[Imagine the fullest, loudest, most vibrant Circus you’ve ever seen in your life. That’s what Klaus Way sees when he closes his eyes. It’s a little different when he opens them, but he doesn’t let that get him down.]
“Roll up! Roll up! Ladies and gentlemen, you’ve spent your credits, you’ve sat your little tushies down on my premium seating, and you’ve rested your eyes strictly on little old…me“
[As he says the last word, he frames the lower half of his face with his hands and flutters his lashes.]
“But I need to tell you a little bit about Way & Co. before we go any further in our blossoming relationship. You see, right here and now we are settled. We have this marvellous big top, here in this marvellous level of Arcadia. We have a license to entertain these people granted exclusively by Zeus himself, so long as we don’t run on the same night as OSW does, and we do okay for ourselves. We’re MADE MEN.“
[He calms himself down by smoothing down his jacket.]
“It hasn’t always been this way. We were once a travelling circus. And BOY let me tell you that is no fun. A travelling circus is all the hard bits of the circus life without the benefits. It’s moving around constantly, never knowing where you fit in. It’s worrying where you’re getting your next meal. Life on the road is TOUGH. But let me tell you something, the one thing that REMAINS constant is the ringleader.”
[Klaus pulls a chair towards the front of the stage area and mocks a child’s storytime as he continues.]
“The tightrope walkers, the lion tamers, the wackjobs and psychos we have in our ranks? They don’t do to well on the road. The tightrope walker, a different setup every night, finds it hard to balance the way she’s used to. The lion tamer, used to controlling the wild animals around him, becomes the prey of the scared and hungry lions he thought he knew. And the wackjobs, well they’re unhinged whether you’re on the road or not, to be QUITE honest.”
[He closes the pretend book, remaining seated.]
“Aurora, the tightrope walker, struggling to balance. Jash Khan the lion tamer, losing control of his pack. Jackdaw the wackjob, just…well just a BIG BALL OF CRAZY OL’ FUN. You are all members of your very own travelling circus. You still don’t know where you belong in this big old place. You still perform for crowds who don’t really know who you are, still beg for credits from anyone who’ll listen. But guess what? You’re in luck.”
[Klaus stands from his chair.]
“Remember that time a couple of minutes ago that I told you about the ringleader being the only constant? That is what we call in the business a ‘setup’. And here is the payoff. I am that ringleader for you. I can take that crazy life and I can give you SECURITY. All you have to do is join us!“
“Welcome to the freak show! Let us show you the Way!”