Pagliacci Event

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Farquaar
Joined: Sat Apr 07, 2018 7:20 am
Byond Username: Farquaar
Location: Delta Quadrant

Pagliacci Event

Post by Farquaar » #645133

This event may seem elaborate, but it would be really easy to pull off with just one player and one admin. Let me know if you'd like to make plans to run it and I'll draft a full script.

The Premise
Who doesn't love Italian opera? Pagliacci is a famous Italian opera that tells the story of a troupe of traveling performers in the Italian countryside. Canio, who plays the clown Pagliacci, is deeply in love with his wife Nedda, who plays the character of Columbina. Nedda, however, is having an affair with Silvio, who plays the character of the Harlequin.

Canio discovers Nedda is having an affair, and in a dramatic final scene, he confronts her in the middle of their troupe's performance. At first the audience applauds, believing it to be a part of the show, but Canio's furious demands to know the name of her lover makes it apparent that this is no act. Canio stabs Nedda, and as she dies, she calls "Help! Silvio!" Canio kills Silvio as well, as the audience watches in horror. The opera ends with the line "La commedia è finita!" ("The comedy is finished!") and a dramatic theme plays as Canio holds Nedda in his arms, weeping.

Pagliacci Ending.mp3
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The Event
Your station's performers are also putting on a show. A show with jokes, gags, and plenty of slips. Unbeknownst to the audience, there is something going on behind the scenes. The clown suspects the mime is having an affair with Harlequin, the monkey wearing a jester hat that is a part of the troupe.

The performance begins with the mime's routine. Standard miming, she mimes the setting of an invisible table with plates and cutlery, some slips, some magic tricks. In the middle of the show, the clown enters the stage, but instead acting his part he erupts into fury, demanding the lover's name. The mime plays coy at first, attempting to continue the show, smiling, playfully denying the affair with gestures.

The clown, filled with shame and a thirst for vengeance, tears off his mask and exclaims that he is not a clown- he is the mime's husband. He expresses his rage and pain with operatic prose, continuing to demand the lover's name. Finally, the mime, with a flurry of passionate gestures, indicates that she will never speak, never!

Clown, enraged, picks up the knife from the invisible table, grabs the mime, and stabs her in the chest. The mime, with her last breath, gestures to her lover for help. Clown expresses his anger and lunges for the lover, stabbing and killing him if not stopped by the audience. The clown exclaims "La commedia è finita!", and music will play as the audience inevitably beats the clown into crit.

Requirements
1. A map with a theatre (Deltastation's is the most impressive, by far)
2. A clown who is "in on it" to play the role of Canio
3. A mime who is "in on it" to play the role of Nedda
4. A monkey (or corgi) wearing a jester hat to play the role of Silvio
5. A special knife (or fork, or other utensil) that can take down a mime with one stab to the chest- in true dramatic fashion
6. An audience (ideally the Captain would make an announcement and there wouldn't be any pressing threats while the play occurs)

Optional Requirements
An extra actor to play the role of Tanio, who goads the clown into confronting the mime on stage by praising her virtue. He can participate in the show by slipping on peels before the confrontation happens. He can also play music on an instrument during the performance. He would say the final "La commedia è finita!" line instead of the clown if included.

The mime need not necessarily be "in on it". The performance will still be scripted by the mime player, but the confrontation will not be. The mime that round might not be up for it, and it might be tricky to come up with a mime routine on the fly, but it would result in a more organic and chaotic reaction.

The role of Silvio need not be played by a monkey. A player might be Silvio, perhaps even a player in the audience. He can be "in on it", and leap to the stage to defend his lover, or merely be some poor sap who blew kisses with the mime before the show.
► Show Spoiler
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