courage

A sensuous undertaking
by temi (brodkey) rose  

ACT Four ~ In the Hall

Scene One: Tragedy

Ballet #4: Shock. Lights come up on Hope standing in the center of an empty stage in shock. Her inner battles are raging to such an extent, that she cannot move. She cannot choose an action. This ballet is motionless. Lights fade to black on Hope’s despair.

Ballet #5: Rage and Grief. Begins in the blackout as pure sound. One protracted scream. Silence. Lights come up abruptly. Hope is now pacing and punching the air, stamping. These physical manifestations of avoidance and rage, transform to a centralizing sobbing. Lights go out abruptly bringing instantaneous and complete silence onstage.

Scene Two: Comedy

On an empty stage, bright lights suitable for vaudeville: canned music or actor/esses provide comedic musical intros and outros for Brenda and Bruce (costumed appropriately) play the man and woman in the three vaudeville routines.
Posh.

Woman: It’s been ages since we’ve seen Eleanor and Jack.
Man: Eleanor’s dead.
Woman: Really? Jack too?
Man: I don’t know.
Woman: How’s our money holding up?
Man: Not bad.
Woman: I’d like to visit the children.
Man: They don’t like us.
Woman: That’s only partly true. You don’t like them.
Man: It’s the same thing.
Woman: I don’t know why you have to like them to see them. We see so many people we don’t like and it doesn’t seem to bother you at all.
Music confirms the joke.
Not posh.
Woman: I can’t take it anymore.
Man: What?
Woman: Everything.
Man: I know what you mean.
Woman: You don’t know what I’m talking about.
Man: Does that matter?
Woman: I don’t know.
Man: Often I have pondered the meaning of my existence.
Woman: You’re drunk. You don’t have any meaning.
Man: Why is that?
Woman: Why is what?
Man: That I have no meaning.
Woman: Because you’re drunk.
Man: Winston Churchill was drunk when he saved western civilization.
Woman: So?
Man: He had meaning.
Woman: How do you know? No one knows what goes on inside another person.
Man: Are you meaningless?
Woman: No. I am too full of meaning. Everybody says so.
Man: They do?
Woman: They say I’m mean. I’m full of mean.      
Music confirms the joke.
At a restaurant, facing each other.
Man: I want a divorce.
Woman: Go ahead.
Man: What would you do without me?
Woman: I don’t know.
Man: It’s hot today.
Woman: Yes.
Man: Are you hot?
Woman: I’m thirsty.
Man: Are they going to bring us a drink?
Woman: I doubt it.
Man: Do you think they remember we’re here?
Woman: Maybe.
Man: They forgot all about us. I hate my diaper.
Woman: I want a divorce.
Blackout as confirming music fades.

Scene Three: Gray Area

Gina enters from the kitchen wearing wet plastic gloves, dripping on the floor.

