So, while on the tour, we created a whole new breed of animal: a Shiger.
What is it? Well, before I can answer that, I have to tell you why we created this animal.
We were doing a string of shows in South Texas. We have this illusion in the beginning of the show that basically turns a girl into a live tiger. Well, that's all well and good for the first few nights. On a Saturday morning, our tiger wasn't in the cooperative mood so we decided not to use him that night. Ya know, to be safe.
But my co-star didn't like the idea of not using the illusion at all.
The show was set early in the morning, so we went out into the town to shop around and relax before the night's performance. We went to a local flea market, and that's where the boss (my co-star) found a young, white sheep. Yes, a sheep. Like, baaaa-aaa-aaa, sheep. Wool, poop, all of it, a sheep.
He bought it, we took it back (in a rental car), and we painted it (spray-in hair color) with orange and black stripes to make it look like a tiger.
Hence, a sheep-tiger, or a Shiger.
Okay, fun story time:
What was SUPPOSED to happen:
The beginning act consisted of a quick-change with pyro, a large cage-based transposition illusion, and another cage for a reproduction. What is supposed to happen: Star walks out, does a quick-change, crosses to large illusion. Opens door to show cage empty. Close cage, pretty girl climbs in through the top. Prop is spun, pyro goes off, prop shown empty. Star crosses to new cage on stage which is seen empty, lights a fire inside and pretty girl reappears. Reopen other cage to reveal tiger. Ta-da. Continue with show.
What actually happened:
Co-star (me) is hiding in a small secret area holding a painted sheep. Visualize this, then read on. Music begins, star comes out but his microphone is already on. Sounds of snaps and velcro play through sound system with no pyro. A mistake off the bat, star is now thrown off his game. Large cage is not shown empty. Pretty girl climbs into the cage from the top. Cage is spun and pyro goes off. Prop is opened early to reveal me hanging onto a very nervous looking Shiger. Other cage is still on stage, loaded. He never produced the girl. I climb out of the prop with the Shiger, and Star continues with the show -- pretty girl sits in the box onstage for a good 5 minutes before someone decided to just go out and quietly pull the cage back off, as the Star was doing a talking piece and obviously forgot to produce the assistant.
Just imagine again, me, in a dark space, with a Shiger.
Do it.
And laugh.
I did.
