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ph_logs2025-03-29 08:17 pm
pumpkinhollow) wrote in ph_logs2025-03-29 08:17 pm
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MARCH SADNESS - A Symphony of Sorrow
SYMPHONY OF SORROW
If the Audience Would Please Take Their Seats
You find yourself at the theatre.
You may be asking how you got here, why you are here, when did you arrive. But none of that matters, does it? Nothing matters. Whether you are shocked at yourself for thinking so or whether you have known that nothing matters for years on end does not matter either. Whatever meaning there was to be had in any of this escapes you now. Who you were and what you wanted, what you valued and stood for, it all seems now like such a hazy dream. Out of reach.
There is a ticket in your hand. It tells you where to go. You follow it dutifully. Ticket stubs are exchanged for playbills. A schedule of performances. Whatever. You numbly proceed to where you belong. Performers and stage crew to their places, orchestra to the pit, workers to their positions. All with the knowledge that there can be only pain.
A four-armed conductor in moth-eaten robes raises his baton, and there is music.
You deserve this.
You deserve this.
You deserve this.
You may be asking how you got here, why you are here, when did you arrive. But none of that matters, does it? Nothing matters. Whether you are shocked at yourself for thinking so or whether you have known that nothing matters for years on end does not matter either. Whatever meaning there was to be had in any of this escapes you now. Who you were and what you wanted, what you valued and stood for, it all seems now like such a hazy dream. Out of reach.
There is a ticket in your hand. It tells you where to go. You follow it dutifully. Ticket stubs are exchanged for playbills. A schedule of performances. Whatever. You numbly proceed to where you belong. Performers and stage crew to their places, orchestra to the pit, workers to their positions. All with the knowledge that there can be only pain.
A four-armed conductor in moth-eaten robes raises his baton, and there is music.
You deserve this.
You deserve this.
You deserve this.
Observer’s Overture
First Movement in E Minor
adagio, con dolorePP
Lights down on the chorus, who sits in the stands. They are playing the role of the audience. Ad lib spoken word between chorus members seated near one another. Soft music begins to swell eerily.
Lights up on the stage. A performance begins, apparently in media res, where the chorus is meant to observe.
vacillante, improvvisato
cresc. P
The performers on stage play out their acts, appearing fearful. The chorus ad libs quiet uncertainty from the stands. Some of them will look down at their playbill and find their own name on the schedule of acts to come. There is a brief description on the page of the act that is scheduled for them. It is clear by the state of the ones already on stage that this isn’t something they have a choice in.
Chorus members attempt to rise from their seats, but cannot. Not yet. Foreshadowing to a later movement. For now, they must endure the overture.
Opera Infernale
Second Movement in Various Keys
( A medley of vignettes, performed in various styles)
chorale concerto a tutti, con affettoF
Various chorus members rise between songs and make their way to the green room, where they are costumed. They have some time to talk with other incoming acts. They will find themselves and their loved ones being prepared for their acts.
segue
Those who performed before stop in the green room again. They look drained. A fate which awaits the incoming acts.
segue
On the stage, each act is a musical recreation of trauma. A worst fear, a most painful moment, an act of cruelty, a time of hardship. The styles will vary accordingly. If the other players in a given tale are present, they will receive their role without question. If a cast member has no fellow performers from their own world present, an understudy will be chosen to play any other roles from those that they are close to. Everyone is off book. Vocal quality is adjusted to match the conductor’s standards. Staff ensures there are no interruptions. The show must go on.
CODA: Für Nimona
A Coda in A Minor
There is a stranger in the green room, unmoving. Pale glowing eyes peer out from an ungulate-shaped void perched atop a high end suit. Antlers leer overhead. He is waiting for someone. Staff take no notice of him. Ensemble's Lament
Third Movement in G Minor
bocca chiusaPPP
There are other places to be besides the stage. Other roles to play.
pesante
Behind the stage, the stage crew toil under Baritone, the stage manager and the Viscount of Suffering. There is a pipe organ built into the man’s chest, and the bell of a horn where his heart ought to be. It shows. He is as cruel as he is miserable. He runs a tight ship.
declamando, letando
There are others in the pit, if they have the musical skill for it. And while this part of the performance is managed by a kinder sort, the Contessa of False Comforts is not so named for no reason.
The opera is long. There are no intermissions. The orchestra plays until their lungs ache and their fingers bleed, while Sonata assures them that it will all be over soon. Surely she cannot be lying. Surely there must be an end…
freddo, pietoso
Just outside the auditorium, there is work for the chorus serving food and drinks, taking ticket stubs for the endless stream of audience members, cleaning messes, or all other manner of soulless work. Perhaps these ensemble members simply did not interest the Conductor. Or it could be that they were made more miserable elsewhere.
Reprise - Observer’s Overture
Fourth Movement in E Major
impetuosoFF It would seem that once a chorus member’s concerto is complete, they are free to move about the premises. At least until they are scheduled in a supporting role for another soloist. This means a chance to explore--- or escape.
presto repente, bellicoso
cresc.
Those attempting to escape will be met with resistance, however. Guarding the doors are shades, creations of the Conductor who can wear the faces of those held dear by those that look upon them. Escape, more likely, will come from within.
Members of the chorus who attempt to do battle with the Conductor, however, will find themselves up against something far more dangerous. Figures of glass, in all different shapes. Some abstract and solid, some hollow and human-like, and everywhere in between. Perhaps some chorus members will find one to be familiar.
The Hero will need an ensemble of her own to make it through and strike at the Conductor. Perhaps a resistance can be formed in a hidden location near the green room.
