By Alex Grosset, Arts and Entertainment
2/3/282-After numerous delays and financial setbacks, renowned venue promoter Salvador Bidlittles’ month long expo based on Henri Duhamel’s “Heaven’s Rogues” stories opened in Sau Anoit last week. The reception from fans has been lackluster, to be kind.
“They promised us a faithful recreation of the stories’ world and characters,” said Bernice, a fan from Sau Anoit. “They said it would be like stepping into the pages of the stories themselves. What we have instead is a kitschy mock up full of papier-mâché and bubbles. (Expletive removed) bubbles!”
The price of admission for one day at the expo costs in excess of ten Imperions, two months wages for the average person in “Heaven’s Rogues” demographic. For some attendees, however, the cost was much greater.
“I came here all the way from Walsh, clear on the other side of the Triumvirate,” said Lanciel Harker. “The trip cost ten times as much as the ticket. Took me half a year to save up. I was expecting fine dishes based on those in the books; I got day old strudel. I wanted to hear the music realized; I got some dive bar musician plinking out a barely changed version of Bandiel’s Leitmotif on an out of tune harpsichord. And the live theatre we were told would be occurring throughout the event? It’s amounted to one vignette during lunch, cut short when the actress succumbed to botulism and soiled herself mid-monologue.”
Even more people slated to attend the event never made it, as their tickets were booked for the Expo’s original venue in Val Coursais. They claim they were never informed of the change to Sau Anoit.
While Salvador Bidlittles made a name for himself nearly two decades ago and has put on some of the most lavish and well regarded productions over his career, a string of flops in recent years has left the famed promoter floundering. Critics are saying this disaster will prove to be the final nail in the proverbial coffin.
And it’s a shame, really. When the Expo was announced, Bidlittles promised an amusement unlike any other, a venue for people fond of Duhamel’s work to live in and partake of their favorite fictional universe. It was even said that Duhamel was working very closely with Bidlittles and his designers to ensure the utmost authenticity. It was meant to be a revitalization of Bidlittles’ career, and one cannot deny that the idea was bold. Alas, it seems as though it was not to be.
The “Heaven’s Rogues” Expo closed its door a mere four days into its thirty day run.
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Author’s Note: So, the original part of this story was over a hundred installments ago. Hey, sometimes these smaller stories get lost along the way. Here’s the first part:
Blackwood Empire 