A clipping from the Arts & Letters section of the Londinium Herald-Gazette for the @girlgeniusev

A clipping from the Arts & Letters section of the Londinium Herald-Gazette for the @girlgeniusevents Spring Event Week.May 16th is Fantasy! Presented for your entertainment: a newspaper article about a theoretical theatrical work that Master Payne’s Circus of Adventure might possibly perform whilst exiled in England.(Transcription under the cut.)Londinium Herald-Gazette - The Finest News Beneath the WavesArticle: New Work By Payne’s Troupe to Premiere SundayBy Eureka Miller, Arts & Entertainment CorrespondentMaster Payne’s Circus of Adventureis set to debut their newest original work, “Much Ado About Mechanicsburg,”this Sunday at Londinium’s newly renovated Aquarius Playhouse. The return ofPayne’s troupe to the Aquarius has been much anticipated, with tickets for the initialengagement selling out just two days after the box office opened.Followers of theatrical news willrecall that the troupe’s last original offering, “The New HeterodyneAdventures: Betrayal at the Battle of Sturmhalten,” was forced to close early dueto catastrophic flooding that afflicted the Aquarius in June of last year.Believed to have been caused by a blocked spillway at Hydraulic Pump no. 74, floodwaterstook theatre-goers by surprise as water began to fill the Aquarius during thesecond act of “Betrayal.” Players continued the show even as the floodingworsened, leading to an unforgettable rendition of the “You were once mysister” monologue in Scene 5 as the actors were obligated to stand on chairs,and then to tread water near the end. Act III was delayed for 15 minutes asboth patrons and actors were forced to activate the emergency lifeboats andflee the inundated theatre, but even an abrupt change of venue was not enough toput a stop to the show. The performance continued at the nearby Elephant’s KeepPub on Footlights Lane, and ended with a standing ovation that lasted forseventeen minutes.“An incredible performance,” LordMoonbark, who was in attendance, was quoted saying. “Most of us thought thewater was part of act, at least until one of the jugglers was bitten by a clam.Things got a little dicey when we all had to swim for the emergency exits, butI’ll never forget the staging of the final battle. The actors tipped over oneof the life boats and started to recite their lines atop the hull, right in thepub’s beer garden. We were all on our feet cheering! What a show.”Though the Aquarius was nearlydestroyed in the flooding, a generous grant from Her Undying Majesty’s Councilfor the Promotion of Stagecraft and Theatrical Arts allowed for the playhouseto be rebuilt, and for Payne’s troupe to convert their stage show into atouring production of “Betrayal” for the duration of reconstruction. Payne’stroupe has reportedly been in talks with the United British Radio BroadcastersGuild to license a radio drama adaptation of the work, with an inside sourcesaying that both parties were “excited to bring the drama to a new, totallyunsuspecting audience.”“Much Ado About Mechanicsburg” hasbeen billed as a romantic comedy. Although the show has yet to open, rumors arealready swirling that the troupe may be called to give a command performance ofthe new work for Her Britannic Majesty. If so, this would be the second suchperformance Payne’s company has given since their arrival from the continent alittle less than three years ago – an honor only a handful of Londinium’s mostprestigious native theatre companies can claim. -- source link

More pics about