Do you have thoughts on some other side characters related to the starlets? We've talked about Robbie (and I'm always here to learn more about him lol), but you have mentioned other stagehands/co-workers in other posts and I'm curious about them.
Oh boy, do I!
Anyone with * at the end of their name means they are a character that doesn’t appear in the mock Glam musical script. However, they may still be mentioned and have a ton of lore surrounding them anyways, and naturally still exist in universe. They just wouldn’t be in the show - realistically there wouldn’t be this many people in the cast and not all of them are necessary to the specific story of Glam and the Pentagrams.
I am determined to outdo the Langs and give all characters attention.
Nathaniel Jenkins
Played by Will Branner
Nathaniel is the girls’ agent. Originally takes on Geraldine and just got the other three subsequently, though he has very little interest in them. To him, they are merely there to bring in the demographics and fulfil the roles that Geraldine can’t: sex appeal, person of colour and whatever the fuck Jolene is… some kind of feral guinea pig. He is a piece of shit.
While he is still very misogynist, Geraldine gets to be the exception or receives better treatment as the favourite. She’s the only one he recognises as having talent to make it, so regards her as the only one worth his time and effort. When he’s looking to find gigs, guest appearances and work, it’s always with Geraldine in mind. The other three be damned if they can or even want to do it.
He’s got a few other clients and has had some success stories in the past - it’s why Geraldine went after him specifically for an agent - but none have been as big as Glam. Now he has all of his eggs pretty much in this one denim-clad basket.
In meetings, he is purely just talking to his fellow men and Geraldine. Barely even acknowledges the other three. Probably wouldn’t say a word to them at all if Jolene didn’t keep trying to have a go at him. She doesn’t do it frequently, only when he gives her reason to. As one of the higher ups, there isn’t anywhere the girls can complain about his behaviour (in a modern universe with better work regulations maybe, although how much they do about it is debatable), so Jolene just fights with him about it. How dare he look at Roxanne like she’s less than, how dare he look at Marnie like she only exists for his pleasure.
Needless to say, he’s thrilled when the three die and are replaced by the Pentagrams. They fill the same purpose but they happily go along with whatever he wants from them.
Somehow he is the only higher up Helene doesn’t seduce. Even she was put off by him.
Frederick Patterson
Played by Dylan Saunders
Not to be confused with the agent, Frederick is the girls’ music manager. The two do work hand in hand and are very much equally slimy. He is, however, somewhat less dismissive of the Starlets. Their musical abilities (singing, playing instruments and song writing) are of use to him and Glam as a brand, so he can/will play nice with them where the other higher ups won’t. Doing his best to kind of come off as a fatherly figure to them.
This becomes more poignant when Marnie starts expressing a desire to retire from band life. He does not have Geraldine’s fear that she wants out to start some rival music - he’s well aware that Marnie wants to go home and he also doubts she has it in her to last in the spotlight/public eye even if she did decide to go rogue. Regardless, he needs her to stay where she is. And will do that by any means necessary. His patience wears incredibly thin with her.
Similarly, he needs the band to… not necessarily be on good terms, he doesn’t really give a shit about that, he needs them to stay together. So he’ll spend money on these bonding exercises and days off to try get Geraldine and Jolene to stop screaming at each other about who should leave the band. He’ll soothe Roxanne and tell her she’s just over emotional about the lack of peace in the group, and how silly the idea of having some time apart would be. If she keeps playing peacemaker and stopping these arguments before they blow up, the band will surely stay in tact. Isn’t that what she wants?
He’s the only one that has doubts of the higher ups when the Starlets die. It seems like it will completely shatter Glam’s career and his/all of theirs by extension. It is his idea to replace the Starlets quickly and quietly. To swap them out with new backing singers as if nothing has happened. Every second they wait and mourn is just more money going down the drain. A lot of his actions really fuel Geraldine’s ambition.
Victor Molina*
Played by Jeff Blim
And last but not least, to complete the set of the “higher ups”, is Victor. He is the tour manager for the group. Again, it means he is mainly working with Nathaniel and Frederick, but he has to come into contact more with the other members of staff, if only to retrain plans about tours. By nature of his job, he is only really around while they are on tour or actively planning the next one, most of his work is kinda just done remotely.
