Orland-Oh no she better don’t

Veronica Charlemagne, she ran away to join the Circus (Kirsten Throndson)
PT Cruzer, he runs the Circus (Donovan Workun)
Vera Bixtash, the Bearded Lady (Vince Forcier)
Bruno Nicolas Adonidas, half horse and half man (Tom Edwards)
Lillian Leitzel, aerialist extreme (Stephanie Wolfe)
Clarl, a clown (Jason Hardwick)
Ne Pas Nible, the contortionist (Rebecca Bissonnette)

Daring Director: Jake Tkaczyk
Midway Melodies: Paul Morgan Donald
Tremendous Technicial: Nichole Man
Prime Producer: Nicole Thibault
Succinct Synopsis: Louise Mallory

Act 1

Vera meets with Veronica to mentor her about Plate. Plate is a marketable skill. Veronica confides that in her dream she was the most amazing at Plate, and she demonstrates. Veronica makes Vera pinky-promise not to tell, on threat of terror.

PT Cruzer prepares the team for Orlando. Beware the old! They are silent! They move slow! They eat dinner at 4pm so the show must be early. He’s cut Lillian’s act because he can’t have the woman he loves risking her life in Florida. She growls! He slaps her! The show will be a matinee.  Death isn’t contagious, but we all catch it eventually. Lillian mentions that Veronica’s dreams all become real. 

A private aside between Vera and Veronica – how does Lillian know that? They’ve been together the whole time, how could Vera tell the secret? A loophole: Vera just wrote it on the wall!  

PT and Lillian meet backstage after the fight.  She isn’t speaking to him. So he addresses Bill and Ed, her companion frogs. She loves him.  He loves her too – that’s why he cancelled her dangerous act. Bill and Ed pass this message to Lillian. But on the high wire they can save her! PT has a change of heart: she can perform on the high wire in the matinee. And it will be on fire! This is all she ever wanted.  Lillian gives him a flower, and bursts into song, in German, sort of.  He is transfixed and responds in song, possibly also in German. It is like German opera. Sort of.  

Die-Nasty’s legal representation then apologizes to all Germans for the misrepresentation in the previous scene as it was not actually German, just very close.  

Ne Pas Nimble the contortionist and Clarl warm up for their performances.  Matinees are new. Clarl explains his long history with the circus. He was born here.  His mama was on the trapeze and he just shot out and landed in the net.  A flashback recreates that poignant image with Nimble cradling Clarl. Nimble then asks about his dad. There is a pregnant pause. Nimble’s own father was a super bendy farmer. She got his bendy DNA. He hoed lotsa rows and they played eggy county. Her mother was a bakey momma. Suddenly they both have the same accent. It’s a travelling circus thing. Clarl reveals that his own father is … in Orlando!

Vera confronts PT, caressing his beard, about the way he’s trying to prevent Lillian from performing. PT loves both of them! But it would be dangerous to embrace Vera because their moustaches would tangle.. PT tells Vera she should be with someone younger. Vera says that PT wants stability. Besides, their cedarwood and sandalwood scents don’t blend.  

Veronica seeks advice from Lillian, who is engaged in a virtuoso spontaneous piano performance.  Veronica had underestimated Lillian. Lillian tells her to learn the circus history. Lillian can teach, but some of it will be lies. They sing about circus life, with backup chorus. 

The performers gather in the big top while PT Cruzer introduces the matinee performance.  Lillian will have 2 minutes to cross the 186 foot high wire as it burns.  She attempts the feat as the audience claps and counts down. She makes it! And is overcome by smoke and collapses.

ACT 2

Lillian’s inner thoughts during the tightrope walk: If she makes it, she’ll be an international star! If she dies, she’ll be remembered! If she makes it, she’ll have to do it again.  She feels the love around her.  Bill and Ed do too.

Back to reality in that moment of the collapse: Everyone stands around wondering how to help. Nimble tries to use Veronica’s Plate. Clarl gives her a menthol cigarette to help her breathe and that works. PT regrets risking her, but she thanks him because she got to be amazing. She challenges him – if you love me, we can get married on the high wire.

Veronica and Nimble are both practising. Veronica is still happy with her Thing, and happy that nobody knows anything about her previous life.  Nimble asks her about her history, so Veronica muses on how her life was like this plate. She was Lady Veronica C the3rd.  She ate breakfast off a plate like this, but her parents never ate with her because they were too busy with her older brother Max. Nimble also has siblings. She tells Veronica about her farm background. “Oh, you were a peasant!” exclaims Veronica. Veronica suggests that she tells the secrets while she contorts.

Clarl and Lillian bring out a spectacular dress and discuss wedding plans.  What if all of us are on the high wire together. Even all the animals? This leads to a song “PT Cruzer Had a Circus”. Even Annette the catcher – the bitch! – will be on the high wire.  They workshop jokes about Annette the catcher.  The wedding shouldn’t happen in Orlando, but wait for the perfect town – and PT never tells them where they are going next. Vera drops in jealously, and sings a song about whether she can forgive and forget – not yet!  Lillian slaps Vera around. 

PT seeks advice from Ne Pas Nimble about secrets, while Nimble rides a little horse.  PT has two big secrets. He’s lost the circus in a gamble and bought swampland instead. And he is dying of tuberculosis, which is incurable – that’s the good news.  

Clarl and Veronica are talking. Veronica tells him she is nervous about heights.  Together they discover a new trick. They call it tingly fingers. They plan a duet to include both their skills and a tingly finger act. Everyone who sees this new trick will be trying it with their friends and then everyone will come to the circus to see them. They will be famous and popular and the circus will live forever. This becomes a production number ending with a five-way tingly fingers.  

Vera and Lillian have it out about the wedding.  But first there is a lot of intense breathing at each other.  Vera was supposed to light the tightrope on fire, and shoot an arrow and loose the piranhas below.  But she didn’t, because she was scared for Lillian. So who did? They reminisce about the Matchstick Princess who used to be part of the circus wearing the fabulous dress.  PT arrives.  He starts to confess a dalliance but Clark and Veronica both run in. Nimble suggests a group contortion. Everyone complains about improv but then they form a wall formation. They have one reveal each.  PT has had sex with all of them. Lillian has too. Clarl’s dad is in Orlando. Veronica’s dreams all come true. Nimble pushed her brother off the barn roof. And Vera works too hard, and had saved a lot of money – so she bought the circus.

BLACKOUT.

Photos by the one and only Janna Hove