Concepts Think Tank
- Thread starter Zachary
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Not only am I a big enthusiast of the live entertainment at Busch Gardens Williamsburg, but I love to write stories in my spare time. This year, I have listened to the vinyl version of an old live show that opened with the park in 1975 called Ghosts of the Globe which did intrigue me with the narrator's description of the show's production design and special effects that seemed to be very sophisticated for it's time. What I want to share with you is a "new version" of the show's story, but this is indeed a work in progress that could change. Forgive me if this ends up pretty long, but with that said, here we go:
It is set in modern times, a young group of actors have been hired to put on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet inside the old Globe Theater, this event excites a young actress named Julia who hopes to play the role of Juliet with "true gravitas" and "make Shakespeare proud". But the same can't be said for her twin brother Jonathan, who has been slapped with a prop and costume manager job and it's very clear that he doesn't want to be here for he has "better things to do than to watch people dress weird and speak old people". Julia prepares for dress rehearsal and for some mysterious reason, she notices a very old book and quill standing there without an owner, she looks at it for a minute until the director calls of all the actors on stage. She puts the objects down and gets ready for the part she hopes she'll do justice.
All is going well until Jonathan makes mocking comments constantly to the annoyance of everyone including Julia. The director calls for a lunch break and everyone leaves except for Julia for she is furious at her brother for being "an immature brat" and "not taking this grand piece of theater seriously!". With that, the two begin to have a nasty fight, during which the old book magically opens up and the quill begins to write words, unbeknownst to the two siblings. After Jonathan insults her badly, she angrily tells him to "vanish and leave me alone forever!" which the book writes it down and causes Jonathan to vanish in a puff of smoke and magic dust transports him inside the book which horrifies Julia. Julia immediately regrets what she said and begs the book, as if it's a living being, to find a way to get him back.
(At this point until later, this is where the show from the 1975 version and the "new" version are the almost the same: a magic lute appears and plays by itself, The Minstrel appears before us and narrates in song, sings to Julia, takes her to the grand cavern with the golden throne, the grand portrait of William Shakespeare, a long table for a feast, and candelabras all around the cavern. The Ghosts of Shakespeare's plays who arrive for the feast are all here in the new version with two additions: Queen Elizabeth I and Silvia from The Two Gentleman of Verona.)
The feast goes remarkably well with Puck entertaining the ghosts, Queen Elizabeth notices Julia looking rather down and she gestures Julia to come to her at the golden throne to ask her what's wrong. Julia explains to Elizabeth that she had a nasty argument with her twin brother and wished for him to vanish because of him being rude and "unfair" towards her. Elizabeth thinks that it was probably because Jonathan was unappreciated for the hard work he did and only acted out to get attention because he felt that he's been invisible, even his own sister. Julia realizes this and she promises to do everything she can to fix it which makes the Queen very happy. Suddenly, after the ghosts and Julia perform a beautiful waltz, the wind grows cold and strong to the point where the candles go out; the ghosts are terrified as to what is causing it.
A dark shadow appears before them that transforms into the Ghost of Lady Macbeth which instantly terrifies the other ghosts (with the exception of Queen Elizabeth I and Julia). Lady Macbeth is offended that they have held a banquet without inviting her and is asking why; Julia bluntly tells her that she "caused a great downfall to her own husband Macbeth that led to his doom, so of course they wouldn't invite you, you wicked fool!". Lady Macbeth is instantly angry and decides to punish her (and the ghosts) the same way she punished a "insolent young man", which Julia realizes that Lady Macbeth was the one controlling the old book after all and she takes the book and opens which suddenly materializes Jonathan. Julia is happy to see her brother and apologizes to him for not appreciating the hard work he has done for the show, which causes him to apologize for "acting out very badly"; they make up which causes Lady Macbeth to summon Caliban from The Tempest in rage.
They both cast a spell to "get rid" of the ghosts, leaving Julia and Jonathan behind; Lady Macbeth and Caliban corners them, but Romeo and Queen Elizabeth return in an attempt help the two siblings. Jonathan notices Caliban attempting to cast a spell at his sister and shoves her out of the way, the spell was a knock-out spell which Lady Macbeth orders the creature to "deal with the insolent fool". Caliban unpins his cloak and puts it above his unconscious body and uses his dark magic to float the body in midair and pulls it, causing the body to vanish. Julia is shocked and begs for someone to help them, Queen Elizabeth notices the grand sword next to the throne and picks it up, threatening the two villains with it; Lady Macbeth fearfully asks if that is the great sword Excalibur which Elizabeth confirms. Elizabeth uses it to summon the ghost of the great wizard Prospero also from The Tempest to not only bring Jonathan back (which he does with his strong powers), but to end Lady Macbeth and Caliban's chaos. Lady Macbeth attempts to stop this but Elizabeth stabs her in the stomach, which the sword's pure magic causes her to melt away.
