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the-toppat-king · 3 years

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Chapter Four: (I’ll Never Say it but) I Loved You Like a Son

Reginald would never admit that he was bothered with his new position as Henry's second in command.

The former leader admittedly had a loud, dramatic personality that demanded attention. He hated being second place, and he hated the feeling that came from it. As leader he felt unstoppable. Anything was possible, no one could touch him when he had the Toppats behind him!

But he didn't feel that way now.

Reginald still remembered what it had felt like being Terrence's right hand. The constant worry of being deemed not good enough and replaced, watching as Terrence got his family and friends injured and killed for the thrill of it, even while he raised Henry alongside Right there was always the fear and knowledge that one day Terrence would either replace him with Henry or deem his own son as a threat to his leadership.

Henry was not Terrence, Reginald knew this. But it didn't prevent the return of those old emotions, it didn't stop him from being afraid that he'd be unceremoniously replaced or he'd watch tragedy after tragedy until he finally overthrew him and reclaimed the position for himself.

Reginald, however, knew better than to voice any of this.

Besides, he thought as he smiled at Henry as he returned with his patrol. Typically he had Thomas Chestershire, Geoffrey Plumb, and Sven with him, though a couple times he'd go alone or with only one other person if he thought it was more dangerous. He's a lot better than Terrence. The only thing these two have in common is their appearance.

There was a lot more emotion with Henry's leadership on Reginald's end. Mostly it was concern, but more and more often there was pride. A sense of "Look at my son go!" that Reginald didn't quite understand.

"Reginald." He shot a glare at Right as he nudged him, a smirk on the cyborg's face. "You're making the Dad face again."

"Will you stop calling it that?" Reginald hissed back. "I'm not giving any sort of parental look to Henry."

"Sure."

Another thing Reginald would never admit was the fatherly role he had taken all those years ago. He'd rather jump from the cargo bay with clothes made from a cactus than even humor the thought that he saw Henry as anything more than another member of the Toppat Clan.

"How'd it go?" Reginald asked, approaching him.

"Good, I think they're finally considering giving up." Henry signed. "Apparently the Government's giving them hell, I'll take a small group to make sure they're distracting them well enough for me to start helping with preparations."

"You're going to overwork yourself." He warned. "You need to relax a bit."

"And I'll have all the time in the world to relax when we're in space."

"You're going to be the death of me."

Henry laughed a bit in response.

"That wasn't a joke." He sighed.

_____________________________

The moon just barely peeked over the treetops as Henry landed, his small patrol in tow.

"Remember," Sven translated as Henry signed. "No trouble, we're only checking it out and making sure it's safe for us to return to preparations."

"Got it, boss." Geoffery nodded. "No trouble!"

Henry gave them a serious look before setting out into the snowy forest.

They only made it about 30 feet before Henry was suddenly slammed to the ground by someone running into him.

He grunted a bit, dusting himself off as Sven pulled out his gun, barely able to raise his hand to prevent his group from getting pissed and shooting. Sighing, the Toppat leader got to his feet, extending his hand to help the other person up when he realized-

It was Charles.

The two stared at each other a moment before shouting broke them out of their trances, and Charles grabbed his hand, scrambling to his feet. He was holding a file, papers threatening to spill out onto the snow. "Help me out of here!"

"Why should we?" Sven snapped, cocking his gun. "Government scum, you'll betray us the second we turn our backs!"

"We're working for the same goal this time." He said hurriedly. "You hate the Wall, right? We're trying to take them down. Please, I promise it'll be worth your while!"

Henry thought for a moment, not sure if all five could fit in the pod, but all it took was seeing Dmitri and his men for him to grab the pilot and start running.

Guns started firing as the group ran the way they came. Henry shoved Charles ahead of him, seeing their pod nearby.

They were almost there!

Then it went to hell.

Suddenly Sven screamed, Henry stopped, watching the blonde hit the ground, a bullet lodged in his back.

Another shot, Charles hit the ground next, blood flowing from his calf.

No!

"Grab them!" Henry forced out, pulling out his own weapon. "Get back to the airship!"