By far the most removed from the girls and treats them more like prized winning pets than humans (including Geraldine), with Nathaniel and Frederick being the owners in this scenario. Thus the ones worthy of praise and congratulations. So when he starts hearing of the difficulties in the band, he is very dismissive of it. "Aww, they're having a little squabble? Ain't that cute? Have we tried a spray bottle on Jolene yet? I have this taser if it fails."
He does not actually have a taser. Just making the threat.
He probably does use a spray water bottle on Jolene though.
Although he does like the girls, he lacks the genuine attachment some of the other members of staff have. Probably does not even notice the switch from the Starlets to Pentagrams - definitely still only books enough room for three backing singers, so the other two Pentagrams end up just being shovelled into the boot or something.
Robbie Halgrave
Played by Jon Matteson
Everyone's favourite Jolene babysitter, I mean PR manager.
We've already talked quite a bit about him, so there isn't too much fro me to say I haven't already included in his introduction.
Funnily enough, he was initially brought in to help tame Geraldine and her reputation, given she was the face of the brand. He was not informed about Jolene at all, not when he applied and not even when he was hired. That came as a surprise when he had his first meeting with the girls. And was definitely done with the intention to not scare him off.
You'd think a twist like this would have ruined the job and made him inclined to leave, but no. Robbie quickly bonded with the girls. Jolene may make his job challenging at times but she is balanced out by Roxanne and Marnie who are much easier to manage. There was probably also the naive hope in the beginning that he could probably school and reason with Jolene to make her less of a nightmare. He ultimately realised that was never going to happen and has made peace with the fact. He can't imagine having this job without Jolene.
There would be less need for him and he'd have very little to do for one thing.
It's not like he is working for an asshole and having to cover up bad behaviours. He is just working for the human form of literal chaos. All it means is he has to be a little more on his toes.
By the time things start deteriorating, he is very close with all of them. The fighting takes its toll on him too because he can see what it's doing to them and he is close enough to feel the impact. He does his best in trying to appeal to the higher ups in canon that something has to give and maybe a separation is in order so things can calm down, to no avail. These girls are going to be bled try by their management and, I mean, they technically are.
At least he succeeds in the hiatus au.
Albert Fontana
Played by Corey Dorris
Albert is the stage manager for most of the shows; sometimes the stage manager comes with the venue, but in most cases (where they can have their own), it is this guy. He shrugs off most of the power and influence of the higher ups, on the stage it is his domain and what he says goes. He runs a tight ship and expects the best from his team to deliver an unforgettable experience for audiences, as well as create a good working environment for both production, creative and performing side of things.
Really he is the glue holding everything together.
The higher ups belittle him a lot, that he does nothing other than chasing after Jolene to make sure she has her drumsticks and hasn't misplaced them for the seventeenth time. It is not remotely true. His biggest priority is rarely the four girls themselves - they know what they are doing and for the most part are just onstage for the entire performance. He is more making sure everything else is running correctly behind the scenes. There is the odd exception, of course. Keeping an eye on Marnie health wise; they've never had an issue because of him.
He'd argue that his job became a lot harder with the Pentagrams. Dealing with an entitled person is never fun but at least it had just been Geraldine on her own and was always a fairly light case (due to Roxanne keeping her from ever getting too vicious). Now. there's fucking five of them and they all just get worse as time goes on.
Oh, as her manager, he also had a lot of suspicions about Joan before she became a Pentagram. He didn't buy the whole "innocently kept getting caught in the crossfire of the drama"; he's the one who gave her her work and schedule each day, she never should have been near the band. Albert never discovers why she did so. She was still doing her job so he couldn't complain, but it was certainly odd how she was always there.
Douglas P. Mortimer
Played by Joey Richter
Douglas serves as the accountant. He handles all the monetary business in relation to the band. In his eyes, it makes him one of the higher ups. Nobody else really considers him as much though. He lacks any management kind of position and the subsequent power that comes with it, he is more level to a financial advisor.
Most of his time is really spent pushing his case and looking for a promotion so he can sit at the big boy table, if you will. He has the biggest issue with Geraldine as she's the one most insistent on spending money. Now, we're not really talking their personal money - she can do whatever the hell she wants with that, he doesn't care - this is the money of the group in general. What goes towards hiring new staff, buying venues, merchandise, etc. Geraldine sits down every meeting with somehow something bigger, more expensive in mind.