Gina: I don’t know why it’s always me.
Hope: What do you want me to do about it?
Gina: What can you do about it?
Hope is surreptitiously drying the floor with whatever she can find nearby or on her person.
Hope: What choice do I have?
Gina exits into the kitchen, not mollified.
Hope: 10, 9, 8
She sits on the floor center stage.
Hope (starts again): 50, 49, 48, 47, 46, 45, 44
She takes a deep breath, sighs, places her head in her hands. Then she starts again, this time counting down from 100 until Raj enters.
Hope: 100, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95 ….
Raj: Demons for breakfast?
Hope:  Death in the afternoon.
Raj: Sunsets.
Hope: Lilac essence wafting on the breeze.
Raj: Hyacinths.
Hope: Moonflowers.
Raj: I withdraw, bow to the master. What can I do to help?
Hope: You can lift me out of myself (he extends his hand, she takes it and rises) and into a brand new -
Raj: - shell of a life to -
Hope: - protect me? Maybe. No. I don’t know what I want.
Raj and Hope begin their exit downstage towards the kitchen.
Hope: We must work, work…
Raj: Until there are no more orchards left to abandon to the axe.
Exeunt Raj and Hope, if possible, right off the stage into the audience. For a moment, the space is empty. Then Michael and Stephen sneak out of Connie’s room (stage right). Obviously, they have been smoking pot. They are still wearing their black suits from the funeral, now somewhat disheveled.
Stephen: What time is everybody coming?
Michael: I don’t know. What time is it now?
Stephen: I don’t know. What time did we get here?
Michael: What time did the funeral end?
Stephen: I don’t know. It went on forever.
Michael: It’s Dad.
Stephen: What?
Michael: Dad was never brief.
Stephen: His life was pretty brief.
Michael: So what time is it now?
Stephen: I don’t know. The funeral was a thousand hours.
Connie enters through the front door (upstage center), sees her brothers, bursts into tears, throws herself into their embraces. They comfort her. Then -
Michael: Connie?
Connie: Hmm?
Michael: What time is it?
Connie: I don’t know.
Stephen: When are people getting here?
Connie: Why are you asking me? Why don’t you ask Mom? How would I know?
The young men shrug. She storms into her bedroom.  Almost immediately coming back, she glares at her brothers who stand frozen, rabbits in the headlights of Connie’s rapid fire accusations.
Connie: (sinister) You know this is my room, right? (The boys nod. Now she goes full throttle) Then what the fuck were you doing in here? (In a pregnant pause, the next thought occurs to her) You did not masturbate in here? (They shake their heads and deny vehemently) I hate you.
Connie exits into her room, slams the door as Frankie and Julie enter through the front door. Everyone is dressed in black, coming from Arthur’s funeral.
Julie: (To Michael & Stephen) Hi.
Michael & Stephen: Hi.
Frankie: Hey.
Michael: Hey.         
Stephen: Hi, Frankie.
Frankie: How’s your Mom doing?
Michael: Ok.
Stephen: Ok.
Frankie: Ok.
Loud music comes from Connie’s room.
Julie: What’s up with Connie?
The young men shrug as Hope and Gina (without her dripping gloves) enter from the kitchen. Hope addresses her sons.
Hope: Michael, Stephen, you can eat anything that isn’t for tomorrow. (seeing Julie) Oh Julie, Frankie, hi, I’m so glad you’re here.
Michael and Stephen exit to the kitchen.
Frankie: Is it ok if I? (He points toward the kitchen)
Hope: Sure, go ahead, that’s great, sure.
The three women embrace then stand in silence communicating comfort and loss.
Julie: We should articulate some of this.
Hope: Of course.
Gina: We should.
They stand in silence, mentally discarding
possible articulations.
Bruce and Brenda enter through the front door. Everyone hugs and ad libs comforting words. Bruce exits hurriedly to the bathroom.
Brenda: I can smoke on the balcony, right?
Hope: Sure.
Brenda: Julie, will you come with me?
Julie looks to Hope who shrugs.
Julie: I hate the smell, Brenda. Why don’t you quit that stuff?
Brenda: it’s good for you.
Julie: There’s conflicting data on that.
Brenda and Julie exit to the balcony.
Gina: I’m going to lie down. You have it all under control, right?
Hope: Sure.
Gina exits to the kitchen (beyond which is her bedroom). Hope stands alone, listening to the chatter of conversations coming from the kitchen, the music coming  from Connie’s room; Bruce flushes the toilet, re-enters.
Bruce: Hey, kid.
Hope: Hey, Bruce.
Bruce: Life goes on.
Hope: Yup. (she sighs) And on and on and on and on.
They laugh, embrace. He comforts her.
Lights fade
Scene Four: Turning
Much later that night.

Ballet #6 : Turning.
Hope shuts the front door, takes a big breath then gradually leans her body til she is tilted angularly with her forehead and palms leaning on the door. After a moment, she rolls herself to her left til she is leaning against the door facing forward, arms at her sides. She stands still against the door, while gentle tears slowly build and fall. Gradually she slides down the door til she’s sitting on the floor, knees to her chest. Finally, she lets her head fall to her knees.
Arthur enters keeping his back to the audience so we can’t see his face clearly, he slowly walks around the perimeter of the stage, gradually, sits down next to Hope and, kissing her gently, moves her forward, sliding in behind her until they are both facing the audience. Hope cradled by Arthur.

Arthur: I saw an angel. I could not believe my eyes.
Hope: I saw a soldier. He was shining.
Arthur: I caught you dancing in the moonlight, brought you closer and closer.
Hope: I was mesmerized by your intensity, your courage.
Arthur & Hope: I married my dream.
Hope: Then one day the world remembered our address and came calling.
Silence.
Arthur: A soldier must fight - to survive.
Hope:  A mother must nurture - to survive.
Arthur: When a man loves a woman.
Hope: When a woman loves a man.
Arthur: That love.
Hope: Is often compromised.
Arthur: By life’s inevitable (searches for the right word) demands.
Hope: Challenges.
Arthur: Pain must be overcome.
Hope: Exhaustion managed. We ignore our own needs.
Arthur: In order to keep order. In order to do.
Hope & Arthur: Our duty.
Arthur: Loss is just -
Hope: Emptiness.
Arthur: Nothing to grasp.
Hope: We all fall down. I hate you so much. I feel deserted, betrayed, abandoned, I hate you so much.
Arthur begins the round quietly.
Arthur: Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream…
Hope enters the round.
Hope: Row, row, row your boat, gently down the stream…
They each sing the song three times;  then Arthur ends his round.
Arthur: Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
And Hope ends hers.
Hope: Merrily. merrily, merrily, merrily, life is but a dream.
Suddenly, Arthur stands up. He sounds really angry and may use his full vocal range.
Arthur: I regret nothing. I’d do it again. All of it. Every second. Every minute. All of it. I’d do it all again.
Hope (in a very tiny voice): Me too.
Blackout.

Scene Five: Morning

Ballet #7 : Morning. When the light returns, it is morning. A new day. Hope is asleep in a fetal position by the front door. Connie enters from her bedroom, barely awake, she crosses upstage to the bathroom, stretching, yawning, burping, farting, she doesn’t notice her mother asleep on the floor. Connie exits into the bathroom. Hope yawns, stretches, walks into the kitchen to the start of Act Two and the end of Act Four.

FIN

Script

john leo, temi rose (elena sapora hidden), sophie nimmannit