The first faire mayor I remember was Firesign Theatre's David Ossman (with the Phils; Proctor, Bergman and Austin; playing the Sheriff, Duke of Earl and Earl of Duke in no particular order). He was good but I thought that J. Paul was even better (of course, because he was really Robin Hood!). My favorite however was (may god rest his huge and loving soul) Mr. Scott Beach.

Scott Beach was big. When I finally got a chance to meet and work with him out of faire, I was at first surprised that he was anything close to human size. On stage, he carried himself like one of those three person puppets; he was impossible to ignore.

Scott Beach was loud. Even if you couldn't get a seat for the noon show and were forced to stand in the back of the house you could hear him. Clearly. I remember once being somewhere else in the faire during the show and laughing when I heard in the distance the two loudest elements of the faire at that time; the horns of the band punctuating proclamations by Scott Beach (Clare Zero, who I think only did Agoura, was a very close second in volume, for when Clare, also very much talented and beloved, at the end of the day stood on the Maybower balcony and sang "The Faire Is Closed" east, south, north and west it all got a bit quieter for when we heard him - and we most certainly did - we all stopped, looked up and listened).

And yes, Scott Beach was very, very funny. As much as anyone I saw on stage back then, his size, sound and humor inspired me to reach further as a faire performer than might otherwise have seemed possible. Who cares about the mayor, I wanted to grow up and be Scott Beach!

Ah but age along with whatever speck of wisdom I've been lucky enough to acquire has helped me accept this fact: there can ever only be one Scott Beach (may he be forever as blessed as we who have known him). But apparently, the role of mayor is not as exclusive as one might have thought for at one of the last faire of this year's season there's going to be yet another one; next weekend at Folsom, 39 years after my first faire, I will be mayor.

And, in that huge shadow cast by Mr. Beach, who has already shown us all how it could and should be done, I promise to be both big and loud. As for funny ... I'll try Scott, I really will...

And who knows? Maybe I'll inspire a fourteen year old actor enough to include me in their blog 39 years from now.

That would be nice.

 

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