Illustrate a surreal stage scene featuring a group of performers. At the center, several characters draped in loose, flowing garments with headscarves, in an ethereal blue palette, hold aloft a protagonist clad in an elaborate coat and scarf. Capture the weightlessness of the moment, emphasizing the floating figure's posture with meticulous cross-hatching, conveying both effort and lightness in the supporting characters' hands and stance. In the background, a retro propeller plane named 'Solitaire' rests ominously, partially illuminated. Surrounding the scene are flocks of abstract paper birds flying towards a large full moon, the wings intricately detailed with cross-hatching to create shadow and dimension. Minimalistic stage props--gears, ropes, and lanterns--add a steampunk touch. The color palette should reflect a dreamlike dusk, blending purples, blues, and pinks. Keep the figures' faces expressionless, evoking a sense of melancholy and isolation, as if they are characters trapped between reality and dream. The composition should create a delicate balance between motion and stillness, leaving the viewer with a lingering sense of ambiguity and longing.