Epigraph
And stand aside, it did.
CURTAIN
End of Exposition
Next: Apotheosis
Coming Attractions
III. Apotheosis
Butterbugs is somebody now. He has arrived – at the top. In fact, he’s higher, much higher than that. He has arrived at unprecedented stardom – ultrastardom, they call it. He is the world’s first ultrastar (and first trillionaire, too), though these things have nothing to do with him as an actor. They merely reflect his astounding singularity. He is still compelled to act for its own sake, and to thrive from wonders encountered in the process – of which there are many. Taking the lead in the most ambitious film ever to be made, he will need all the gathered resources within him for the staggering job ahead.
Way below his stratospheric plane though, threatening undercurrents coil in unholy pools, similar to many found in his finest roles before the camera. His own deep dimensions of character and the diversity of creatures around him make for a formidable force that extends far past mere entertainment as a strolling player. In fact, Butterbugs has become a phenomenon for billions. However, that does not mean that every last person on Earth is in his thrall.
The canvas, or to put it in cinematic terms, the screen upon which APOTHEOSIS is projected, is properly gigantic, and while such a prospect may be off-putting, the story downright commands it. Remember, FORWARD TO GLORY is nothing less than an epic noir satire – or a satirical noir epic, or a – Whatever the label, all those elements are here, and in every combination. The momentum built by TEMPERING and EXPOSITION does not let up for a second. By its very name, APOTHEOSIS is required to propel the reader toward a merciless climax, the only possible way it can end.
Fortunately, after so long on the deficient side, Butterbugs is blessed with the very best of friends and associates who surround him in his triumphs: Saskia and Justy – closer than ever, though mostly with each other; Sonny Projector – his agenting only rises higher and higher, along with his client; Edna Tzu – a favorite director and facilitator of the ultrastar’s curative powers; Hyman Goth – ruthless studio mogul with a dreaded knowledge; Mayella – his stabilizing Israeli/Palestinian/Polish lover; Egaz D’Varzim – transcendent director, who uncannily matches his actor’s talents; Keenah LaVine – the mate Butterbugs has waited for… possibly; The Seven Muses of The Lazaretto – each of whom excel at their job: to inspire and strengthen the ultrastar in his most challenging role yet; Marshall Vogg – the disabled vet who, influenced by Butterbugs, virtually changes the course of the nation; and Heatherette – always a force for good, always reappearing at the perfect time.
Everything seems to be good, thus, his going forward, FORWARD TO…
The FORWARD TO GLORY Quartet
I. Tempering – the Actor’s struggles
II. Exposition – the Actor’s rise
Your next stop:
III. Apotheosis – the Actor’s climax
IV. Beyond Fin – the Actor’s legend
A Bit Of Bio: Brian Paul Bach
Brian Paul Bach has been a worker in the theatre, an academic library, and the music business. He is a student of film and its lore, an occasional dramatic performer and voice impressionist, an appreciator of theatre architecture and operation, and an architectural writer. He is a lifelong artist, photographer, traveler and filmmaker, a casual blogster, assertive political cartoonist, media-watcher, a socializer via media, and writes a regular ‘Calcutta Chronicles’ column for ‘Kolkata On Wheels’ magazine. Golden ages of film production, automotive design, and world architecture are of especial interest, as are his dogs, music, history, environment, society and culture, as well as most things concerning the Indian subcontinent.
As a youth he embraced teenage filmmaking, worked in fringe show business in Seattle, and later probed the filmic corners of Hollywood, London and India. From these pursuits he has adopted cinematic thinking as a built-in facet of everyday life. As a young person he ran his own neighborhood theatre, for which he produced acts and short movies. He has been immersed in performance arts and associated activities all his life. Writing has also been a constant, fiction and nonfiction.
Accompanying these efforts has been an ever-present production of drawings, paintings photographs, videos and designs that have added up to a very personal statement of style and expression.
Bach’s other published works, illustrated with his photos, drawings, and maps, include: THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD FROM THE FRONT SEAT, in two editions, 1993 and 2000 – the Author’s travels from Calcutta to the Afghan frontier; and CALCUTTA’S EDIFICE: THE BUILDINGS OF A GREAT CITY, 2006 – a major examination of the architecture and culture of the Bengali metropolis. The book was presented to two successive Chief Ministers of West Bengal state, at the 2006 and 2012 Calcutta Book Fairs, the latter attended by the Author. Bach has long observed his own generation’s behavior, its choices and its outlooks, resulting in BUSTED BOOM: THE BUMMER OF BEING A BOOMER.
He lives in Washington State with his wife Sandra, an accomplished ceramicist and chef, independent cat Condell, and faithful/glorious hound Hudson.
By the Same Author
by
Brian Paul Bach
Fiction
The FORWARD TO GLORY Quartet
VAMPIRE OF THE YEAR
MYSTERIOUS AGENCY
NOX NOVA LUNÆ: CONFESSIONS IN THE GLOW OF A NEW MOON
LURID or HOWRAH BRIDGE
CARSTAIRS or FINITE AGONY
THE ADVENTURES OF LORD WILLOWBY
COULDN’T RESIST
Non-Fiction
The BPB’S ARTPOURING Series
BUSTED BOOM: THE BUMMER OF BEING A BOOMER
CALCUTTA’S EDIFICE: THE BUILDINGS OF A GREAT CITY
THE GRAND TRUNK ROAD FROM THE FRONT SEAT
(two editions)
A GRAND TRUNK ROAD GUIDE AND GAZETTEER
WHEELS OF LIFE
Short Stories
THE ELECTRIC PUNKAH
Plays & Screenplays
A REPRESENTATIVE OF THE OUTSIDE WORLD
WHEN THE LAST LAMP IS SHATTERED
THE KDIM PAPERS
MISH-MASH
DEATH DESERT
Poetry
THE GOTHIC GLARE
Copyright
(conceived in Howrah, Bengal)
<<Publishers to Oddballs>>
Howrah ~ Seebpore ~ Chowringhee ~ The Burg ~ London ~ Rangoon ~ Pipewell Snappertuna ~ Peshawar ~ Ghubbah ~ Dresden ~ Wei Hai Wei
Calcutta
a division of
BPB’s ArtPouring, Ltd.
http://forwardtogloryquartet.wordpress.com
forwardtogloryquartet@gmail.com
Illustrations and Cover Art by Brian Paul Bach
Cover Layout by Samit Roychoudhury
http://samit.org
Published by Clink Street Publishing 2017
Copyright © 2017 by Brian Paul Bach
First edition.
The author asserts the moral right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means without the prior consent of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that with which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
ISBN:
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