by Max Barry

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by Auphelia. . 157 reads.

The Forums - A TSP Musical

The Cast of Characters

Amerion is the Delegate of TSP and the only government worker free from Drystar's Forums. Throughout the musical, he plays the role of narrator. Interacting with both the audience and characters, he occasionally helps Poppy.

073 039 109 032 080 111 112 112 121 is a famous musician known as Poppy. The main protagonist, she dreams of fantasies rather than seeing the world as it is. She is awkward and naïve, but good at heart.

Purple Hyacinth is a young woman. She is more experienced and ambitious than Poppy. She has been alone and struggled all her life, seeking safety and power to change TSP for the better. The Auphelias follow her through most of the musical, planting seeds of doubt and encouraging her to leave and join the Forums.

Ladyrebels is an old TSPer and a legend in the Forums. She is free spirited and fun loving. She is a partier and is frequently shown to be drunk at many points of the musical. Though she still loves him, her relationship with Drystar has broken down over the years and the pair constantly bicker, with her wanting to spend more time out of the Forums and him wanting to keep her close. With her arrival to TSP, she brings SPIT, fun, and good times.

Drystar is an ancient TSPer. He is the primary antagonist. He is the ruler of the Forums. He is a hard man. However, he has become even more cold and hardened ever since his relationship with his Lady has become distant. He sees the nations of TSP as meddlesome and annoying, distracting her from him, and so lures them into becoming government workers with promises of power, keeping his Lady in the Forums longer every year.

The Auphelias are three powerful women that act as the driving force of many key decisions other characters make in the show by influencing and manipulating their thoughts. Beholden to no masters, Auphelia, Not auphelia, and Maybe auphelia act as free agents of chaos and often help Drystar create more disorder in TSP to drive desperate citizens into his clutches. Amerion, in the opening number, describes them as "three old women who dressed the same" and says that "they was always singin' in the back of your mind".

Act I

In a TSP not unlike the one we know, Amerion enters to narrate the story and introduce each of the characters ("Welcome to TSP"). This is followed by the Auphelias watching Hyacinth as she wanders the RMB, looking for something productive to do. The three women toy with her, causing her to feel lost and frustrated ("Come What Will"). Poppy meets Hyacinth and asks for her hand in marriage immediately, being struck by her determination and beauty ("Put a Ring on It"). Hyacinth is doubtful since they both live poorly in the RMB and she wants a life of stability. Poppy, a musician, persuades Hyacinth by telling her that she is writing a song that will bring government back to the RMB, and they will no longer have to struggle ("A Council for US").

After an interlude in which Poppy tells the story of the two ancients, Drystar and LadyRebels ("Power"), LadyRebels returns to the RMB to celebrate the brief joy of frivolity and prosperity brought alongside her ("Happy Days"). Poppy makes a toast to LadyRebels and expresses hope for her future with Hyacinth, who reflects on her growing love for Poppy despite her independence ("Maybe This Time"). The two vow that their love will never change as long as they stay with each other.

The chaos of NS Summer comes, and along with it a train to bring a reluctant LadyRebels back to the Forums – Drystar's seat of power and the centre of government. Poppy and Hyacinth watch as LadyRebels voices her misery at having to return to the Forums, while the Auphelias appear to praise the Forum's safety and order. Despite hearing about Drystar's harsh treatment of his employees, Hyacinth is intrigued ("The Great Forums"). As an especially chaotic summer progresses, Poppy continues to write her song while Hyacinth desperately tries to keep the spam and trolls from damaging too much ("Dog Days"/"Power II"). At the same time, Drystar and LadyRebels fight about the decline of their own relationship, with LadyRebels angry at Drystar for making TSP worse and shortening the time she can leave while Drystar accuses her of not wanting to be with him any longer ("Blood from a Stone").