He was never on board for the idea of a tour bus. At least, not at the time Geraldine first started suggesting they get one, which as I'm sure you can imagine came much earlier than it should have. She should be lucky that reckless financial decision had no major repercussions.
And then of course Kristen comes along and he takes it back. Maybe Geraldine wasn't totally a living hell when it came to spending money stupidly.
Lee Peeters
Played by Davis Weaver
Another not frequently seen face, at least not outside of the recording studio, is the girls' music producer. Lee is probably an equally guilty party in encouraging the jealousy from Geraldine. He believed that healthy competition and trying to be better than your own bandmates was actually a good idea, as it resulted in better music and better performances. According to him anyways.
Geraldine was by no means a favourite, he just liked pushing her. She was the only one who seemingly let herself be pushed in that manner too. Roxanne tended to agree with his praise of the others like "yeah, the girls are very good" and was too nice to take the hint; Marnie never took his suggestions to go off book, partially because Geraldine would have lost her shit and partially because one should only riff when the song requires it; Jolene just turned the tables on him, teasing him about how he probably wished to be half as talented as them. He pulled strings to get the performance he wanted.
When the Pentagrams are brought in, he is the only person Geraldine has with her to audition them. He is immediately drawn to the five, just as much as she is, and encourages her to hire them. Happily telling the rest of the applicants to fuck off because they won't find anything better than this. They have such a great sound together.
He is the one of the people Helene kills later during a performance for no particular reason.
Philip Trost
Played by James Tolbert
Oh, this guy is one of my faves. I think he's fun.
Philip is the creative director. For stage to music videos to press appearances, from the lights to wardrobe, he oversees all of it. Most of it coming from his mind and moodboards or something from his team that he developed. In part with the creative input and ideas he gets from the girls themselves - except Jolene. Most of her ideas are all vetoed in the first meeting room, they don't get very far. They're all ridiculous.
Also the amount of mess and glitter she brings with her was whole other thing to consider in whatever they were doing.
Initially it felt like a much more free and collaborate space before Geraldine took centre stage/full control of everything. All ideas were hers, what would make her look or sound better, she demanded to be part of the entire creative process to ensure things matched her vision, she barred the others' involvement, pretty much just recycled her previous ideas over and over but slightly vamped up the glam each time. Any power he had in his job he lost to Geraldine, he was simply there as kind of a figurehead; just getting paid for doing nothing.
After Robbie, he is probably with the closest with the girls. By nature of his job, I think his dynamic with the girls is altered; he can get away with being more blunt. He is less exasperated with Jolene and more affectionately annoyed with her. He will get Marnie into a tinted moisturiser if she refuses to see the sun. He's definitely the one that tries telling Roxanne she should leave Geraldine. Has most likely had his own arguments with Geraldine, both inside and outside of work.
Obviously he never workout what is going on with the Pentagrams - how would anyone reach that conclusion without knowing the realities of magic and eldritch horrors? But he does come the closest to realising something more sinister is afoot. Maxine's object refusal to let go of her bag, Lizzie always eating when she shouldn't and never from catering, and Helene's odd sense of familiarity.
Spencer Gate*
Played by Curt Mega
Part of Philip's creative team is Spencer, who is the set designer and builder. Another one that isn't around 24/7 but when he is, you are sure to have a good time. When building stuff to be Jolene-proof, it is better to have a positive mindset and completely roll on with the chaos. He's not quite at her level of gremlin but he is more than happy to be silly and goof off with her.
Philip no longer allows them to sit together in meetings.
Then again, Philip has a list of people Jolene's no longer allowed to sit beside.
As he isn't around the girls (in a working environment anyway), there are big gaps between each time he sees them. So when things start getting bad, there isn't time slow domino effect for him. Every time he sees them, it's a lot worse than before and the differences are obnoxiously stark. Even just the tension in the air around them is so different. What once was very warm and welcoming, if you weren't part of the group you could still feel how much they cared for each other, is now something very closed off and strained. It doesn't feel nice at all and he's an outsider, god knows what it's like for them themselves.
Spencer feels the effects of the work changing too, as Geraldine assumes more control. She has an air of "just stick the other three in the back, it doesn't matter". He can do that but artistically it's really basic and screws over whoever is in the centre, usually Roxanne (it looks better to have the two larger instruments either side to frame her), as Geraldine is pretty much stood in front of them the entire time. He feels bad for the other three, watching the light dim for each is awful.
