CAROUSEL WIND Act 2 Scene 3

 

Act 2 Scene 3

[By the Venetian Carousel at the Garden State Plaza. Beside the Carousel is an Ice Cream stand; Pretzel stand; a Record store, and a Pinwheel stand where most the action takes place. Mr. Poet is dressed in an Astronaut suit and carries a space helmet under his arm. Across the front of his suit are written the words: Intergalactic Pinwheel Company. Enigmo is helping Mr. Poet as he waits for Joy to show up. Joy shows up and spots enigma with her brother, and lurks out of sight at the Record Store watching them.]

Mr. Poet:

Imagine there's a place
Where the wind is always free
And a pinwheel spins around

Enigma:

Like a smiling galaxy

Mr. Poet:

Imagine all the children
At a fancy carousel
The center of their universe

Enigma:

Is a cosmic place to sell

Mr. Poet:

Imagine selling Pinwheels
Where there's constantly a breeze
A fancy carousel

Enigma:

Is just the place for these

Mr. Poet:

We're pinwheel salesmen
Selling our wares
By the Carousel
With the ivory steeds

Enigma: [half singing, about to breakout in song.]

That stir up the air…

(sings)

At the Garden State Plaza there's wonder to spare
By the grand old Venetian Carousel in the square
It's got ivory steeds to stir up the air
Creating a wind with a whimsical flare

O What do you dream when you wistfully stare
When the wind from the carousel ruffles your hair
See the smiles on the faces of kids spinning round
And let your mind wander with calliope sound

If you're off to Paramus and the Carousel Square
Say hello to the girl with the chestnut brown hair
She sits all alone and wistfully stares
O what does she dream does anyone care

O What do you dream when you wistfully stare
When the wind from the carousel ruffles your hair
See the smiles on the faces of kids spinning round
And let your mind wander with calliope sound

O the carousel starts with a ring of the bell
Will you be lost in a dream or transformed for a spell
Does the wind stir your heart with phantom embraces
Or just blow your mind to far away places

At the Garden State Plaza all the children will grin
As your cares fly away with the carousel wind
And I think of the girl with the long chestnut hair
It's been quite a while since I last saw her there

O What do you dream when you wistfully stare
When the wind from the carousel ruffles your hair
See the smiles on the faces of kids spinning round
And let your mind wander with calliope sound

Mr. Poet:

I can't believe it
The kids are all heading
To the Ice Cream stand

Enigma:

When they could have
A cosmic pinwheel
In their hands.
Maybe we need
A different product
I took the liberty

And ordered some
Wind-up Monkeys

Mr. Poet:

I'm going for
An ice cream cone
I'll be right back

Enigmo:

We've hardly sold
Any pinwheels today
You need to improve
Your sales presentation
You should read
Green Eggs and Ham
It will help you deal with objections

Enigmo: Sings: 

Sometimes I feel like a worm inside
A candy apple at a county fair
With one bite gone and tossed aside
In a world that's going nowhere
I'm quite a voracious guy
Deep in the candy apple of my eye

A rosy window lets in the dawn
Like a finger moving down the sky
Lonely now the fair is gone
Is that a worm out there I spy
O to curl up and die
Deep in the candy apple of my eye

My little world is safe inside
It won't get bruised to the core
Should I leave this ivory tunnel
Or stay inside and just be a bore

Worm out there sort of hanging out
Is love gonna be just the end of me
In a world consumed with doubt
I'm not half the worm I used to be
The world out there is worth a try
So I leave the candy apple of my eye

[A window shopper comes to the stand]

Window Shopper:

I just got myself
A pocket full of peanuts
One of the gum-ball machines
Is broken and dishes out
Free peanuts
Is that a gum-ball Machine [Pointing to the Space Helmet.]
Or an empty Space Helmet?

Enigmo:

That belongs
To my friend, Mr. Poet
He's the Toddling Astronaut
It's only empty
When he has it on [He is kidding in a good natured way.]

Mr. Poet sustained a head injury
That knocked
All the negativity
Out of him

Window Shopper:

Is that a fact?

Enigmo:

He had an unfortunate
Mishap with a
Radio Flyer
And a sharp incline

Mr. Poet
Sing that song
About your Radio Flier

Mr. Poet:

[As he sings his ice cream drips in his hand.]

