audition

[HANDS straight, INTENSE LOOK, grin] The trick started [thumbs up] well.

[SNAP FINGERS] The [eyebrows up] moment [eyebrows down][HANDS BURST UP] the dress was set [eyebrows up]alight[eyebrows down], the Acrobat [SWING, and turn a little with her] [eyebrows up, then down]swung into the air.

[ONE HAND HURLING] [OTHER HAND BITING] [stay turned, but still speaking to audience]She [eyebrows up, then down]hurled over the sharks [OTHER HAND JABBING] and spiky objects -

[FISTS TOGETHER BELOW NECK] [eyebrows up, then down]suddenly the padlocks [HANDS STRAIGHTEN] [eyebrows up, then down]pinged open and the huge chains [FINGERS WAVE AS THEY DESCEND AND PART, head goes down a little with body] fell away -

[stand up again][RIGHT ARM BENT AT SIDE, LEFT ARM ACROSS BODY] the door [LEFT ARM FLIES OPEN] [eyebrows up, then down]flung open and the Escapologist [RIGHT ARM FLIES OUT AND DOWN] [eyebrows up, then down]reached out to catch his wife and the child —

[NEAR-CLASP, WITH SOME AIR IN HAND] He [eyebrows up, then down]grabs her hand and suddenly the flames are covered in foam before they can both be blown to pieces.

The Escapologist used just a touch too much foam and [HANDS WRITHING] suddenly their hands became slippy…

[HAND EMPTY, YANK UP] and she fell. [FINGER POINTING REPEATEDLY] She broke every bone in her body [LITTLE FINGER TIPS TOUCHING, EMPHASIZE BY SHAKING][eyebrows up] except the ones at the ends of her little fingers.

[sad][PAUSE, HANDS CLASPED AT WAIST] [POINT AT STOMACH, THEN TURN INTO BABY] She lived long enough to have their child.

[ARMS GO TO SIDES][head falls a little] And then she died.

[POINT][head up] And then…things got [WAVE AWAY][eyebrows] worse.