Character guide

Consuelo

major

Also known as Consuelo Alfred, Consuelo Father, Consuelo Laughing, Consuelo Bezano, Consuelo Jim, Consuelo Foui, Consuelo Zinida, foolish little Consuelo, dear little Consuelo, O Consuelo, Enter Consuelo

A bareback rider whose beauty and laughter are bought and sold by the men around her, while she asks only where Bezano has gone.

Zinida

major

Also known as Madame Zinida, Madame, Zinida Bezano, Zinida Drawing, Zinida One, Zinida Count, Zinida Everybody, Zinida To Briquet, Zinida Whispering, this Mancini

The lion tamer who reads everyone's chains, including her own, and tells the clown the truth he refuses to hear about Consuelo.

Bezano

supporting

Also known as Consuelo Bezano, Bezano Drily

The rider Consuelo calls for the moment she enters, whose absence from the intermission chatter makes his presence felt all the more.

Jackson

supporting

Also known as the famous Jackson, Jackson Clown, Clown, Jackson Seriously, Jackson Aha

Jackson leads the clowns into the ring and holds court backstage, greeting He's record fifty-two slaps with a toast and a warning: the crowd wants slaps, not puzzles, and Providence should be left in peace. He is generous with praise and quick to shut down anything that smacks of literature or sacrilege, because he knows exactly what an audience will pay for. His seasoned eye makes him the yardstick He must eclipse, and his running commentary on applause, whiskey, and clean slaps sets the comic code of the circus world.

Baron Regnard

supporting

Also known as Baron, the Baron, The Baron, Thomas Baron, Thomas The Baron, Baron Consuelo, Baron No, The Usher Baron Regnard

Baron Regnard stands in evening dress with a rose in his buttonhole, gazing at Consuelo and calling her father a charlatan and a beggar even as he begs to kiss her hand. He cannot marry her, he insists, yet he cannot stop loving her, and his jealousy fixes on the new clown He and on the handsome Bezano. His frustrated desire and contempt for the circus folk make him a volatile presence in the early backstage scenes, where money, rank, and appetite collide.

Unknown

major

Also known as I, me, mine

A nameless clown who turns his own public humiliation into a nightly act, slapping and being slapped while the crowd roars for more.

Count Mancini

major

Also known as Mancini, Count, Mancini Horrified, Mancini Madame Zinida, Mancini Alfred, Mancini Tss, Mancini Laughing, Mancini Ashamed, Mancini Auguste, Mancini The Baron, Mancini To Bezano, Mancini Uneasy, Mancini Tsss, Mancini Disturbed, the Counts Mancini

A titled father who trades his daughter's salary for lace cuffs and family tradition, brandishing a cane-sword when refused a hundred francs.

Papa Briquet

supporting

Also known as Briquet, Polly, Papa, Jack, Even Briquet, Briquet Angrily, Enter Briquet, Briquet Pleased, Briquet Groaning

The circus manager who measures a good slap like a crystal and refuses Mancini a single sou, though the Count threatens to take Consuelo away.

Tilly

minor

Also known as Tilly Ah, Tilly Zinida, Tilly Trembling

A character associated with Zinida, possibly a servant or confidante.

Henry

minor

Also known as Henry Tss

A minor character with limited appearances.

Louis

minor

A minor character mentioned briefly.

Angelica

minor

Also known as Angelica The Count, Count

A countess or noblewoman with a small role.

Countess Veronica

minor

Also known as Veronica, the Countess Veronica, Countess Veronica Mancini

A countess connected to Mancini.

Auguste

minor

Also known as Mancini Auguste

A minor character, possibly a servant or relative.

Daddy

minor

A minor character, possibly a familial figure.

Jim

minor

Also known as Consuelo Jim

A character associated with Consuelo.

Thomas

minor

Also known as Thomas Baron

A minor character, possibly a servant or noble.

Conductor

minor

Also known as The Conductor Consuelo

A conductor, likely in the circus or theater.

Beauty

minor

A minor character, possibly a performer or descriptor.

Eve

minor

A minor character, possibly a biblical allusion or name.