My radio flyer— it is bright red
It's orbiting my bungalow
The big dogs can't lick my face
Cause I wear a goldfish bowl

I'm a Toddling Astronaut in space
And I sure miss the human race

My diapers on number Two
Think I need a change of pace
I wonder what real spacemen do
If they have to go in space

I'm a Toddling Astronaut in space
And I sure miss the human race

Through asteroid rocks again
Take this helmet off my head
Think I need some Oxygen
Hope the fish aren't getting dead

I'm a Toddling Astronaut in space 
And I sure miss the human race 

Somebody call my flight engineer
This goldfish bowl is really stuck
Oh good my mommies' here
With the sirens and a fire truck

I'm a Toddling Astronaut in space 
And I sure miss the human race 

I've learned my lesson well
Don't put plastic on your face
And concerning those homemade Spacesuits
Well just don't trust them in outer space

[Window Shopper smiles politely and walks away.]

Enigmo:

Ingenious how these are made,
Who would have thought
To put pinholes in pinwheels
To make them appear like Galaxies?

Mr. Poet:

That's one of the
Four selling points
It's easy to remember
Because a pinwheel
Has four propellers

Enigmo:

Not only are they amusing
They are educational too.
Too bad the kids all run
Straight to the ice cream stand

Enigmo: [to Mr. Poet]

I'm going to take a break.

[Enigmo goes to the Ice Cream stand, the Pretzel Stand and the Record Man to ask about Joy]

Ice Cream Man:

May I help you?

Enigmo:

Yes. I was wondering if you could help me. Have you seen a girl with long chestnut hair who sits by the carousel every day?

Ice Cream Man:

Not lately. Is there something wrong with her? She sits all day mumbling to herself. I think she may have mental problems.

Enigmo:

Thank you. [Enigma goes to the Pretzel Stand]

Pretzel Man:

May I help you?

Enigmo:

Yes. I was wondering if you could help me. Have you seen a girl with long chestnut hair that sits by the carousel every day?

Pretzel Man:

Not recently. I think she must be homeless, because she just sits there staring wistfully at the carousel.

Enigmo:

Thank you.

[Enigmo goes to the Record Stand]

Record Man:

May I help you?

Enigmo:Yes. I was wondering if you could help me. Have you seen a girl with long chestnut hair who sits by the carousel every day?

Record Man:

That must be Joy. [he looks over to where Joy is hiding; Joy shakes her head, trying to tell the Record Man not to give her away. The Record Man pauses a moment, then continues.]

She sits by the carousel writing children stories. Her father manages a store at the other end of the mall. The Great Engineer.

Enigmo:

Thank you. I'm Thinking of Jumping for Joy

While walking through Carousel Square
Where the dragon kites fly
I met someone positively fair
Who lifted my heart strings so high

I can't help it but when I'm beside you I am beside myself
I can't help it but when I'm beside you I am beside myself

I thought the light shone through me

Like a balloon I would be free
But there  were just so many strings
That I just couldn't see

I can't help it but when I'm beside you I am beside myself
I can't help it but when I'm beside you I am beside myself

I have my balloon bouquet
Guaranteed to sweep her away
O boy o boy o boy
I'm thinking of jumping for joy

I can't help it but when I'm beside you I am beside myself
I can't help it but when I'm beside you I am beside myself

[Enigma walks out and heads to the other end of the Mall]

Record Man: [to Joy]

Why are you hiding from him? He looks like a nice man.

Joy:

I went to Italy to look for him, and I heard some bad things about him. Now I'm watching how he treats my brother. If he treats him well I might forget what I heard about him.

Record Man:

He's been here for a week helping your brother. What if he asked about you at the Ice Cream Stand? Maybe they said bad things about you.

Joy: [Walking out of store, to herself.]

I don't know what to do

(Sings)

To love you is like climbing a mountain capped with snow
I'd like to reach out to you but it seems so far you know
So many jagged peaks and things I just don't like
But you might be worth the trip so I just might take you up on that hike

Imaginary mountain between your heart and mine
Nothing's insurmountable when your love is so divine

The sun shines on the mountain the streams are charged with gold
There just might be some nuggets in all that icy cold
Into the distant valleys pure white water flows
I'd like to climb that mountain but I just might get frozen to my toes
Imaginary mountain between your heart and mine
Nothing's insurmountable when your love is so divine


The lakes form in the valleys more water's on the rise
When love melts snowy peaks the mountains aren't so high
The glacier in my heart warmed by your romance
Could break the ice with me and I just might become an avalanche

Imaginary mountain between your heart and mine
Nothing's insurmountable when your love is so divine

[Lights fade the Mall empties, the lights to the Ice Cream Stand, the Pretzel Stand, the Pinwheel Stand and the Record Man go off in succession, signifying the close of a day, then come back on signifying a new day. A delivery man shows up with a the Pinwheel Stand with a box full of Wind-up Monkeys. Joy is watching from her hiding spot from the Record Store.]

