The Prodigal. Stage Play Scene One

 

This script was given the John Gassner Memorial Award for Playwriting 2000.

 Adjudicated by Eric Bentley for The New England Theatre Conference,

                Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A

The Prodigal

 

A Stage Play

by

 

Daniel Magee

 

 

This script was given the John Gassner Memorial Award for Playwriting 2000.

Adjudicated by Eric Bentley for The New England Theatre Conference,

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.A.

© Copyright: Daniel Magee

92 Main Street, Apt 219, Deep River, CT.06417USA

Phone: (860) 526 5803 Email: Magill6@aol.com

ACT ONE

Scene One

THE PLAY OPENS IN THE McBRIDE HOUSEHOLD,

BELFAST. THE TIME IS THE PRESENT.

 

THE ROOM IS QUITE SMALL BUT RICH IN DECORATION. THE STYLE COULD BE DESCRIBED AS WORKING-CLASS PSEUDO-VICTORIAN.

IT SHOULD BE OBVIOUS TO THE AUDIENCE THAT A LOT OF CARE AND

LOVING ATTENTION HAS GONE INTO IT OVER MANY YEARS. THE OVERWHELMING FEELING IS ONE OF WARMTH AND COSINESS.

AN OLD-FASHIONED VALVE RADIO IS PLAYING ON A SHELF BY THE FIREPLACE. A COAL FIRE IS BLAZING AWAY IN THE GRATE. THERE IS A JOHN McCORMACK SONG PLAYING ON THE RADIO.

PRESENT IS AN OLD MAN. HE LOOKS LIKE WHAT HE WAS; A MANUAL LABOURER, EXCEPT NOW HE IS SCRUBBED CLEAN. HIS SEEMING AWKWARDNESS MAKES HIM LOOK A BIT LIKE A BULL IN A CHINA SHOP’. IT IS ONLY AFTER WATCHING HIM FOR SOME MOMENTS THAT WE NOTICE THAT HE HAS A DEFT AND GENTLE TOUCH AS HE POTTERS AROUND TENDING SOME POT PLANTS.

HE LOOKS OVERDRESSED; A SUNDAY-BEST SUIT, A SHIRT COLLAR WHICH IS OBVIOUSLY PINCHING AND NEW SHOES WHICH SQUEAK AS HE MOVES ABOUT THE ROOM.

HE IS HUMMING ALONG WITH THE RECORD AS HE GOES, PAUSING BRIEFLY AT MOMENTS TO SAVOUR CERTAIN PASSAGES AND TRACING THE MUSIC IN THE AIR WITH HIS FREE HAND.

A WOMAN (LATE TWENTIES) APPEARS IN THE DOORWAYY BEHIND HIM. HE IS UNAWARE OF HER PRESENCE, LOST IN HIS CHORES AND THE MUSIC.

THIS IS MOIRA, HIS DAUGHTER. AS SOON AS SHE SEES HIM SHE STOPS AND STANDS WATCHING HIM, HER ARMS FOLDED ACROSS HER CHEST … THE LOOK ON HER FACE WE CAN TELL THAT SHE IS SOMEWHAT SURPRISED AT HIS APPEARANCE. SHE LOOKS HIM UP AND DOWN FOR A WHILE BEFORE SPEAKING.

MOIRA Da, what the …

FATHER (WITHOUT TURNING) Listen to that, Moira Do .you know who it is?

MOIRA John McCormick What are ...you doing all dressed up

FATHER (Ignores her words) Do you know what Caruso once said to McCormick … They met in the lobby of a Hotel … Boston, I think it was?

MOIRA What, Da?

FATHER Well, McCormick … in deference to the great man … put his hand out and said, “And how’s the World’s greatest tenor feeling this morning (Beat) Do you know what Caruso said

MOIRA Da, never mind what Caruso said to …

FATHER He gripped McCormick by the hand and said, “That’s just what I was going to ask you, Mister McCormick” (Beat) Now, what do you think of that ?

MOIRA I think it’s a lovely story, Da (Beat) Now, what are you doing all dressed up in your Sunday-best?

FATHER (Suddenly crabby) What’d you think … I’m going down to see Mister John

MOIRA (SARCASTIC) Mister’ John I’m the one going down to see Mister, bloody, John (SHE MOVES ACROSS TO THE MANTEL-PIECE, TALKING AS SHE GOES) you and your Mister’ John (IS RUMMAGING AROUND THE MANTEL-PIECE)

FATHER Now, now, Moira there’s no use you going down in that frame of mind It’s just some stupid mistake I’ll go down and …

MOIRA Have you got that letter ?

FATHER ‘Letter’? What letter?

