Hot Air Balloon (rock opera)
Hot Air Balloon is a rock opera written in 1998 by Jon Gutwillig, guitarist and founding member of The Disco Biscuits, a Philadelphia based trance fusion jam band.
Hot Air Balloon was first performed on December 31, 1998 at the Silk City Lounge in Philadelphia. The debut was unannounced and fans attending the show were given a pamphlet containing accompanying stories for each of the songs.
The opera has been performed in its entirety eight times. It was also performed on April 1, 2002, but with "Aquatic Ape" replacing the title song, "Hot Air Balloon", as an April Fool's joke. However, "Hot Air Balloon" lyrics were sung during parts of "Aquatic Ape". In addition, the entire second act (and Eulogy) were played on February 2, 1999.
An unemployed wayward inventor who bounced aimlessly from idea to idea, until he invented the world's first aircraft, the hot air balloon. He was convinced by Morris Mulberry that the idea could be profitable and that the two of them should start a service shuttling people across the sea in hot air balloons. The business, called Hot Air Balloon Traveling, became successful and attracted the attention of Manilla Trane, the entrepreneur whose capital ran much of the town. Corrinado refused to sell Hot Air Balloon Traveling, and even worse, kindles a romance with Manilla's beautiful wife, Leora of the Sequoias. Manilla forcibly overtook the business and had Corrinado arrested and sentenced for building "the devil's flying machine."
The young trophy wife of Manilla Trane, known throughout town as a terrific chef. She earned her nickname because of her height as well as the size of her hair, which, according to the townspeople, looked as if were held up by branches. Lack of attention from her husband turned her into an insomniac, and she was often seen late at night staring out the window of the high tower of Manilla's fortress.
Extraordinarily wealthy entrepreneur whose riches allows him to control the entire town. As a young man, he began to amass his fortune by peddling weapons. He possesses a small army of extremely loyal men who will do his every whim. An avid arts collector, he married Leora of the Sequoias on the steps of his brand new museum. He is known as an extremely demanding and unforgiving tyrant.
A somewhat conniving, albeit benevolent, street hustler. He convinced Corrinado that the two of them could start a highly successful business by using Corrinado¹s hot air balloon invention to shuttle people across the sea. He mysteriously vanished one month after Hot Air Balloon Travelling was destroyed and Corrinado was arrested.
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