Carcosa, or The Queen and the Stranger

A fantasy in 2 acts by Talbot Estus performed by The Group at the Scala theatre on the 17th of October 1928.

Cast

Cassilda, queen of Yhtill - Mrs. Hannah Keith

Thale, older son of Cassilda - Mr. Walter Paige

Uoht, younger son of Cassilda and Naotalba, Cassilda's high priest - Mr. George Keith

Camilla, daughter of Cassilda - Ms. Jean Hewart

The Stranger - Mr. Michael Gillen

The King in Yellow - Mr. Talbot Estus

Act 1

Scene 1: The queen (Cassilda) of the city of Yhtill reclines on a couch on a palace balcony. During the scene, the queen's children enter and discuss with her issues of succession. Some impressions are given during this scene:

1. Yhtill is involved in a protracted war with its rival, Alar.

2. Yhtill is a city in stasis. Very little ever happens there.

3. A much greater city, called Carcosa exists, but no one knows where it is.

4. The talks of succession have been going on a long time, the conversation simply a repitition of what has been said many times before.

Scene 2: The queen sits in her receiving room in the palace. A child enters and talks to the queen in a familiar fashion, though it's not cleear if they are family. The two speak of Carcosa, and the two discuss four singularities of the city (the fifth is mentioned, but not revealed). Naotalba, the high priest, enters and announces that something unprecendented has occured, a stranger has arrived in the city.

Scene 3: The queen converses with the stranger who reveals that a pallid mask (which he wears) offers protection against The King in Yellow who dwells in Carcosa. Toward the end of the scene, the stranger moves as if to embrace the queen, but instead throws open his robe to reveal, emblazoned on his tunic underneath, The Yellow Sign. At this, Cassilda screams and faints, and the curtain comes down.

Act 2

Prototaph: Before the curtain rises, the child emerges and gives a very strange speech about how the audience has made a fateful choice by deciding to hear the rest of the play, and it is now too late to avoid it.

Scene 1: Cassilda sings about Carcosa

Scene 2: The stranger converses with the queen and her children, each of them trying to enlist the stranger's help for their own gain. During all of this, only the child and the stranger stand mute.

Scene 3: A masked ball is taking place on the palace balcony, all are intricately masked. The Stranger wears a bonelike mask and moves stiffly and without gaity. The other gradually doff their masks, but the stranger keeps his. Camilla challenges him to remove his mask, at which point the stranger reveals that he does not wear a mask, but is the 'Pallid Mask itself' and the 'Phantom of Truth' from Alar. He says that his star is Aldebaran and his weapon is truth which will end the war. Naotalba points out the window, to reveal that the moon has risen and that behind it loom the towers of Carcosa. A voice cries across the lake for 'Haita', though it is not known what this means. The voice asks thrice 'Have you found The Yellow Sign?'. The Stranger challenges the voice, stating that he is the Phantom of Truth, but the voice dismisses the challenge and states to the people of Yhtill that it is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of The Living God. The King in Yellow appears, and talks to the queen and the priest. As they have all seen the yellow sign, they must all wear the mask forever and Yhtill's punishment for attempting to defy him will be to become part of Carcosa and all within no longer quite human. The King in Yellow then vanishes, and the child runs out of the crowd and takes The Stranger by the hand, leading him off behind the King. The play ends with some lines delivered by the child, but these were drowned out.

Oddities

The play as described (which is as it was seen by the PCs) differs significantly from the script, but the performers say that they performed the script exactly as written.

During the play, people's reactions did not seem to be in line with what was actually happening on the stage. People would react with gasps or laughter at points where nothing appeared to elicit surprise or humour.

Nathaniel Browne noted that in the latter part of the first act, there appeared to be something being said ver subtley between the lines.

He also noticed a couple two rows in front of him leave during this time, but the other PCs said that this did not occur.

The play, particularly The Yellow Sign seemed to affect some people very strongly emotionally, whereas others were affected little, if at all. After the King's exit in the last scene, there were many people overcome with emotion. Nathaniel Browne cried uncontrollably, while the man next to him punched his wife in the face.

Some people seem to have watched (or thought they have seen) different versions of scenes than others.

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