01
The Ringmaster
Devil · Proprietor · Master of Ceremonies
He runs the carnival, writes the contracts and always seems to know exactly what you came looking for.
He doesn't force anyone to sign. He merely makes the alternative look disappointing.
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WELCOME TO THE SHOW
Carnivalesque
Obscura
For the Damned and the Beautiful
A travelling carnival of broken hearts, bad bargains and beautiful monsters, where everyone sold their soul for fame and fortune. Unfortunately, nobody thought to read the small print.
Enter Carnivalesque ObscuraTHE SHOW MUST GO ON
Every soul has a price.
Every story has a song.
The Ringmaster gathers the desperate and the damned, offering each a chance to become a "somebody". All he asks in return is everything they are.
THE CAST
The Characters
Not heroes. Not villains. Mostly people who made one bad decision and kept making more.
02
The Fallen Angel
Singer · Performer · Beautiful Disaster
She sings like the house is on fire and behaves as though she started it.
Cabaret, vaudeville, black humour and a temperament that should probably come with a warning label.
03
The Bluesman
Guitarist · Soul Seller · Legend
He wanted fame. The Ringmaster gave him more than he asked for.
The songs became immortal. The man who wrote them was not so lucky.
04
The Dancer
Dancer · Temptress · Trouble
She knows all the right moves and most of the wrong people.
She dances between temptation and damnation, to a rhythm born of desire and despair.
05
The Clown
Comedian · Loner · Reluctant Tragedian
A painted smile, a fractured soul, and a performance that never quite ends.
She's the only one who understands the joke. She's also the only one who isn't laughing.
06
The Old King
Drifter · Pretender · Royalty in Rags
Once worshipped by millions. Now he's reduced to playing for loose change.
The Ringmaster calls it divine justice.
07
The Faded Star
Glam Rocker · Former Star · Sanguivore
He sold his soul for rock 'n' roll and got eternal life thrown in.
The records gather dust, the applause has faded, and the world has forgotten his name. He remains convinced it's only a temporary setback.
Their legends never died.
THE SONGBOOK
The Soundtrack to Eternal Damnation
A little cabaret. A little blues. A touch of jazz. All wrapped-up in make-up smeared rock ’n’ roll. All performed by artists who really should have read their contracts.
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ACT ITHE DARK HALF
01
The Overture
The curtain rises. The carnival begins.
The Ringmaster02
Nobody Can Take It All Away
When you've lost almost everything, there's still something worth fighting for.
The Fallen Angel03
The Devil's Bargain
A contract signed in blood. A career made overnight. A debt that never gets paid.
The Bluesman04
King of the World
A shabby crown, a grand delusion and a man determined to remain royalty.
The Old King05
After the Rain
Even beneath the darkest skies, there's the faint possibility of something better.
The Fallen Angel06
The Dancer
Some women steal your heart. This one might just dance away with your soul.
The Bluesman07
Why Won't Everybody Just Leave Me Alone?
A lonely clown discovers that solitude is harder to find than she imagined.
The Clown08
Like a Knife in My Heart
A wound that never quite closes, no matter how many years pass.
The Faded Star09
A Singer of Songs
A masked performer reflects on mortality, the muse and the strange immortality of a song.
The Faded StarACT IITHE DARKER HALF
10
Introduction - Vamp!
Good Evening, Ladies and Gentlemen. Welcome to MY show!
The Faded Star11
She Makes Me Nervous
Desire, obsession and the unsettling suspicion that she knows exactly what she's doing.
The Faded Star12
Rest My Bones
A weary soul searches for somewhere to belong before the final curtain falls.
The Faded Star14
My Black Heart
A woman, a ruined heart and enough darkness to fill a cathedral.
The Fallen Angel15
Hold On to the Night
Two lovers cling to the darkness, knowing the dawn may tear them apart.
The Faded Star16
Reflections on Melancholia and the Gentle Art of Self-Hatred
An intimate conversation with the one person he has never learned to forgive.
The Faded StarFINALEHERE WE GO!
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In the Name of Rock 'n' Roll
One last performance, one final bow and one more night under the lights.
The Faded StarENCOREALL TOGETHER, ONE MORE TIME
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Same Old Life
The same situation, the same mistakes. The same old story told one more time.
The BluesmanILLUSTRATED LYRICS
The Stories Behind the Songs
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The Devil's BargainIllustrated lyric pageTHE RINGMASTER
He owns the theatre.
You own the consequences.
The Devil is not merely a character here. He is the host, the impresario, the master of puppets pulling the strings of each performer.
He offered them a bargain and collects the payments every night.
“Ladies and gentlemen, you view tonight's performance entirely at your own risk.”
ABOUT CARNIVALESQUE OBSCURA
Where darkness feigns a smile and shadows find their voice.
Carnivalesque Obscura is a world of shadows, spectacle and darkly twisted humour, where gothic cabaret, vaudeville, New Orleans jazz, blues and blazing rock 'n' roll collide beneath the lights of a rather peculiar carnival.
Here, faded stars cling to former glories, lost souls bargain with the Devil, and the strange and the beautiful share a stage with the desperate and the damned.
Every song tells a story. Every character has a past. And presiding over this extraordinary collection of misfits is the enigmatic Ringmaster, who knows rather more about his performers than they might care to admit.
Welcome to Carnivalesque Obscura
For the beautiful and the damned