Enigmo:

They've arrived! The Monkeys are here. [Mr. Poet and Enigmo unpack the new product, wind a few up and place them on the counter. The Wind-up Monkeys clang their symbols or beat their drums; there are two versions of the toy. Enigmo demonstrates to Mr. Poet how to sell them using exaggerated mime movements. Mr. Poet mimics him and they wind-up doing the Wind-up Monkey dance, with Window Shoppers joining in the line dance.]

Enigmo: (Sings)

There's a big commotion about a monkey motion
It's not a locomotion but you might get the notion
To do the monkey dance you need no PHD
So take it for a spin grab that wind-up key
Wind the one in front in turn your key will spin
You'll be waltzing with invisible violins

The key is turning wildly in the wind-up monkey's back
With that little drum a pounding you're sounding the attack
A little fuzzy wind-up toy a buzzing out the blues
So happy that you've found some one to tell your troubles to

[Enigmo and Mr. Poet in harmony]

It's the wacky way to unwind do the Wind-up Monkey Dance
You don't have to go to France to do the Wind-up Monkey Dance

Enigmo: (sings)

The key is wound up tightly so you think that it's a knife
And you wind up just unwinding the story of your life
With frazzled song and dance you do the same old part
Behind your back the hole reveals a big ole broken heart

[Enigmo and Mr. Poet in harmony]

It's the wacky way to unwind do the Wind-up Monkey Dance
You don't have to go to France to do the Wind-up Monkey Dance

Enigmo: (sings)

Take a step to the right and make a monkey pose
Take a step to the left and tumble to your toes
You get the swing of it and you're out of NRG
There's a key behind each monkey
Wind the one in front in turn your key will spin
You'll be waltzing with invisible violins

The family tree was shaken and no monkey dropped on you
So you pound upon your rib cage like that Ape Man used to do
You fix that busted drum and tone down your kazoo
Or else nobody's ever going to want to waltz with you

[Enigmo and Mr. Poet in harmony]

It's the wacky way to unwind do the Wind-up Monkey Dance
You don't have to go to France to do the Wind-up Monkey Dance

[ People line up to buy the Wind-up monkeys and Joy comes out of hiding]

Joy:

Enigmo! What are you doing here?

Enigmo:

I got a call from Mr. Poet who said that you were still interested in me so I flew here to see you. I remembered you said that you visit this carousel. So I came and sat on the bench. I saw that Mr. Poet was struggling with his sales so I decided to help him while I waited for you.

Joy:

That was very nice of you to help my brother. He's very special. God blesses us with special people to make our hearts grow.

Enigmo:

I didn't know he was your brother.

Joy:

If you liked me why did you make me wait a year before trying to find me?

Enigmo:

When I left the shore after acting in that film I took the train to come to the carousel to meet you, but on the way I ran into the Great Engineer. He asked me why I looked so sad, so I told him that I had a date with a girl and she stood me up. He said I should forget about her and made me homesick, so I went back to Italy.

Joy: [folding her arms angrily ]

We'll see about that. [They walk through the Mall to a shop called "Union Station" which has a large Train track with a model locomotive. They stand back to back and start walking away from each other as they sing,}

Joy: (sings)

On a run down railway track that's seen its better days
We're standing back to back must we go our separate ways

Joy and Enigmo [in harmony]

The Great Engineer is gonna go and pull us into Union Station
You can hear his whistle blow clear across the whole creation

Enigmo: (sings)

Weeds have grown between the ties we walk on rusty rails
Just get it back on track that old engine never fails

Joy and Enigmo [in harmony]

The Great Engineer is gonna go and pull us into Union Station
You can hear his whistle blow clear across the whole creation

Enigmo: (sings)

Station master's gold watch makes time stand still it seems
Let's climb aboard and let our love pick up a little steam

Joy (sings)

Where the vanishing point appears the lines just seem to meet
As our destination nears imagine a love so sweet

Joy and Enigmo[in harmony]

The Great Engineer is gonna go and pull us into Union Station
You can hear his whistle blow clear across the whole creation

George Montagne: [to Enigmo]

Aren't you the young man that I met on the train?

Enigmo:

Yes. and this is the young girl you said I should forget.

George Montagne:

I'm sorry, I didn't know you were talking about my daughter. Won't you come inside?

Enigmo:

Joy, would you like to go on a date with me?

Joy:

I know just the thing. Mr. Poet is putting on a concert tonight. We could go to that.

[George Montagne gets between the two, links arms and pulls them into Union Station]