Sketchbook: The Leading...Something

Sepia pen on paper

This character is sort of an amalgam of the Leading Player from the musical Pippin and an old figure referenced in a poem I wrote in high school. If you've seen the original Pippin, you probably picture Ben Vereen as the Leading Player. I first saw Pippin done by a pretty talented high school-age company. They divested the musical of its 1970's flavor and kept all the dark, truthful parts. Their Leading Player was a stunning actress with a kind of cold beauty, and I've never been able to put anyone else in the role.

The other character comes from The Midnight Carnival, a poem whose chorus runs:

Welcome to the Midnight Carnival, my friends!
Where excitement abounds and the fun never ends!
If you want to see everything, you've nothing to fear-
You've got an eternity here.

Towards the end of the poem, a Ringmaster beckons the reader, presumably a child. I originally pictured him as a metaphor for Satan, but now I think he's a different sort of creature, motivated completely by his own needs.

I was never a great poet, and eventually realized it wasn't the right outlet for me, but I remain fond of the imagery this one inspired, and I'm thinking of doing a series called The Midnight Carnival, with all my disturbing, twisted sketches.

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