Drystar leaves the Forums upset to find someone who will appreciate the safety and comfort of his prison paradise. He comes across a haggard Hyacinth offers her a chance to join him in the Forums and have the chance to really change things ("A Brand New Chair"). The Auphelias arrive and urge Hyacinth to put her survival first by taking up Drystar's offer, leaving Poppy behind ("Down to the Wire"). With Poppy away working on her song, Hyacinth chooses power and decides to follow Drystar to the Forums ("Sitting Pretty"). When Poppy returns to look for Hyacinth, Amerion tells her that she's gone to the Forums; Poppy pledges to retrieve her, and Amerion tells Poppy how to get there without running into the many dangers on the way, like the CRS and the dread guard dog Puddles the puppy ("Journey"). Hyacinth arrives in the Forums and is made the Chair, beginning her work on the mountain of paperwork assigned to her ("Why We Fill the Forms").

Act II

Following an entr'acte in which LadyRebels introduces herself and the band ("Our Lady Of Good Times"), we see Hyacinth realize that she isn't actually doing anything of use to help TSP, but is just filling forms and changing the wording of laws that are never enforced on the other side of the red tape surrounding the Forums. She tries to leave her chair, but the Auphelias whisper wickedly to her, asking her how she intends to leave with so much work left to do. Hyacinth realises can never go back unless Drystar says otherwise ("A Brand New Chair (Reprise)"). She sings of her regrets as the paperwork piles up around her, realising that the Forums have laws and order because Drystar deceives those who try to make TSP better into coming, trapping them to make the Forums safer and leaving no one to enforce the rules back in TSP, making it worse and forcing more people into the Forums ("Mountains").

Poppy, having made her way to the Forums following Amerion's directions, finds Hyacinth and begs her to come back to the RMB ("A Council for Us (Reprise)"). Drystar arrives and reveals to Poppy that Hyacinth came to work in the Forums willingly and attempts to chase her off his property ("Papers, Please"). This is immediately followed by the Auphelias telling an exhausted Poppy to give up on saving Hyacinth ("Same Old Song"). Poppy sings of her despair at losing Hyacinth, inspiring the citizens of the Forums to follow her and oppose the conditions in which they are made to work, all of which is witnessed by LadyRebels ("Prison"). Touched by Poppy's' music, LadyRebels tells Drystar to let Hyacinth go ("My Lady") which results in him mockingly offering Poppy a chance to sing before he kills her ("Blood from a Stone (Reprise)"). Poppy sings the complete version of the song she's been writing all this time, reminding Drystar of his love for TSP ("Power III"), telling him he has the power to change things. Poppy and Hyacinth affirm their love for each other, and this time promise to stay with each other no matter what hardships they face ("Believe in Us"). Drystar is affected more by Poppy's song than he had expected and sends everyone away while he thinks. The Auphelias, sensing weakness, turn on him and enjoy his confusion as they explain his dilemma: if he kills Poppy, she becomes a martyr and hero to the rebellious workers, but if he lets her go, then he loses his authoritarian control over the Forums, given that his workers have begun to agitate for their own freedom ("Blood in the Water"). Drystar decides to leave their fate in Poppy's hands: the couple can leave together, but Poppy has to lead them out, trusting in Hyacinth to be willing to return to fix the chaos of TSP with her. If she turns to see if Hyacinth is following, Hyacinth will belong to Drystar forever ("A Chance"). Watching from his throne, he sends Amerion to tell the two of his terms.

Amerion explains Drystar's decision to Poppy and Hyacinth. While Drystar and LadyRebels promise to try to fix both TSP and their relationship, Poppy begins the walk out of the Forums with Hyacinth following ("Journey (Reprise)"). Poppy makes it right up until the very entrance to TSP when the Auphelias begin to taunt her. They sow seeds of doubt in her mind, wondering why Hyacinth would leave behind the order of the Forums and the chance to make laws just to come with Poppy to try and enforce them in TSP. Overcome with doubt, she breaks down and turns to look for Hyacinth – only to see that she's been right behind all along, thus condemning her to stay in the Forums forever ("Little Fool").

Amerion, now sombre, reflects on the story's ending; he does so via a reprise of the first song, and so begins to tell the story again. In explanation, he remarks that no matter how many times they sing it, people always hope for a happier ending—and that this is the value of continuing to sing the tale, inspiring others to do what Hyacinth and Poppy couldn't ("Welcome to TSP (Reprise)").

Auphelia

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