"Henry-"

"GO!"

He watched Geoffery grab Sven, and Thomas go for Charles before turning and returning fire. The pod was only meant to fit four people, and he knew that, but at least his Clan members and Charles would be safe.

If it meant Henry staying behind for it to be that way, so be it. Henry didn't fear Dmitri and his goons.

One of the guards went down like a sack of rocks, screaming about his knee. Another shot and a second fell, a hole between his eyes.

Another bullet sailed past him, and he heard Geoffery telling Sven they needed to go.

"But Henry and-"

"We'll come back, we gotta go or else we're not escapin'!"

Thomas! Did he get away? What about Charles? Henry turned, blood going cold when he saw that Thomas was on the ground, clutching his leg and Charles was trembling over him, eyes wide.

"Drop gun and get on knees, now."

Dmitiri.

Henry's hands shook as he felt the barrel of the gun resting against his temple, but he didn't dare drop his weapon.

There was a gunshot, Charles screamed again, holding his shoulder.

"Next one goes in his head unless you comply." The warden hissed.

Henry met Charles's eyes, which were glazed with pain.

He dropped the gun and fell to his knees, letting his head fall, defeated.

I'm sorry, Reginald. I failed the Toppats.

_____________________________

Reginald sighed, going over some basic paperwork. He wanted to get it done before Henry returned so he could get at least some rest before they went back to the jungle.

"Reginald."

"Ah, Geoffery!" Reginald didn't look up, but a small smile graced his face. "How'd it go? Did Henry already go to bed? I certainly hope so, he needs the rest."

"Well, actually..."

"Reg."

Reginald finally looked up, noticing Right standing next to Geoffery.

Then he saw it: the Toppat was covered in blood.

No.

His hands, the front of his shirt, his pants his shoes, God could someone survive losing so much blood?

"Who's blood is that?" It was more of a statement or a demand for an answer than a question. "Where's the others? What happened?"

"Sir, I-"

Reginald gripped the front of Geoffery's shirt- when did he get up, when did he approach him? "Geoffery-"

"Reg." Right pulled him back, grip on his shoulders. "T'ey ran into that pilot, 'e was being chased by Dmitri's men. T'ey started firing when t'ey saw t'em."

No. Please.

A young smile, full of energy. Blonde, almost golden, hair that rivaled the golden necklace around Reginald's neck and deep, deep, sapphire blue eyes.

"Sven was shot in the back, sir." Geoffery began. "He's lost a lot of blood, but he'll survive. It doesn't appear like his spine was damaged."

A patient expression, a soft hand on his shoulder and dark eyes behind two monocles. A reassuring voice that he'd be the greatest leader the Toppats have ever seen.

"Thomas tried to help the pilot into the pod, but they got him in the leg and he went down. They were getting too close for me to go back." He continued mournfully.

A confident, goofy grin. Sweet blue eyes that shone with mischief whenever he laid them on a gem or gold.

No. God, please. No.

"Henry told us to run. He tried to hold them off, shot one in the knee and the other in the head."

A small hand gripping his, a quiet voice telling him that Terrence was wrong, and that he wasn't weak or cowardly.

"Where is he?" Reginald managed, voice weak. Geoffery looked a bit surprised he even asked, but his expression was soft, sympathetic.

"He didn't make it. I'm sorry, Dmitri caught him, Thomas and Charles."

"S'all right, Daddy."

Reginald fell to his knees, a raw, grief-filled scream ripping from his throat.

"I think you and Pa are pretty great."

He barely noticed Right's arms wrapping around him, or the fact that his hat must have fallen off, as Right buried his face in his hair, whispering quiet reassurances to him.

Henry, his son, was gone.