(Also the battle between Prospero and Caliban the same in both versions with Prospero in a new, more grand costume.)
Prospero walks towards the group but Caliban attempts to kill him with a dark sword. Suddenly, Jonathan quickly grabs Excalibur and starts a small sword fight with the monster. Caliban is defeated and grounded to the floor with an angry Jonathan exclaiming: "This ends now!!". As he raises the sword to end Caliban once and for all, Julia intervenes and stops Jonathan and begs him to spare Caliban for he has been "vilified by so many people for over 400 years" and "has never been shown a kind heart". Julia gets Caliban's cloak and shows him kindness that he has never experienced and becomes terrified of it as well, he runs away deep in the caverns. Prospero tells Julia that he has been moved by what she has done and also tells Jonathan that he is very lucky to have a sister like her, something that Jonathan definitely agrees with.
The ghosts say their goodbyes to Julia and Jonathan, they suddenly notice a magic force that takes them back to the Globe Theater which then causes both the book and the quill to vanish without a trace. They both tell the other actors of what they experienced but they all don't believe them, Jonathan then takes this time to apologize to all of them and explains his behavior, they forgive him and decide to go home to get ready for the "final day of dress rehearsals tomorrow", the last ones to leave are the two siblings who walk out together, hand and hand. As the music swells, the curtain closes, ending the show.
What do you think? Is this worthy for it's own Concept thread?
It is set in modern times, a young group of actors have been hired to put on William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet inside the old Globe Theater, this event excites a young actress named Julia who hopes to play the role of Juliet with "true gravitas" and "make Shakespeare proud". But the same can't be said for her twin brother Jonathan, who has been slapped with a prop and costume manager job and it's very clear that he doesn't want to be here for he has "better things to do than to watch people dress weird and speak old people". Julia prepares for dress rehearsal and for some mysterious reason, she notices a very old book and quill standing there without an owner, she looks at it for a minute until the director calls of all the actors on stage. She puts the objects down and gets ready for the part she hopes she'll do justice.
All is going well until Jonathan makes mocking comments constantly to the annoyance of everyone including Julia. The director calls for a lunch break and everyone leaves except for Julia for she is furious at her brother for being "an immature brat" and "not taking this grand piece of theater seriously!". With that, the two begin to have a nasty fight, during which the old book magically opens up and the quill begins to write words, unbeknownst to the two siblings. After Jonathan insults her badly, she angrily tells him to "vanish and leave me alone forever!" which the book writes it down and causes Jonathan to vanish in a puff of smoke and magic dust transports him inside the book which horrifies Julia. Julia immediately regrets what she said and begs the book, as if it's a living being, to find a way to get him back.
(At this point until later, this is where the show from the 1975 version and the "new" version are the almost the same: a magic lute appears and plays by itself, The Minstrel appears before us and narrates in song, sings to Julia, takes her to the grand cavern with the golden throne, the grand portrait of William Shakespeare, a long table for a feast, and candelabras all around the cavern. The Ghosts of Shakespeare's plays who arrive for the feast are all here in the new version with two additions: Queen Elizabeth I and Silvia from The Two Gentleman of Verona.)
The feast goes remarkably well with Puck entertaining the ghosts, Queen Elizabeth notices Julia looking rather down and she gestures Julia to come to her at the golden throne to ask her what's wrong. Julia explains to Elizabeth that she had a nasty argument with her twin brother and wished for him to vanish because of him being rude and "unfair" towards her. Elizabeth thinks that it was probably because Jonathan was unappreciated for the hard work he did and only acted out to get attention because he felt that he's been invisible, even his own sister. Julia realizes this and she promises to do everything she can to fix it which makes the Queen very happy. Suddenly, after the ghosts and Julia perform a beautiful waltz, the wind grows cold and strong to the point where the candles go out; the ghosts are terrified as to what is causing it.
A dark shadow appears before them that transforms into the Ghost of Lady Macbeth which instantly terrifies the other ghosts (with the exception of Queen Elizabeth I and Julia). Lady Macbeth is offended that they have held a banquet without inviting her and is asking why; Julia bluntly tells her that she "caused a great downfall to her own husband Macbeth that led to his doom, so of course they wouldn't invite you, you wicked fool!". Lady Macbeth is instantly angry and decides to punish her (and the ghosts) the same way she punished a "insolent young man", which Julia realizes that Lady Macbeth was the one controlling the old book after all and she takes the book and opens which suddenly materializes Jonathan. Julia is happy to see her brother and apologizes to him for not appreciating the hard work he has done for the show, which causes him to apologize for "acting out very badly"; they make up which causes Lady Macbeth to summon Caliban from The Tempest in rage.
