Sunday, May 3, 2009

The New Season Begins!

The new season of SCANDAL! has just begun at Dad's Garage Theatre Company, so let the synopses begin!

This season, SCANDAL! takes us under the big top, at the Bunkler Brothers Family Circus. And now, our cast of characters:

REGGIE BUNKLER, "The Owner" (Matt Horgan)
Reggie Bunkler very recently inherited the ownership and General Manager duties for the Bunkler Bros. Family Circus due to an unfortunate and not-well-thought-out deathbed promise to his father. He left 24 years and a directorship at FedEx to come here and not a day goes by that he doesn't kick himself in the nuts about it. But now that he is here, he might as well whip this motley crew of addicts, freaks, and pervers into business shape!

SASHA, "The Star" (Amber Nash)
Sasha dazzles audiences weekly with her high flying, heart pounding, hormone dripping, humanly impossible feats. Whether on the trapeze or contorting her body on the back of an elephant that has been set ablaze, it's a show not to be missed.

GUNTHER GAYFER-WILHELM, "The Lion Tamer" (Rene Dellefont)
Born in the small town of Wiener-Neustadt, Austria, Gunther Gayfer-Wilhelm always had an incredible rapport with animals, especially cats. Gunther joined the world of the circus in 1969 when he ran off with the Herzog Zirkus of Dusseldorf. A self-taught pussy tamer, Gayfer-Wilhelm's fame peaked in the late '70s after joining the Bunkler Bros. Family Circus. After Sasha the sizzling new trapeze artist joined the Bunkler Bros., Gayfer-Wilhelm found his top-billing status decline to second-billing.

COREY CLARK a.k.a. STOOLTS, "The Clown" (Mike Schatz)
Corey Clark from Cartersville, Georgia refers to himself as a "Circus Spectacle." As a child, Corey lost both of his legs when his mother placed him in a crate of cherry bombs in the family-owned fireworks sotre. Now he stands high above his fellow performers as the clown on stilts--or in Corey's case, two stools that are not only the main feature of his act, but also serve as his prosthetic legs. Corey is as friendly as he can be and completely content with the world he lives in, despite the fact that he cannot sit or lay down...probably due to the years of pain pills. He loves his view of the world and it is his innocence that leads people to take advantage of him. He is often talked into doing things that go against his better judgment so as not to let anyone down.

SEALMAN RUSHDIE, "The Circus Sea Lion" (Dan Triandiflou)
Sealman Rushdie is a nomad; a gypsy soul. His real name? Wouldn't you like to know? He lost his Mom at an early age (to a Grape Shasta six-pack holder) and he never knew his Dad. He goes wherever the current or music takes him. A virtuoso of the horns, his repertoire crosses all genres and preconceived notions. Whether it's Mozart or Mos Def, it's all a hot, wet jam! After being dragged to land in a trawl net that was owned by an underground Japanese poaching syndicate, he convinced his captors to let him live by playing Baba O'Riley on an assortment of empty Coca-Cola bottles. They agreed, at which point he mauled them to death. Soon, he was persued all over the ocean as a vigilante, a renegade. He emerged every now and then to play gigs and make some fish. He was discovered at Blind Willie's, and was lured to the circus by the prospect of a steady herring supply in a landlocked city. However, deep down Sealman knows that in his world, the peace never lasts long.

DEBORAH 'DEB' HENDERSON, "The Beared Lady" (Megan Leahy)
Deb was on her way to becoming a bright beauty queen in the world of child pageantry when that most dreaded of life's challenges--puberty--hit. Deb's once bright future quickly became darker when the mixture of hormones and Eastern European heritage created a hairy cocktail. To avoid the pain and shame this would bring to her mother, Delta Burke (a former beauty queen herself), Deb decided to find a place she could belon--and a sideshow star was born! Deb has found a wonderful family with the Bunkler Bros. Family Circus and likes to act as its mother hen. There's always a shoulder to cry on and a freshly baked cookie in her train car. Although most of the sideshow acts have been eliminated by the management, Deb is sure her place in the circus is safe. She's been around a long time and though she may not be a star, she still shines brightly.

VIKTOR BUSLIFTOR, "The Strongman" (Matt Stanton)
Viktor, age 44, escaped capitalist Russia in 2003. His quest to lift entire families in SUVs led Viktor to Atlanta, where he first manually operated the sky lift at Stone Mountain. He is found of a challenge, sporting his onesie 24/7 and can be counted on to help anyone move into a new place. Smelling of sports cream and onions, the Busliftor trailer has seen some wild times. Will he ever regain his youth?

TRUCKSTOP TARKENTON a.k.a. TRUCK, "The Roadie" (Randy Havens)
Truck is a professional roadie. He's toured with Maiden, the Nuge...all the greats. In the mid-'80s he left the rock world behind and began his search for "something magical." The Bunkler Bros. Family Circus is where he's ended up. He considers himself a sort of peace-keeper at the circus, playing mediator in all manner of circus disputes. He's also in charge of giving backstage passes to audience members that the performers want to f***.

HORATIO BARNSWALLOW, "The Ringmaster" (Lucky Yates)
Horatio Barnswallow has been with the Bunkler Bros. Family Circus for 35 years. He started out as a "scoop boy" following Dolly the Elephant everywhere she went. Soon he became a clown's assistant, then a Junior Cannonballer, and finally after Ezekial Kretch suffered a heart attack mid-show, Horatio took the reins as Ringmaster and never looked back. Sure, there might be some more expensive, fancy-pants circuses out there, but Horatio thinks that the Bunkler Bros. Family Circus is as good as it should get.

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