Theatre

Opening Night at the Theatre on the Isle of Thanta.. it is much the same as opening night in any other city, and a remarkable wonder that I never tire of. The crowd, too numerous to be counted, packs itself into the odeum, eager to see what whimsically painted masks the Actors don as scenes unfold to spell out the tale of comedic woe. It is I, Damos, who inspires my Lady Kalika to fill each breast with anticipation and emotion as her sweet music lures them into rapt fascination, with lullaby chords that bind each scene. Amidst the timbre of resonating brass, and the sparkle of bell and cymbale, the audience is entreated with a sensual panorama of sight and sound that they are not likely to forget for days to come.

The stage set is lavish. Always. The movements of the Actors so precisely choreographed that I too, am sometimes caught up in the grande illusion. Marguerite's Talena sings like the lark, joined by the voices of others in harmonious perfection, at times to bring a tear to my eye, if not a collective sigh upon the fevered hush of the crowd.

In the play's culmination of the last act, the ovation is a standing one, and many times long before the thick velvet curtains are drawn tight in their final closing. There is just no way to describe those lofty heights that fame's appreciation swells into an Entertainer's heart and soul. As for me, I am rarely seen down beneath the stage in the Musician's pit, yet I thrive on these adulations vicariously. The greatest glory however, is heaped upon Marius, whose productions are known the wide world over as nothing less than stunning perfection.

It is with baited anticipation that I await the next season's tours.