A hero makes a bold entrance in a hiss-torical Chariot.
What could be better for displaying cat-itude than arriving in style?
Roger Purrington loved making a grand entrance. Even as a kitten, he would sit by a doorway to make everyone wonder whether he would elegantly saunter all the way in or make an agile retreat. Sometimes he himself didn’t even know which he would choose. The thrill of uncertainty made his own whiskers quiver with anticipation.
When the troupe’s manager announced they would be reviving the classic “Chasing Mice in the Lion’s Den”, Roger practically danced with excitement. He begged for the role of Sir Scratchalot, the shining knight who descends from the heavens in a Baroque chariot drawn by leopards while singing the touching aria “Up in the clouds, I spied a charm of finches.” Sung in a plaintive tenor range, the words hint at squandered opportunities, irrevocable sadness and life inevitably passing by.
The gorgeously decorated vehicle was one of several opulent props the troupe acquired from a merry-go-round that ended in bankruptcy. It added a great deal of lavishness to the entire spectacle.
It wasn’t a big role. Sir Scratchalot waits offstage in the shadows while the main action involved the troupe’s resident diva battling a lion. But the third-act finale is the most memorable moment in any of the troupe’s plays for connoisseurs of grand entrances. And who isn’t?
Slowly, all of the cast fills the stage for some dancing mixed with dialogue. The friendly banter threatens to turn into an all-out catfight with fur flying, but they all scatter as Sir Scratchalot is lowered from above to restore the peace.
At least three stagehands need to work in purrfect coordination to feed the ropes through an antique rope and pulley system that has been embedded in the rafters ever since the theatre was built.
Up in the sky,
I spied a charm of finches.
They fluttered by,
They passed me within inches.
Once, one stagehand got ahead of the others and Roger practically fell over, barely keeping his balance by tightly grasping the reins while positioning himself so the armour stayed in place. He even had to improvise a joke about an unexpected windstorm causing cat-astrophe. Shortly after that, drinking backstage was banned by the management.
Limelight and mirrors illuminate the chariot, creating an otherworldly effect while thin sheets of metal are tapped with a hammer to create thunderclaps. Roger, a vision in his golden armour, sings his aria and then waits a beat for the audience to drink it all in before delivering the rhyming lines that tie up all the loose ends in the plot; “Let no cat be forced to wish he needed another fish. Just search your own house and surely there will be a mouse.”
Critics scoff at the play’s outdated “felix ex machina” resolution. But for the audience, the opulent costumes, the extravagant sets, and Roger’s flying feline antics are worth the price of admission. Some even attempt to meow along with the music, much to the chagrin of the theatre staff.
Though few know his name, Roger’s tabby stripes and flair for grand entrances make him a favourite among discerning theatre buffs. Whether descending from the heavens or sneaking in from the side, Roger knows that as long as there is an entrance to be made, he’ll be there to steal the show.
To read more about the making of this image, and The Chariot card, please see our blog post HERE.
The Baroque Bohemian Cats’ Tarot will be available on baba-store, our shop. We ship worldwide.
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