A turtleneck, a secret, and a lot more pyro (1936 words)
Mar 18, 2021 17:31:25 GMT -5
Carter Shaw, John Black, and 2 more like this
Post by Harvey Marx on Mar 18, 2021 17:31:25 GMT -5
Seattle, WA
Four days before Monday Night Clash in Las Vegas
Harvey Marx is seen in profile in a dark space. Even with so little light coming only from a series of monitors, it is clear that he is not dressed for the stage. He is wearing a black turtleneck shirt and jeans. He's wearing headphones with a microphone built in, surrounded by switchboards, a couple of laptops and other equipment. He is silent for a moment and there is a look of both concentration and disapproval on his face. His hand hovers over one of the boards and then onto a few switches. Sliding up and one, down on the two next to it, and then hitting a key on a laptop.
Harvey: That's what I like! Looks like we fixed that audio bug. I’m coming in. Frank, I'll see you back on the ramp. Everyone else stand by.
*Harvey exits a bus parked next to the warehouse. The camera cuts inside. A mock up of the Monday Night Clash set is seen from a high, wide shot. Frank stands at the top of the entrance ramp. Three men are huddled around a dangerous looking octagonal contraption in the ring and there are tools on the canvas all around them. Leo is sitting at ringside near a rack where about it dozen jackets in a variety of colors hang. She's off in her own world, as if reading secret messages on the garments. Harvey struts in like he owns the place. (He just might.)*
Harvey: Good work people! Perfect! We're going to run it again with a few changes for T-Mobile Arena. Lighting….
New Guy: *interrupting* We've been here three hours. Why didn't you say anything before?
*Harvey turns around quickly, annoyed*
Harvey: Come on Bor… Hey, you're not Boris…..Anyway those were the equipment checks. Now we tell the story. Trust the process…Where is Boris, anyway? I don’t know why I ever ask. Just get him back here for showtime!
*The rest of the crew smiles and nods, the new guy rolls his eyes. Harvey continues, addressing the whole room. *
H: Lighting…. We’re only using every other row above the entrance ramp, and at fifty percent intensity. I want shadow. A long, dark walk to the ring. We're selling danger here.
*A woman sitting at an equipment station to Harvey's left nods, the length of the ramp is now dimly tinted red.*
Yes! Now for sound. It may be Monday Night Clash, but the crowd is going to have to wait to wait to rock out until after we do our thing. Keep the music low for the opening, and we'll do the whole illustration in silence. The only thing I want people hearing is the sound of the fire. If they can hear and feel it, it'll be easier for everyone to imagine being in the cage themselves. I want mics so we can pipe it in the rear speakers for the people in the back.
*Harvey turns to face the new guy behind him*
That leaves pyro. Go bigger. Can you handle that?
*the man smiles for the first time all day*
Good. Get the fountains near the ramp ready to go. Guard rails too. We're doing the full program this time.
*Harvey gives him a folded piece of paper and gestures to the ring.*
Just a few adjustments for the cage.
*The short-lived smile fades, The man groans and turns away. He stomps off toward the ring muttering angrily. Harvey's jaw is tense and he stares at the man's back for a moment. Harvey walks over to the entrance ramp. Frank is standing just in front of the curtain*
Frank the Apprentice: I know it was just an equipment check, but I just couldn't get the timing right anywhere. Especially the entrance.
Harvey: Good to be aware, Frank. You were too fast all three times. Don't chase the fire to your positions. The audience needs to believe you control it Slow down by about half a count and you’ve got it.
Frank: Yes, sir.
**One of the men working on the ring contraption approaches Harvey from behind. There is a look of concern on his face.*
Crewman: Sir, we can't place the torches that tight. It won't be safe. You're…. Well…. You’re just too damn big for it.
H: You're absolutely right. Yes I am. *turning to Frank* But it'll be just right for him.
*The bustling room is stunned into silence as the crew tries to process what just happened. Leo's brain catches up first. We hear the sound of her wheelchair turning a little too quickly on the concrete floor. She makes for Harvey as fast as the machine will carry her*
Leonora: Do you want to tell us what you're thinking? What is this?
H: His opportunity. I have to focus on one of my own this week. Just keeping you all on your toes.
*Harvey turns to the man at the pyro station*
H: Sorry about the long day. I can get a little intense. Just do your job. Remember, nobody lights Frank on fire but me!
Frank: Seriously, bro. It’s in my contract.
Leo: *hushed* We don’t talk about that.
