushes to Lewis' apartment to talk to Eva, but cannot bring himself to dampen her love-struck sincerity. Days later, the play continues to be a smash hit, but at Lewis' office the mood is dour. After Lewis has his assistant lie to Eva that he has gone to Jamaica, Joe leaves town in disgust, retreating to Vermont to finish his play. When he returns to New York months later, he tracks down Eva, who is reciting poetry at the Village Voice nightclub, and they explore the city nightlife together. Just as dawn breaks over Times Square, Joe confides that although he considers Rita too old and savvy to play the naïf in his new show, Lewis may refuse to finance it without her star power. Over the next months, Joe, who is directing the play, is frustrated by Rita's constant demands to make the role more to her liking, and spends nights secretly running lines with Eva. One night, Eva spots Joe talking to Lewis in the theater, prompting her to realize that not only is she still in love with the producer, but that Joe will never risk the success of his play by casting her, an unknown. She confronts Joe, who admits that he is in love with her, and apologizes for leading her on about the role. As Eva runs out, Lewis, who has heard the whole exchange, steps out of the shadows and asks Joe if he wants to offer Eva the role. True to Eva's assumption, Joe does not dare remove Rita from the cast, and although Lewis tries to find Eva himself, the Village Voice manager tells him she has moved on. The night before the show is to open, however, Rita realizes that she has been miscast and refuses to go on, insisting the the play be postponed while her part is rewritten. At Lewis' insistence, Joe hires Eva. On opening night, Eva grows hysterically frightened, calming only after Lewis harshly instructs her to act like a star. Despite Joe and Lewis' fears, Eva performs brilliantly and receives a standing ovation. Backstage, Joe tells Eva he will always love her, but is interrupted with news that the reviews of the play, and especially of Eva, are raves. Eva cares only for Lewis' opinion, and after the Village Voice manager visits and reveals that Lewis was searching for her even before Rita quit the show, she is finally satisfied with her success. After Lewis leaves the backstage party, Harley, who is also in the play, declares that Lewis, as the producer who brings together and finances all the talent, is the biggest gambler and the most stage-struck of anyone. Joe invites Eva to Sardi's, but she asks him to go on ahead of her, and when Lewis sees Joe leave the theater alone, he returns to find Eva standing on the stage. He kisses her, but Eva coolly negotiates her new contract as she returns his kiss, then turns to leave. Regretting his missed opportunity, Lewis applauds Eva as she takes her exit.