A womanizing magician, a melancholy puppeteer and a young runaway might seem like they have no business interacting. To be honest, they probably don’t. But this is the kind of chaos found in the Otterbein Theatre Department’s most recent production, “Carnival!,” which opens Thursday, Nov. 10. In the magical setting of a French carnival, a headstrong woman is becoming jaded. Her performance partner is a womanizing magician who uses illusions for the audience, but enchants the people around him. Amid this chaos is a puppeteer whose bitter outlook leaves him with only the company of his puppets. The darkness is all-encompassing, especially in a post-World War II setting. Add an orphan to the mixture of misery and that is “Carnival!” in a nutshell. Directed by Otterbein professor John Stefano, “Carnival!” is the second play to hit the stage of Otterbein’s Cowan Hall this year. “Carnival!” is a coming-of-age story about a young girl named Lili, played by sophomore theatre major Heather Dell. Lili loses both her parents and runs away to the carnival, where she meets Marco. “I play Marco, who is someone that always knows what he wants,” junior musical theatre major Hayden Clifton said. “He is very sexually driven and powerful. He is a magician who can put a spell on all of the people around him.” Rosalie, played by senior musical theatre major Emma Brock, is Marco’s partner. Brock believes that this partnership establishes a connection and understanding between the two characters that the audience can feel. “Rosalie is very headstrong,” Brock said. “She’s the only one who really knows who Marco actually is. She isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind, but she continues to stay with him even though she knows what kind of person he is. It was very difficult to find this character, and not only make the connection once, but every night of the performance.” It is this sense of connection that fuels the story. “It’s the story that drives the plot,” Brock said. “A quiet meadow becomes this boisterous carnival.” The show opens with the quiet meadow while the characters are preparing for the carnival. There is no dialogue; it is only the musical score. But it allows the audience to see all of the characters’ relationships from the beginning,” Brock said. “The themes are very dark, and we’ve had multiple discussions about the dark undertones drawn from the freaks of the day,” she said. “It has a rough carnival feel, but Lili brightens everything. She shows them the light,” Clifton said. “There are magic tricks throughout the show for the benefit of the audience. It’s used to supplement the magic that Lili brings to the carnival.” Preparation began seven weeks ago, gearing up for the first performance Thursday night. “We want the audience to see that the play is about the beauty of love and life, and how people can affect you in ways that change your life forever,” Clifton said. t&c