Homeward Aria
Fifth and Final Movement in C Major
tiempo di fanfara, vittoriosoF
When a dagger of Aster is driven into the heart of Prince Efrain of Sorrow’s Song, at last, the illusion fades. The members of the chorus relinquish their roles and find themselves on the summit of Crane’s Ridge.
It will be an arduous journey home, but it can be done with the solace that there is one less Demon Prince to trouble Pumpkin Hollow. Music in a joyful major key swells, then decrescendos.
enfatico, mancando poco a poco
| CONTENT WARNINGS: altered states of consciousness, entrapment, grief, depression, mood control, loss of bodily autonomy |
james sunderland / hi long time no see
CW the usual SH stuff, I'm not getting graphic. I link some monster pictures so be mindful of those. Gun violence/death. Flavors of suicidal ideation.)
-----
The stage is dark. We don't see her, but a woman speaks. This is MARY SHEPHERD-SUNDERLAND. She is our protagonist’s missing wife.
LIGHTS UP
The set is simple — a plain, corroded backdrop that could be anywhere, if that anywhere was adjacent to Hell. Or maybe just somewhere old and industrial.
We meet our cast, already in formation for an ensemble dance number. JAMES and THE RED PYRAMID THING are front and center. MARY is on JAMES’S right, and MARIA is on THE RED PYRAMID THING’S left. Notably, there are just two other average-looking humans — ANGELA OROSCO and EDDIE DOMBROWSKI. The remaining ensemble is composed of dancers dressed in disconcerting, monstrous costumes.
Now we're treated to our opening number. The music has a distinct style that might feel a little outdated if you're from any time past the late 90s. The choreography is enthusiastic and exciting, at odds with everything else we've seen so far. The dancers’ expressions remain blank. JAMES, in particular, looks almost as if he’s in pain.
It's discordant. Intentionally so.
This is our hero's classic “I want” song. It's the story of a widower hoping for a miracle. A broken man who wants nothing more than to be reunited with his wife who was taken from him far too soon.
At least, that’s how it seems on the surface. Beneath that smudged veneer, the disconnect between the lyrics and everything else we've seen so far is difficult to ignore. Maybe this is the story of a man who can’t — or won’t — remember. A man who doesn’t care what happens to himself or to anyone else. A man who would rather surround himself in delusion than face the wicked truth.
No no no no no no. It's a hero's journey. The audience wants this man to find his wife.
You might call it crazy
You might say it’s scary
But my mind’s gone kind of hazy
And this letter… It’s from Mary!
JAMES holds the letter high above his head. The other performers mirror his movement, pumping a fist in the air.
Do ya think she’s really here?
Do ya think I’ve lost my mind?
I guess it could be both
Let’s just see what we can find —
ALL
In SILENT HILL! (Yeah!)
We’re off to SILENT HILL!
Suddenly, one of the dancers stops. It’s EDDIE. He's visibly agitated as he steps forward, breaking formation. The audience might notice for the first time that he's holding a gun.
The music shuts off abruptly, leaving behind a deafening silence. Is this scripted? Has there been a mistake? JAMES appears as bewildered as the audience.
Now JAMES steps out of formation too, so he can back away from EDDIE, hands up. He doesn't want a fight. The lights dim, and a SPOTLIGHT draws the audience's focus to these two.
JAMES may not want a fight but EDDIE clearly does. He takes another step, leveling the gun at JAMES.
(He waves the gun for emphasis as he speaks.)
JAMES seems troubled, but more so he's exasperated. His hand drops to his side as he considers going for his own gun — the gun he found in Silent Hill. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone, though. He doesn’t think he has it in him to take a human life.
THE RED PYRAMID THING looms between them, just close enough to catch the light without stealing the focus.
(Trying and failing to hide the irritation in his tone.)
EDDIE laughs as he turns towards the audience and flashes a cruel grin, almost like they're all in on a secret together — one JAMES doesn't seem aware of.
EDDIE turns back towards JAMES. A shot rings out. No one cries out. No one rushes to JAMES'S side. This is supposed to happen. It was always supposed to happen.
It's what he deserves.
JAMES SUNDERLAND is dead.
BLACKOUT AND END OF SCENE
CAST (do not reply)
Red Pyramid Thing……………………………………………………….JOHN CRICHTON
Mary Shepherd-Sunderland……………………………………….…j̵̧̹̻̦̋̈̋̀ä̴̡̗̫͈m̴͈̎é̴̬̣͉͍̔̕ş̵̘̕
Maria……………………………….̴͚̭̳͎́̓………………………………………….…w̴̲̜̥̎͑ͅh̶̛͓͇͖̐͊͆ý̷̘̪̙̋̈́͝ͅ ̶̠̯̆͝d̶̢͈̙̈́į̴̔d̵͕̎́͆́̚
Eddie Dombrowski……………………….̶̢̪̽̎̈̆͝…………………………...…ÿ̸̘̮̊͊͛̈o̶̺͉͌ŭ̷͕̼͎̲ ̷̖̟̔̋́͝d̸̖̠̿͘o̶̦̬̅͂̈́ͅ ̵̮͍̍í̵͎͓̊̑͌t̸̮̓̈̕?̶̩͑̌͑͒
Angela Orosco………………………….…………………………………..ẅ̶͕͚̖́͜h̷̬̳̝̻̠̽y̸̥̪̩͖̏̽̐͠?̷̝̮̒̅̇
Monstrous Ensemble………………………….̴̥̲̘̏̊…….……………....…(MULTIPLE)