Harvey: Come with me, Leo
*Leo and Harvey go into a small office. Frank recovers from his shock and can be heard barking orders as Harvey closes the door. *
H: You don’t think he's ready?
L: We both know he is. But your timing sucks. We're talking about Monday Night Clash on CBS. A worldwide audience every week. I don't have to tell you what this could do for us. …This week we go live from Vegas, And you're gonna give them FRANK?
H: I’m giving them a Big Ticket Entertainment production. The kid is one of us. Frank gives our show everything he has. He deserves better than a Wednesday afternoon House show for his first night as the star.
L: Absolutely. Everyone knows that. We will follow your lead but you need to make this make sense for me.
H; I’m booked on a separate card that night. Three rounds of boxing in the basement of Sahara. I am the greatest Illusionist alive….
*Marx pauses. He looks around nervously and grabs the doorknob as if to make sure it is locked*
H: *Whisper* but I can't actually be in two places at once*
* Leo rolls her eyes and smiles*
L: Your secret is safe with me. We’ll take care of the performance, Sir. I’ll have Boris do all the pyro manually. Frank won’t need to worry about timing. Boris lives to push the “Boom” button anyway.
H: He really does. Get the camera. I’ve got a few words for Mr. Black.
***********
When I arrived here in action wrestling, I promised wonders. And I told all of you to prepare for something never seen here. I think I delivered. Who would ever pin opponent right after a giant swing? That's amazing, wild and unheard of! That's Harvey Marx.
Who GETS pinned after a giant swing? Well, that’s you, JB. You'll have to work on that.
Last week I told you I was just what you needed. You've got all the tools, but you needed someone wake you up again. Our match was a good start. I have to admit it was nice to see the spark come back. Well, you're in luck JB, because it seems my personal quest to make you less boring and more famous will continue this week.
Now, I know that a boxing match in a basement at a side show against the same newcomer might seem like a step backwards. But let me paint a better picture…
I’ve been on one stage or another for fifteen years. It's not an easy way to make a living. The world changes and so do the people in it. But they want more of you and me in a ring. When they want more, I give it to them, no matter what it looks like. You, John Black, are going to be part of an act in a world class casino with The Big Ticket. People would pay a lot of money for that. Hell, people HAVE paid a lot of money for that. You see JB, it doesn't matter that we're off the flagship this week. Because the flagship is coming to the Sahara…
I’d like apologize in advance to Action Wrestling and especially to Carter Shaw for any damage I do to their gritty little fight club brand…Because this week I PROMISE it's going to be bigger, prettier and more astonishing than ever. That's right JB, when you book The Big Ticket, you book the main event.. I can't think of a better opportunity for you to get your career back on track.
. There's just one Problem: I have to give you the worst beating of your life.
Since I’m not wearing one of my fabulous suits you all know and love right now, I feel like I can let you all behind the curtain for a moment. There's a lot on the line for myself and the rest of Big Ticket Entertainment's run with Action Wrestling. At times I feel a little out of my element here, and some might think I’ve got something to prove having one foot in two worlds. This week I have the only thing that's a stronger motivator than entering a proving ground. I'll be protecting my reputation.
See, this week I won't be the new guy. I’ll be able to feel the energy of adults behaving badly and money changing hands. I’ll be closer to my world than at any other point during our engagement with AW. I’m not angling for my own show on the strip. I don't need to. I chose to build my own state of the art performance space next to the Elysium Casino here in Seattle and wouldn't want it any other way.
I don't need a Vegas stage, but it will be one hell of an opportunity. AW headquarters is there for a reason, after all. I need this towns respect. I can't bill myself as the elite showman and next big thing wrestler that I am if I go to the entertainment capital of the world and lose a fight in the basement of somebody else’s house. I would embarrass myself, and worse, my crew.
That's why there's a kid out there right now barely old enough to drink getting ready to stand in a flamethrower cage. He's going to do it to thrill over 20,000 people. He’s going to do it because he’s got balls and he’s got my back. So I can focus all my attention on knocking you out, JB. Boxing, wrestling, makes no difference. It all ends with you on a canvas looking up at bright lights and The Big Ticket!
******
Harvey bolts up from his chair and leaves the room. We can hear Frank taking charge of the rehearsal and Leo smiles. Her smile Fades when the door closes. She is alone holding the camera in her lap. Leo has worked with Harvey for nearly five years. He's never been candid about anything while the camera is rolling, and she was concerned about the end of the interview. Why didn't he tell her sooner about the fight at the casino? She gets the sense there's something he's not telling his crew.