MOIRA (MARCHING UP TO HIM WITH HER HAND OUT) you know rightly what letter (SHE DELVES INTO HIS POCKET AND EXTRACTS THE LETTER)

FATHER That’s a very rude thing to do especially to your Father

MOIRA Jasus, Da, if you didn’t exist somebody’d have to invent you … Rude’? (Beat) Have you read this (Waits) Well, have you

FATHER Of course I’ve, bloody, read it … and I’m telling you It’s just some sort’a mistake …

MOIRA A mistake???

FATHER Aye … It has to be

MOIRA (Suddenly light) Y’know, you might be right, there

FATHER Of course I’m right … you’ll see I’ll just go down and …

MOIRA (Continues) Like a typing error, maybe ?

(Beat) It likely started out as a wee note asking after your health … y’know … (Beat) then some dimwit of a secretary went and banged out a three page, eviction, bloody, notice by mistake

FATHER Now, Moira, don’t you be going running away

MOIRA Running away with meself? … If you blew the small print up so as you’d be able to read the bloody thing it would give the Encyclopaedia Britannia a half-decent run for its money …

FATHER I’m not a complete eejit, Moira … I know what it is … It still has to be a mistake … That whole thing about ‘eviction’ … It has to be … Likely a bit of paperwork got mixed up … lay you odds they’ve got one of them ‘computer yokes’ rigged up … Remember what happened with the gas bill last year ?

MOIRA (DRYLY) Aye, Da

FATHER Well there you are, then

MOIRA Aye, Da, here I am, then (STOPS HER FATHER, WHO IS ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING) Besides, even if you were going to go down to see him, it’s a bit early, isn’t it … It’s only gone eight o’clock

FATHER Aye, but you know what they say … It’s the early bird catches the worm

MOIRA Da, the worm you’re talking about catching doesn’t get into his Office til after Ten (MOIRA MAKES HER WAY TOWARDS THE SCULLERY)

FATHER There you go again … and what do you mean … even’ if I was going down to see him you don’t think I got meself up like this for the good of me health, do you ?

MOIRA (SHOUTS FROM SCULLERY) No, Da not by the look of that collar, I didn’t its strangling you Do you want tea?

FATHER Aye, love, tea’d be great (Beat) It’s not so much the collar, it’s the starch … I’ve laid concrete that wouldn’t hold a candle to it I don’t know how them Fellas in Offices can stand wearing them all, bloody, day-long

MOIRA Aye, Da and they don’t know how Fellas like you could stand working out in the rain … all. bloody, day-long

FATHER I think I’d rather have the rain (MOIRA ENTERS WITH THE TEA AND PUTS A CUP BEDSIDE HIM AND SITS ACROSS FROM HIM)

MOIRA I was just wondering, Da

FATHER Oh, Aye? … What were you wondering ?

MOIRA Oh, nothing … Just … Well … (SIPS HER TEA)

FATHER Aye Well … what?

MOIRA What our Declan would make of all this if he was here

FATHER ‘Our Declan’ … He’s always in the back of your mind, isn’t he … Well, he’s not here to make anything of it, is he? … Thank God

MOIRA He phoned me at work last week

FATHER (SOMEWHAT ALARMED) You didn’t say anything, did you

MOIRA About what?

FATHER What do you think … that … That, bloody letter

MOIRA No, Da … you can relax

FATHER (RELIEVED) Phoned you’, did he … I didn’t know you were allowed to make phone calls outt’a Prison …

MOIRA He’s not in Prison … As well you know

FATHER Aye, well, our Declan’s like that … you know that he’s not in Prison, and then … the next thing you know is … he is in Prison … They’ve some new-fangled word for it … Ra’, something-or-bloody-other

MOIRA Aye, al’right, Da … the word’s ‘recidivist’, and our Declan isn’t

FATHER Aye, ‘recidivist’, that’s it … I heard some half-arsed ‘Socio’-something-or-other’ going on about it on the Wireless the other day … (Beat) Doesn’t it sound ‘grand’ … you’d think, hearing it, that it was something you’d have to go to University to qualify for, wouldn’t you … (BEAT) In my day he’d a’been called what he is … A bloody Hooligan

MOIRA Da, I didn’t say he was a Saint … I said he isn’t in Prison, that’s all

FATHER So? … he’s in a gutter somewhere in that Godforsaken town of London … What’s the difference

MOIRA I can assure you, Da, he’s in no gutter

FATHER Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know

MOIRA Aye, al’right, Da I won’t tell you

FATHER It’s likely got great, bloody, chandeliers hanging all over it … But if he has anything to do with it, it’ll still be a gutter

MOIRA Whatever you say, Da … (GETS UP AND EXITS TO THE SCULLERY)

THE FATHER WATCHES AFTER HER FOR SOME MOMENTS BEFORE GETTING UP AND STANDING IN FRONT OF THE MIRROR TO CHECK HIS APPEARANCE.

END OF SCENE