#Chapters #The Toppat King #Reginald Copperbottom #Right Hand Man #Sven Svensson #Thomas Chestershire #Geoffery Plumb #Charles Calvin #Dmitri Johannes Petrov #Split POV #Reginald's POV #Henry's POV

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ismael37olson · 7 years

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Chaucer, Rabelais, BALZAC: A Music Man Glossary

Meredith Willson’s The Music Man contains dozens of words and phrases that most of us have never used or even heard, many of them things that Willson himself must have heard growing up in turn of the century Iowa. I so often get emails asking about one or more of these, so I figured, let's get them all together in one list. The movie version changed some of these references, fearing the audience wouldn't know them. But as the show proves, it's not important for the audience to know every reference -- it's just important for this world we create onstage feels honest and authentic to the audience. As long as the actors know and understand all the references, it will contribute to the "reality" of this fictional version of 1912 Iowa. Below is a list of those oddities and what they mean, along with some other references you may not know... Enjoy! Kibitzing -- talking, joking, chitchatting Notion salesman -- a guy who sells small personal items Button-hook -- a small metal hook for pulling buttons through buttonholes. Hard goods & soft goods -- Hard goods are durable merchandise, like cars, machinery, furniture, appliances, etc. Soft goods are merchandise that isn’t as durable, like clothing, rugs, and other textiles. Noggin -- a small cup or mug of wine, usually a quarter-pint. Piggin -- a small bowl with a ladle for serving cream. Firkin -- a small wooden tub for butter or lard. Hogshead -- a large container holding sixty-three gallons of wine. Cask -- a bottle of any size, but usually one holding liquor. Demijohn -- a large wine bottle with a narrow neck and usually a wicker enclosure around the bottom. Model T Ford -- a very popular car. In 1912, U.S. auto makers were manufacturing 115,000 new cars a month, about a quarter of them Ford Model Ts. Ten years later, 50% of the cars in America were Model Ts.

Uneeda Biscuit -- soda crackers introduced in 1889 by National Biscuit Company (now better known as Nabisco), the first crackers to be sold packaged with a brand name instead of just out of a cracker barrel. This marketing experiment paid off and by 1900, Uneeda Biscuits were selling more than ten million packages a month, while all other brands of packaged crackers combined totaled only 40,000 packages a month. Mail Pouch – a brand of chewing tobacco Teirce -- a wine cask holding forty-two gallons. Mandolin -- a stringed instrument (like a very small guitar) shaped like a pear Jews-harp – a small metal musical instrument you hold between your teeth and pluck Tarred and feathered -- covered with tar and feathers (which is often deadly) as punishment Rode out on a rail -- banished from a community, as punishment (often after being tarred and feathered), often literally carried out on a fence rail Two-bit -- cheap (literally twenty-five cents) Thimble-rigger -- con man or thief Hawkeyes -- residents of Iowa Livery Stable -- stable where horses are kept and hired out Billiards -- a table game like pool, without pockets Horse sense -- practical common sense Three-rail billiard shot -- a shot that banks off three sides of the billiards table Balkline game -- billiards Pinch-back suit -- a suit with a coat that is gathered in the back, the sign of a city slicker Jasper -- slang word for a (usually) a white guy who is simple or naive

Dan Patch -- a champion harness racing horse at the turn of the century, at a time when the jockey rode behind the horses in a cart, not on them Frittern -- frittering – wasting time Beefsteak -- a slice of beef for frying Cistern -- a tank for storing water that had to be kept full (by pouring water into it manually) for the family to use, before people had indoor plumbing Knickerbockers -- knee pants that gather at the knee, worn by young boys at the turn of the century. Bevo -- a brand of non-alcoholic near-beer, from Anheuser-Busch, but it wasn't introduced till four years after our story is set... Cubebs and Tailor-mades -- various kinds of hand-rolled cigarettes. Cigarettes were illegal (and considered highly immoral) in Iowa at that time. Sen Sen -- a popular breath freshener, very small but very strong. Arm'ry -- armory -- headquarters for a National Guard unit Libertine -- morally or sexually unrestrained Scarlet -- adulterous. It refers to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter. Ragtime -- syncopated jazz music, popular at the turn of the century, so called because of "ragged" (off-the-beat) style Dime Novel -- cheap, paperback adventure novels, in vogue from the 1850s through the 1920s.

Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang -- a racy monthly humor magazine first published in 1919, which reached a circulation of 425,000 in 1923. (Technically, this reference is a mistake, since the show is set in 1912.) Balzac -- Honoré de Balzac, a French novelist (1799-1850) Paul Bunyon -- a giant from American folklore Saint Pat -- St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, a missionary who brought Christianity to Ireland Noah Webster -- American essayist and lexicographer, who created one of the earliest American dictionaries Cross-hand -- a piano piece that requires one hand crossing over the other to play a note or chord This Ruby Hat of Omar Kay-ay-ay- -- The Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, erotic Persian poetry Stereopticon -- a slide projector with two light sources, so the pictures appear to fade from one to the next. Also, a hand-held device that lets the user look at two identical pictures at the same time, giving it a three-dimensional effect. Tablow -- tableau -- a grouping of people in costumes to create a still "picture" Springfield Rifle -- a brand of rifle Ruffian -- a bully or lawless person Crick -- dialect for “creek” Pest House -- a hospital or house for people infected with pestilential diseases (bubonic plague, for example) Pompy-eye -- Pompeii, an ancient city buried in the ash of an erupting volcano Gilmore -- Patrick S. Gilmore (1829-1892), a famous Irish-American bandleader who wrote “When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again” (under a pseudonym). Liberati -- Alessandro Liberati (1847-1927), an Italian born cornet player, bandleader, and composer, who came to the U.S. in 1872 and played with many bands, including Gilmore's. He had his own touring band from 1889 to 1909, and was active in music (opera, other bands, teaching) until his death Pat Conway -- (1867-1929) a conductor, bandleader, and teacher, who directed several bands from the 1890s until his death and was the founder of the Air Force Band in World War I. Conway and Sousa were friends, and their bands often performed together.

The Great Creatore -- Giuseppe Creatore (1871-1952), an Italian conductor and composer who brought a band to the U.S. in 1902 to tour. He was active as a conductor through the 1930s. W.C. Handy -- (1873-1958) a famous American blues composer and bandleader, who wrote “St. Louis Blues.” John Philip Sousa -- (1854-1932) a world-famous bandleader and composer, who was known as “the March King” for writing many of the famous marches that marching bands play today. (Harold's comment in the intro to “76 Trombones” about all these famous musicians coming to town on the same day, appears to be a joke, although an obscure one. The joke is that it would have been essentially impossible for all these extremely famous men of widely varying ages to actually come to one small town, especially all on one day. Hill is just throwing out names that sound impressive, names that the River City townspeople might know from their piano sheet music.) Cornet -- a different version of a trumpet, shorter in length (the same amount of tubing, just wrapped around more), with a longer bell and a somewhat darker sound. Tympani -- big bass drums Horse platoons -- military units of horses (in this case, used for a parade) Euphonium -- like a baritone, which is itself like a small version of the tuba, but the euphonium has a larger opening in the bell and produces a mellower sound and better low notes than the baritone. Harch -- variant of “march”

Frank Gotch and Strangular Lewis -- two early 20th-century American wrestlers Jeely Kly -- exclamation, variant of “Jesus Christ” Taggin’ -- tagging – following Perpetual Motion -- the theoretical ability of a mechanism to continue to move forever by itself without any loss of energy or speed. The joke here is that Tommy thinks he “nearly had” perpetual motion a couple times, which is impossible. class of aught-five -- class of 1905 canoodlin' -- slang for romantic activity Diana -- the Roman goddess of the hunt and the moon faun -- mythological creature that is a man with ears, horns, tail and hind legs of a goat Hester -- Hester Prynne, the heroine of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel The Scarlet Letter, who had to wear a red “A” in punishment for her adultery. agog -- highly excited on the que veev -- on alert, watchful, a corruption of “qui vive,” French for “who goes there?” pianola -- a brand of player pianos