She's right.
Four days before Monday Night Clash in Las Vegas
Harvey Marx is seen in profile in a dark space. Even with so little light coming only from a series of monitors, it is clear that he is not dressed for the stage. He is wearing a black turtleneck shirt and jeans. He's wearing headphones with a microphone built in, surrounded by switchboards, a couple of laptops and other equipment. He is silent for a moment and there is a look of both concentration and disapproval on his face. His hand hovers over one of the boards and then onto a few switches. Sliding up and one, down on the two next to it, and then hitting a key on a laptop.
Harvey: That's what I like! Looks like we fixed that audio bug. I’m coming in. Frank, I'll see you back on the ramp. Everyone else stand by.
*Harvey exits a bus parked next to the warehouse. The camera cuts inside. A mock up of the Monday Night Clash set is seen from a high, wide shot. Frank stands at the top of the entrance ramp. Three men are huddled around a dangerous looking octagonal contraption in the ring and there are tools on the canvas all around them. Leo is sitting at ringside near a rack where about it dozen jackets in a variety of colors hang. She's off in her own world, as if reading secret messages on the garments. Harvey struts in like he owns the place. (He just might.)*
Harvey: Good work people! Perfect! We're going to run it again with a few changes for T-Mobile Arena. Lighting….
New Guy: *interrupting* We've been here three hours. Why didn't you say anything before?
*Harvey turns around quickly, annoyed*
Harvey: Come on Bor… Hey, you're not Boris…..Anyway those were the equipment checks. Now we tell the story. Trust the process…Where is Boris, anyway? I don’t know why I ever ask. Just get him back here for showtime!
*The rest of the crew smiles and nods, the new guy rolls his eyes. Harvey continues, addressing the whole room. *
H: Lighting…. We’re only using every other row above the entrance ramp, and at fifty percent intensity. I want shadow. A long, dark walk to the ring. We're selling danger here.
*A woman sitting at an equipment station to Harvey's left nods, the length of the ramp is now dimly tinted red.*
Yes! Now for sound. It may be Monday Night Clash, but the crowd is going to have to wait to wait to rock out until after we do our thing. Keep the music low for the opening, and we'll do the whole illustration in silence. The only thing I want people hearing is the sound of the fire. If they can hear and feel it, it'll be easier for everyone to imagine being in the cage themselves. I want mics so we can pipe it in the rear speakers for the people in the back.
*Harvey turns to face the new guy behind him*
That leaves pyro. Go bigger. Can you handle that?
*the man smiles for the first time all day*
Good. Get the fountains near the ramp ready to go. Guard rails too. We're doing the full program this time.
*Harvey gives him a folded piece of paper and gestures to the ring.*
Just a few adjustments for the cage.
*The short-lived smile fades, The man groans and turns away. He stomps off toward the ring muttering angrily. Harvey's jaw is tense and he stares at the man's back for a moment. Harvey walks over to the entrance ramp. Frank is standing just in front of the curtain*
Frank the Apprentice: I know it was just an equipment check, but I just couldn't get the timing right anywhere. Especially the entrance.
Harvey: Good to be aware, Frank. You were too fast all three times. Don't chase the fire to your positions. The audience needs to believe you control it Slow down by about half a count and you’ve got it.
Frank: Yes, sir.
**One of the men working on the ring contraption approaches Harvey from behind. There is a look of concern on his face.*
Crewman: Sir, we can't place the torches that tight. It won't be safe. You're…. Well…. You’re just too damn big for it.
H: You're absolutely right. Yes I am. *turning to Frank* But it'll be just right for him.
*The bustling room is stunned into silence as the crew tries to process what just happened. Leo's brain catches up first. We hear the sound of her wheelchair turning a little too quickly on the concrete floor. She makes for Harvey as fast as the machine will carry her*
Leonora: Do you want to tell us what you're thinking? What is this?
H: His opportunity. I have to focus on one of my own this week. Just keeping you all on your toes.
*Harvey turns to the man at the pyro station*
H: Sorry about the long day. I can get a little intense. Just do your job. Remember, nobody lights Frank on fire but me!
Frank: Seriously, bro. It’s in my contract.
Leo: *hushed* We don’t talk about that.
Harvey: Come with me, Leo
*Leo and Harvey go into a small office. Frank recovers from his shock and can be heard barking orders as Harvey closes the door. *
H: You don’t think he's ready?
