Yorkville, IL

I blame my newfound addiction to Bob Blumer’s Nutcases recipe for my lack of textual contributions lately, but much has happened that I need to get down on the page while it’s all still fairly fresh in my mind.

The Feast of the Hunter’s Moon is what I imagine an introductory version of PennSic might look like. We were camped among tents, trailers and a cacophony of lashed wood-and-canvas lean-tos, flys and other less organized shelters. Flags and shields displaying allegiance to a particular group went up quickly, bold and bright. The numbers quickly swelled to well over 5000 participants on the field. Our neighbors immediately across the way spent the better part of Wednesday and Thursday as well as part of Friday raising their triptych shelter and I must admit it was a rather impressive structure when completed. I have no idea how they managed to stay warm, though they did go though a pile of firewood three feet high any given night.

Further highlights: A crate full of Jack Russell Terrier puppies, an absolutely gorgeous sunrise that first day and a private port-o-let with its own trailer.

It was crushingly cold that first day and this coupled with the dust constantly stirred up all across the site compromised me quite a bit. By Saturday night I was achy, sniffly, chilled and miserable. The evening’s festivities included a called dance boasting over 3000 kids participating as well as a fire show that Alex and the Budabis had started up last year on the same site. This year everyone who worked with fire was invited to play. I felt like I’d been beaten with sticks, knew I had to work a second day and was struggling with what was best to do. I ended up on the field, loving every moment spent there and feeling none the worse on our return to the trailer. Shows the following day were stellar.

We said our goodbyes on Sunday night after a particularly pleasant time with friends, food, drink and merriment and broke camp Monday, heading northwest toward Chicago and a Tuesday night appearance at the Magic Cabaret. We had time enough to settle into a campground just to the west of the city before heading in to rendezvous with David Parr and his wife Dawn for dinner and fellowship. They took us to an incredible Italian place, small and family-owned, where the food and presentation were obviously the work of people who took their craft very seriously. After dinner we talked well into the evening, thoroughly enjoying the Halloween décor in the apartment, especially the soft plush tarantula puppet perched on the arm of the couch, then retired, leaving our very gracious hosts to do the same.

We met at the apartment the next afternoon and loaded props and costumes into David’s car for the trip over to the Biograph theater, one vehicle being easier to find space for than two. The show was attended by a small and enthusiastic audience, open to all the wonder there was to experience, and Alex and I closed the first half.
The real treat for us was getting to watch and be entertained by David and P.T. Murphy, especially during the second half of the show which comprised entirely by their Spirit Cabinet.

I spend time with magicians I admire as often as I am able, as their goals and mine on the stage are similar, and I can’t say enough about the beauty and simplicity of this Spirit Cabinet. It was genuinely creepy in spots, in that Rod Serling I-can’t-watch-but-can’t-look-away sort of fashion. This is the feeling I’m working and playing with as I write the Dark Victorian act and it was a joy to watch it evoked in an audience by talented and original people like David and P.T. I learned a great deal and even Alex, who has seen a number of Spirit Cabinets in the day, was blown away by it. It was a moment we both realized the depth and skill of the people who had included us in their parlor show and this was very humbling indeed. We very much look forward to any and all future opportunities to work with this group of folks in any capacity and feel very blessed to have such generous, creative and fascinating people to call our friends and have befriend us as well.

Thank you David, Dawn and P.T. for such a marvelous opportunity. We look forward to seeing you down the road.

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