They both cast a spell to "get rid" of the ghosts, leaving Julia and Jonathan behind; Lady Macbeth and Caliban corners them, but Romeo and Queen Elizabeth return in an attempt help the two siblings. Jonathan notices Caliban attempting to cast a spell at his sister and shoves her out of the way, the spell was a knock-out spell which Lady Macbeth orders the creature to "deal with the insolent fool". Caliban unpins his cloak and puts it above his unconscious body and uses his dark magic to float the body in midair and pulls it, causing the body to vanish. Julia is shocked and begs for someone to help them, Queen Elizabeth notices the grand sword next to the throne and picks it up, threatening the two villains with it; Lady Macbeth fearfully asks if that is the great sword Excalibur which Elizabeth confirms. Elizabeth uses it to summon the ghost of the great wizard Prospero also from The Tempest to not only bring Jonathan back (which he does with his strong powers), but to end Lady Macbeth and Caliban's chaos. Lady Macbeth attempts to stop this but Elizabeth stabs her in the stomach, which the sword's pure magic causes her to melt away.
(Also the battle between Prospero and Caliban the same in both versions with Prospero in a new, more grand costume.)
Prospero walks towards the group but Caliban attempts to kill him with a dark sword. Suddenly, Jonathan quickly grabs Excalibur and starts a small sword fight with the monster. Caliban is defeated and grounded to the floor with an angry Jonathan exclaiming: "This ends now!!". As he raises the sword to end Caliban once and for all, Julia intervenes and stops Jonathan and begs him to spare Caliban for he has been "vilified by so many people for over 400 years" and "has never been shown a kind heart". Julia gets Caliban's cloak and shows him kindness that he has never experienced and becomes terrified of it as well, he runs away deep in the caverns. Prospero tells Julia that he has been moved by what she has done and also tells Jonathan that he is very lucky to have a sister like her, something that Jonathan definitely agrees with.
The ghosts say their goodbyes to Julia and Jonathan, they suddenly notice a magic force that takes them back to the Globe Theater which then causes both the book and the quill to vanish without a trace. They both tell the other actors of what they experienced but they all don't believe them, Jonathan then takes this time to apologize to all of them and explains his behavior, they forgive him and decide to go home to get ready for the "final day of dress rehearsals tomorrow", the last ones to leave are the two siblings who walk out together, hand and hand. As the music swells, the curtain closes, ending the show.
What do you think? Is this worthy for it's own Concept thread?
So I've been thinking up this one for a while:
Half concept/half something old. I was thinking of seeing B&M making a floorless "Drachen Fire" recreation. Doesn't have to be exact, but I'm thinking something like what Kennywood did with Phantom's Revenge. So a recreation of the general path, general elements, but in an order and fashion that isn't as harsh as before.
In this concept I would name it "Drachens Spirit" and come up with a backstory and a theme of Drachen (I know the word is in German) being the ancient guardian of the Pyrenees mountains and the country of Spain. In a battle to protect the country, Drachen perished, and the ride is his spirit still patrolling the mountains.
This would serve as a gateway to a long rumored Spain land that the park could/might/might not do.
Half concept/half something old. I was thinking of seeing B&M making a floorless "Drachen Fire" recreation. Doesn't have to be exact, but I'm thinking something like what Kennywood did with Phantom's Revenge. So a recreation of the general path, general elements, but in an order and fashion that isn't as harsh as before.
In this concept I would name it "Drachens Spirit" and come up with a backstory and a theme of Drachen (I know the word is in German) being the ancient guardian of the Pyrenees mountains and the country of Spain. In a battle to protect the country, Drachen perished, and the ride is his spirit still patrolling the mountains.
This would serve as a gateway to a long rumored Spain land that the park could/might/might not do.
I'm fairly certain that the park would like DF completely wiped clean of everybody's memory. But as a concept, you never know. Then there's the reality of DF's red headed stepchild having the possibility of completely sucking donkey balls. The park would never recover.
The Drachen Fyre layout would make a fairly decent B&M wing rider tbh.
Drachengeist. Let Alpengeist's B&M rattle get any more out of control, paint it blue, and you will have Alpengeist with the spirit (Geist) of the infamous Drachen.
Boom! Everyone's dreams come true by recent SEAS logic.
Boom! Everyone's dreams come true by recent SEAS logic.
S&S at Busch Gardens?
Before I share my thoughts, I want to say that I don't believe this is in any way likely at least within the next 10-20 years. That being said, also I realize this sounds crazy and completely stupid for business, but I thought I'd share these anyways so try not to bash too hard. This is purely fan fantasy and under the assumption that S&S owns Arrow products.
Obviously, this would be in Verbolten's site ultimately replacing it and returning the Wolf. With S&S working with Busch, they would work to create a prototype with the same layout as the original Wolf, perfected in design to decrease maintenance and increase reliability and smoothness. However, nothing would be the same as the original. Replacing a favorite launch coaster to a lot of people with this only appeals to enthusiasts of old Busch Gardens alone. If Verbolten were to cause problems in the future, which is doubtful, and the park was looking to replace it, a return of the Wolf could be interesting.