L: We both know he is. But your timing sucks. We're talking about Monday Night Clash on CBS. A worldwide audience every week. I don't have to tell you what this could do for us. …This week we go live from Vegas, And you're gonna give them FRANK?
H: I’m giving them a Big Ticket Entertainment production. The kid is one of us. Frank gives our show everything he has. He deserves better than a Wednesday afternoon House show for his first night as the star.
L: Absolutely. Everyone knows that. We will follow your lead but you need to make this make sense for me.
H; I’m booked on a separate card that night. Three rounds of boxing in the basement of Sahara. I am the greatest Illusionist alive….
*Marx pauses. He looks around nervously and grabs the doorknob as if to make sure it is locked*
H: *Whisper* but I can't actually be in two places at once*
* Leo rolls her eyes and smiles*
L: Your secret is safe with me. We’ll take care of the performance, Sir. I’ll have Boris do all the pyro manually. Frank won’t need to worry about timing. Boris lives to push the “Boom” button anyway.
H: He really does. Get the camera. I’ve got a few words for Mr. Black.
***********
When I arrived here in action wrestling, I promised wonders. And I told all of you to prepare for something never seen here. I think I delivered. Who would ever pin opponent right after a giant swing? That's amazing, wild and unheard of! That's Harvey Marx.
Who GETS pinned after a giant swing? Well, that’s you, JB. You'll have to work on that.
Last week I told you I was just what you needed. You've got all the tools, but you needed someone wake you up again. Our match was a good start. I have to admit it was nice to see the spark come back. Well, you're in luck JB, because it seems my personal quest to make you less boring and more famous will continue this week.
Now, I know that a boxing match in a basement at a side show against the same newcomer might seem like a step backwards. But let me paint a better picture…
I’ve been on one stage or another for fifteen years. It's not an easy way to make a living. The world changes and so do the people in it. But they want more of you and me in a ring. When they want more, I give it to them, no matter what it looks like. You, John Black, are going to be part of an act in a world class casino with The Big Ticket. People would pay a lot of money for that. Hell, people HAVE paid a lot of money for that. You see JB, it doesn't matter that we're off the flagship this week. Because the flagship is coming to the Sahara…
I’d like apologize in advance to Action Wrestling and especially to Carter Shaw for any damage I do to their gritty little fight club brand…Because this week I PROMISE it's going to be bigger, prettier and more astonishing than ever. That's right JB, when you book The Big Ticket, you book the main event.. I can't think of a better opportunity for you to get your career back on track.
. There's just one Problem: I have to give you the worst beating of your life.
Since I’m not wearing one of my fabulous suits you all know and love right now, I feel like I can let you all behind the curtain for a moment. There's a lot on the line for myself and the rest of Big Ticket Entertainment's run with Action Wrestling. At times I feel a little out of my element here, and some might think I’ve got something to prove having one foot in two worlds. This week I have the only thing that's a stronger motivator than entering a proving ground. I'll be protecting my reputation.
See, this week I won't be the new guy. I’ll be able to feel the energy of adults behaving badly and money changing hands. I’ll be closer to my world than at any other point during our engagement with AW. I’m not angling for my own show on the strip. I don't need to. I chose to build my own state of the art performance space next to the Elysium Casino here in Seattle and wouldn't want it any other way.
I don't need a Vegas stage, but it will be one hell of an opportunity. AW headquarters is there for a reason, after all. I need this towns respect. I can't bill myself as the elite showman and next big thing wrestler that I am if I go to the entertainment capital of the world and lose a fight in the basement of somebody else’s house. I would embarrass myself, and worse, my crew.
That's why there's a kid out there right now barely old enough to drink getting ready to stand in a flamethrower cage. He's going to do it to thrill over 20,000 people. He’s going to do it because he’s got balls and he’s got my back. So I can focus all my attention on knocking you out, JB. Boxing, wrestling, makes no difference. It all ends with you on a canvas looking up at bright lights and The Big Ticket!
******
Harvey bolts up from his chair and leaves the room. We can hear Frank taking charge of the rehearsal and Leo smiles. Her smile Fades when the door closes. She is alone holding the camera in her lap. Leo has worked with Harvey for nearly five years. He's never been candid about anything while the camera is rolling, and she was concerned about the end of the interview. Why didn't he tell her sooner about the fight at the casino? She gets the sense there's something he's not telling his crew.
She's right.