SETTING:  A cemetery on a beautiful fall day.

AT RISE:  ALL are onstage. The service is in progress.

LAURA

LION TAMER PASSING,

STEPPING FROM THE CAGE.

DEBONAIRE AND DASHING,

YOU WERE ALL THE RAGE.

ALL

HEAR THE BIG TOP SIGHING,

CALLING OUT YOUR NAME.

ELEPHANTS ARE CRYING

ABOARD THE CIRCUS TRAIN.

NOW THE RING IS EMPTY BUT I SEE YOU STILL,

YOUR VOICE IS IN THE AIR.

FIRENELLI

"ALLEZ! ALLEZ! COME ON BOYS! LöWE KOM HER!"

ALL

THE SEASON IS OVER.

THERE ARE NO MORE NEXT YEARS.

TIM

LION TAMER PASSI...

ALL

STEPPING FROM THE CAGE.

DEBONAIR AND DASHING,

YOU WERE ALL THE RAGE.

LION TAMER PASSING.

(The CHORUS begins to exit.)

TERRI

It's a nice day.

SUE

He would have liked it.

TONI

He always did like the sun on a fall day.

(SUE, TONI, and TERRI exit. DAVID holds ANGELA, who is crying.)

DAVID

Come on Angela.

(DAVID and ANGELA exit.)

FIRENELLI

Come. We have a show to do.

MR. BEANS

I'm so sad I could cry.

FIRENELLI

You are crying my friend. In a few hours you will make us laugh.

(MR. BEANS and FIRENELLI wait at the edge of the stage. LAURA and TIM are left alone by the coffin.)

LAURA

Come on Tim.

(LAURA stops. She listens. There is a hint of a roar.)

Did you hear that?

TIM

What?

LAURA

Nothing. Let's go. We have a show to do.

(TIM lingers at the side of the coffin. LAURA and the GRANDFATHERS wait at the edge of the stage.)

TIM

Goodbye Miklos.

(TIM goes to the OTHERS. The lights dim on THEM as a spot comes up on stage opposite. MIKLOS is sitting in his chair. HIS head is down as if HE is asleep. HE is covered by a blanket. Something disturbs HIM. HE lifts HIS head and listens.)

MIKLOS

Jaspar?

(Weakly. A faint unrecognizable sound is heard. It becomes louder. It is a lion's roar.)

Jaspar?!

(The roar becomes louder.)

Jaspar!!!

(The roar is deafening. MIKLOS is exultant. HE stands, weakly. The blanket falls, revealing a new and shining uniform. HE gathers HIS strength. HE takes one step forward. The roar reaches a crescendo. The music is overwhelming.)

(BLACKOUT)

("Circus Life" begins, staged exactly as it was at the opening of the show, except that LAURA and TIM are now included. Halfway through the song we break away from the original staging and continue with curtain calls.)

End of Play