This, on the other hand, I believe should happen and soon. After riding Skyhawk at Cedar Point, a high thrill flat like this would be much appreciated. I invisioned one of these fitting next to Apollo's Chariot in Festa Italia or in New France as a Catapult replacement, either themed respectively to their hamlet. This crossed my mind years ago before Tempesto and InvadR were built and the concept would probably be better accepted without those two rides already existing.
Before Battle for Eire, (which I think is much better than this tower) I thought about that old concept from the 90s and how that could be implemented into Ireland as an indoor/outdoor launching tower ride out of castle ruins.
Again, none of this is likely but it's three models that S&S could produce for Busch Gardens. I'm not looking to create a developed concept with any of this but they are just ideas.
Before I share my thoughts, I want to say that I don't believe this is in any way likely at least within the next 10-20 years. That being said, also I realize this sounds crazy and completely stupid for business, but I thought I'd share these anyways so try not to bash too hard. This is purely fan fantasy and under the assumption that S&S owns Arrow products.
S&S Suspended Coaster
Obviously, this would be in Verbolten's site ultimately replacing it and returning the Wolf. With S&S working with Busch, they would work to create a prototype with the same layout as the original Wolf, perfected in design to decrease maintenance and increase reliability and smoothness. However, nothing would be the same as the original. Replacing a favorite launch coaster to a lot of people with this only appeals to enthusiasts of old Busch Gardens alone. If Verbolten were to cause problems in the future, which is doubtful, and the park was looking to replace it, a return of the Wolf could be interesting.
S&S Screamin Swing
This, on the other hand, I believe should happen and soon. After riding Skyhawk at Cedar Point, a high thrill flat like this would be much appreciated. I invisioned one of these fitting next to Apollo's Chariot in Festa Italia or in New France as a Catapult replacement, either themed respectively to their hamlet. This crossed my mind years ago before Tempesto and InvadR were built and the concept would probably be better accepted without those two rides already existing.
S&S Space Shot/Turbo Drop
Before Battle for Eire, (which I think is much better than this tower) I thought about that old concept from the 90s and how that could be implemented into Ireland as an indoor/outdoor launching tower ride out of castle ruins.
Again, none of this is likely but it's three models that S&S could produce for Busch Gardens. I'm not looking to create a developed concept with any of this but they are just ideas.
Scrapping Verbolten and bringing back the Big Bad Wolf is a fanboy fantasy of mine ever since riding Ninja at Six Flags Magic Mountain. I’m just desperate for a suspended on the East Coast again. Between bringing back the Wolf and Project Madrid being a killer giga of some sort, Busch Gardens Williamsburg could make Kings Dominion look like Six Flags America.AIR said:
I may be biased, but I get the feeling that Verbolten is far from acclaimed. The Big Bad Wolf placed 24th on the Golden Ticket Awards steel list its final year of operation. Verbolten has yet to place in the list of 50.
Also, yes to a Screamin Swing. I experienced the greatness of this flat ride at Valleyfair.
On second thought, if the return of the Big Bad Wolf is impossible, or if it would have to be tamed to the point where it's as weak as Iron Dragon for it to not be a maintenance nightmare, then the next best thing - or possibly even better - to replace Verbolten would be an RMC Topper Track woodie.
The Black Forest motif would have made much more sense for a wooden coaster tearing through the forest than for a launch coaster whipping through a show building. They should have gone with GCI for 2012, but I have a feeling corporate mandated a launch coaster or something. Oh well, InvadR is a very good family wooden coaster, so a more intense wooden coaster would be an excellent complement. Such a ride could also compete with Twisted Timbers, if not Lightning Rod or El Toro.
As for a layout, they should send trains the opposite direction to start the ride. The Big Bad Wolf's ending turns become a quiet prelift. (Vaguely inspired by GhostRider's prelift).
I'm biased for sure, but I'd be happy seeing even empty space or a Howl-O-Scream trail replacing Verbolten.
The Black Forest motif would have made much more sense for a wooden coaster tearing through the forest than for a launch coaster whipping through a show building. They should have gone with GCI for 2012, but I have a feeling corporate mandated a launch coaster or something. Oh well, InvadR is a very good family wooden coaster, so a more intense wooden coaster would be an excellent complement. Such a ride could also compete with Twisted Timbers, if not Lightning Rod or El Toro.
As for a layout, they should send trains the opposite direction to start the ride. The Big Bad Wolf's ending turns become a quiet prelift. (Vaguely inspired by GhostRider's prelift).
I'm biased for sure, but I'd be happy seeing even empty space or a Howl-O-Scream trail replacing Verbolten.