Tammy Harrison-Brewster*
Played by Mary Kate Wiles
Another member of the creative team and the newest hire of the staff is Tammy, who is Glam’s stylist. Well… actually, no. She’s not part of the creative team at all - a creative, yes - but she was hired by Geraldine and has very little interaction with the actual creative team. Geraldine thought she deserved her own stylist, separate from the backing singers.
Previously Tammy has worked with other very big names and faces in the industry, which naturally was a big selling point to Geraldine; that Glam could be added to those list of stars. She considers herself to be very above this and while Geraldine is thrilled with her, thinks she could be working for much bigger celebrities. She hates the idea of working with the others and resents Philip’s authority over her, frequently just ignoring everyone and doing as she pleases. They can bow to her vision for Glam, not the other way around.
She didn’t get along much with the Starlets either. She never really saw them much and her introduction to them became a catalyst for one of the fights. She’s far too high in her stead to really bother herself with backing singers, as she tells Geraldine: they don’t need to be dressed at all. They could stand backstage naked, so long as they still sang, it wouldn’t matter. This is all about Glam and how good she looks, she’s the star.
In spite of all that, Tammy and Geraldine do really like each other as people. They have that shared ambition and an understanding of women tackling a male dominated industry. They aren’t hanging out really outside of work and Tammy in no way wants to be an emotional replacement for the Starlets once that falls apart.
She ends up quitting just before the infamous car crash to work for someone better, only serving to further push Geraldine down her destructive path.
Flora Chapman*
Played by Rianny Vasquez
The actual stylist/costume designer for the band.
She was on good terms with the girls… up until Tammy appeared. It was humiliating to be snubbed like that and she never really forgives Geraldine, even when she has no choice but to come back to her after Tammy quits. She knows the others had nothing to do with it but the whole thing kinda taints her working experience. So she keeps things strictly professional after.
The Pentagrams as a result, met a very subdued man, solely focusing on work and had little interest with them as people. Which is fine. They’ve got a secret revenge plot to carry out, they aren’t really looking for friends or emotional investment.
On the other hand, she gets to be up close with them and sees a lot of the clues/warning signs. The fowl smelling bag Maxine won’t let go of and Helene’s Frankenstein monster type stitching on her skin. Yet has lost the passion and the will to care at this point. I can imagine she overhears some shit-talking of Geraldine and decides not to warn her.
Erica Rossi*
Played by Lauren Lopez
The long suffering hairstylist of the band.
Not naming names but slightly because of Jolene.
Okay, entirely because of Jolene.
She makes threats pretty regularly against her, Robbie has to keep calming her down. In her defence, it is a very challenging job when your subject changes her hair faster than the speed of light and with very little warning, thought or caution. Jolene thinks it’s the funniest shit ever.
Also has an issue with Geraldine being so full of herself. Dyeing Marnie’s hair auburn, which I’ve decided is now a canon event, was fully intentional to kinda piss Geraldine off. She wasn’t entirely aware of how bad the fallout was going to be and this was mostly like before things started going south in the two’s relationship. And as far as she can tell, it paid off. Marnie wasn’t as completely pale so wardrobe could try new/more colours on her, and she saw how gay the rest of the band was about it.
“I don’t get paid enough for this” most used words by her.
Danny Fuller*, Clara Soto* and Tina Wright*
Played by Jae Hughes, Virginia Vass and Allison Beteta respectively
Grouping these three to avoid saying the same thing three times over and they do act as their own little team, so it seemed fitting.
Danny, Clara and Tina are some of the stagehands, working under Albert and at his beck/call for whatever is needed. Running for water, safety pins because of a costume malfunction or to turn the place upside down because Jolene has once again lost her drum sticks when throwing them offstage at the end of a performance in spite of being told not to do that twenty-four times.
Roxanne spends a lot of time getting to know them and make sure they are appreciated. They are easily the youngest people working there and the industry is kinda notorious for being shitty, especially to young people looking to find their place. So on top of just being nice anyways, Roxanne makes sure to be extra friendly to them.
Geraldine does not know their names.
And of course, there is also Joan Blackburn, a longtime stagehand, who always seems to be lingering around the drama. Roxanne thinks it’s unfair she keeps getting caught in the storm of it all, she doesn’t want to see that, and apologises to her frequently.