Delsarte -- François Delsarte (1811-1871), a French musician and dance teacher who taught a dance and acting method based on the mastery of certain bodily attitudes and gestures. Gilt-edge -- of the highest quality, literally edged with gold Chaucer -- Geoffery Chaucer (1340-1400), English author and poet who wrote the very racy Canterbury Tales Raballaise -- François Rabelais (1490-1553), a French satirist and humorist, who wrote the very racy Gargantua and Pantagruel, which many thought was obscene and blasphemous Balzac -- Honore de Balzac (1799-1850), the notorious French novelist who wrote Droll Stories, a racy collection of thirty short stories malfeasance -- wrongdoing. The joke here is that implication that Harold could get a permit for malfeasance. flugel horn -- like a cornet, but with a larger opening in the bell. Minute Waltz -- famous waltz by Chopin that, if played very fast, takes less than a minute Quaker -- a member of The Society of Friends, a religion that rejects luxuries, modern technology, and anything that isn’t mentioned in the Bible. St. Bridget -- an Irish saint, who founded the first nunnery in Ireland O'Clark, O'Mendez, O'Klein -- comic reference to three famous musicians who were not Irish, the famous cornet player Herbert L. Clarke, the famous Mexican trumpet player Rafael Mendez (another anachronism, since he was born only six years before our story), and apparently the famous Jewish trumpet player Manny Klein (but again, he was born only four years before our story). St. Michael -- an Irish saint, who first brought formal education to Ireland in the fifth century hod -- a portable trough Mavorneen --mavourneen -- Irish word for “sweetheart” Tara’s Hall -- a music hall in Dublin Hodado -- dialect for “how do you do” Epworth League -- a Methodist youth organization, founded in 1889 Black Hole of Calcutta -- a small prison in India in which the more than a hundred Europeans were killed in 1756.

Wells Fargo Wagon -- a stagecoach delivery service started in 1851, which allowed mail order sales to flourish mackinaw -- a thick, blanket-like coat, usually plaid, named for a kind of blanket that northern and western native Americans made. double-boiler -- a small pot that fits into a bigger pot. Water is boiled in the bigger pot to cook things in the smaller pot. D.A.R. -- The Daughters of the American Revolution, a patriotic women’s organization Minuet in G -- very famous classical piece by Ludwig von Beethoven Tempus fugits -- hurry up. It’s a Latin phrase meaning “time flies” Frazolagy -- phraseology, or choice of words Rustle of Spring -- turn-of-the-century piano piece written by the Norwegian composer Christian Sinding, that was very popular in the US Grecian Urn -- the ladies are doing interpretive dance, based on the poem “Ode on a Grecian Urn” by John Keats. Shipoopi -- this is just a nonsense word Capulets -- one of the warring families in Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Mississippi sturgeon -- a fish Galileo -- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), Italian physicist and astronomer, who figured out that the earth revolves around the sun and not the other way around. Columbus -- Christopher Columbus (1446-1506), Italian navigator who is credited with discovering America. Bach -- Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750), famous classical composer whose work is the basis for modern music theory. Well-Tempered Clavichord -- refers to a famous piece of music by Bach. A clavichord is an early version of a piano. Redpath Circuit -- one of several vaudeville circuits in the U.S., a group of theatres to which performers would travel Criminee -- a slang expression of dismay, a corruption of "Christ" Tintype -- an old-fashioned photograph Hector Berlioz -- (1803-1869), French classical composer. (Harold couldn’t be getting a cable from him, since he had been dead for almost forty years.) Cat-boat -- a small boat with one mast and one large sail.

Buster Brown -- a comic strip character Privy -- outhouse Shropshyre sheep -- English sheep known for very white wool and good meat From time to time, I'm contacted by a dramaturg who wants to work with us, but I love doing this kind of research. As I write this, we recently closed the amazing Sweet Smell of Success, which was just loaded with 1950s New York references. It was so much fun discovering what they all meant and sharing that with the actors. Like I said above, understanding all that stuff is so key for the actors. Right now, I'm reading everything I can about the culture and pop culture of the 1930s, as I start thinking about our upcoming production of Anything Goes later this season. One of the great joys of this blog is being to share cool stuff like this with so many people. Hope this list is entertaining and/or helpful... Long Live the Musical! Scott from The Bad Boy of Musical Theatre http://newlinetheatre.blogspot.com/2017/09/chaucer-rabelais-balzac-music-man.html

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