LIZZIE NUNNERY
The Sum
a play with songs
For Rita, my Mum
Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Acknowledgements
Premiere Productions
Characters
Songs
Note on the Set and Dialogue
The Sum
Scene One
Scene Two
Scene Three
Scene Four
Scene Five
Scene Six
Scene Seven
Scene Eight
Scene Nine
Scene Ten
Scene Eleven
Scene Twelve
Scene Thirteen
Scene Fourteen
Scene Fifteen
Scene Sixteen
Scene Seventeen
Scene Eighteen
Scene Nineteen
Scene Twenty
Scene Twenty-One
Scene Twenty-Two
Scene Twenty-Three
About the Author
By the Same Author
Copyright
Acknowledgements
Thank you to Suzanne Bell, Cora Bissett,
Craig Gilbert, Hayley Greggs, Laura Hall,
Bryony Lavery, Sarah Nunnery Jones,
Jane Owens at the Citizens Advice Bureau,
Helen Perry, Lindsay Rodden, Sue Troake,
the women of the Epsy Centre, and all actors
who contributed to the development of the piece.
The play was originally developed through the
Bruntwood Salon Playwrights scheme as part of
the Bruntwood Hub at the Royal Exchange Theatre
and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.
The Sum was first performed at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, on 6 May 2017. The cast was as follows:
Alan McClasker Patrick Brennan
Paul Walsh George Caple
Iris Brennan Pauline Daniels
Eve Brennan Laura Dos Santos
Lisa Brennan Emily Hughes
Ismael Tengku Tom Kanji
Faisa Ahmed Asha Kingsley
Theresa Tago Melanie La Barrie
Bryn Hughes Dean Nolan
Gabi Kalnietis Zelina Rebeiro
Steph O’Sullivan Keddy Sutton
Danny Scott Liam Tobin
Director Gemma Bodinetz
Composer and Musical Director Vidar Norheim
Designers Molly Elizabeth Lacey Davies, Jocelyn Meall and Michael Vale
Lighting Designer Aideen Malone
Sound Designer Fergus O’Hare
Choreographer Charlotte Broom
Musician Martin Heslop
Costume Supervisor Jacquie Davies
Associate Director Chris Tomlinson
Associate Lighting Designer Kay Haynes
YEP Assistant Director Chantell Walker
Casting Director Sam Stevenson
Characters
Eve Brennan
thirty-one, from Liverpool 8
Danny Scott
thirty-one, from Liverpool 8
Lisa Brennan
fourteen, Eve’s daughter
Alan McClasker
forty, from Lancashire
Iris Brennan
sixty-four, Eve’s mum
The Staff
Steph O’Sullivan
thirties, from Liverpool 8
Theresa Tago
fifties, non-white, from Trinidad
Gabi Kalnietis
twenties, Lithuanian descent, from Liverpool 8
Faisa Ahmed
twenties, Muslim, from Iran
Ismael Tengku
forties, Malaysian
Bryn Hughes
thirties,Welsh
Paul Walsh
twenties, from Liverpool
Songs
1 Forgive Me If I Smile: Scene 1
2 Whole Again: Scene 3 (reprise Scenes 9, 23)
3 Dawn Light: Scene 5
4 Magical Times: Scene 6 (reprise Scenes 19, 22)
5 Zero Hour Blues: Scene 8
6 Sand: Scene 8
7 Why Have It Hard? Scene 11 (reprise Scene 16)
8 One Day I Want to Get Straight: Scene 12
9 Smile and a Knife: Scene 13
10 Where’s Your Soul? Scene 17 (reprise Scene 21)
11 Poverty Knocks: Scene 23
Lyrics by Lizzie Nunnery
Music by Lizzie Nunnery/Vidar Norheim
For musical scores apply to the writer’s agent
The Set
The assorted contents of a life: heaps of clothes, crockery, ornaments, books, loose photographs, cutlery, plant pots, tins, dried food, wine bottles, glasses, ill-matching furniture including a bed, table and armchair – nothing of much financial worth. Amongst all this are various musical instruments. All locations are created from this jumble.
Notes
A dash ( – ) at the end of a line indicates an interruption
An ellipsis ( … ) indicates a search for a thought or words
THE SUM
SCENE ONE
FORGIVE ME IF I SMILE
Eve surrounded by darkness, working out maths with a pen and paper.
Eve … Plus 65p for a loaf of bread + £1.52 mild cheddar + £1.45 rice + £1.80 for a tin of tuna + £2 bag of apples + £1.36 frozen mince = £220.63. (Beat.) I’m a number’s person. Always have been. Give me a sum, I can do it. Give me a spreadsheet, I can balance it. And everything’s a balance: time and money and energy, work and home and sleeping and waking. Wanting and planning.
Lights broaden on a hardware superstore, late afternoon. Eve is at a desk in the office. Paul and Bryn stack tins of paint. Ismael pushes trolleys of goods, unloads them. Theresa mops floors. Steph puts a cup of tea on Eve’s desk. As Steph moves away Eve squeezes her hand. Gabi and Faisa check prices/stock levels with scanners. Steph joins Theresa mopping up/ wiping surfaces.
Paul (calling to Gabi) Go on then, what do you reckon?
Bryn It’s a contradiction in terms, Paul.
Paul I’m not asking you, I’m asking Gabi.
Gabi (distracted) You’re what?
Paul What’s your best ever day at work?
Gabi This one, here with you now.
Paul Really?
Gabi (sarcastic) Yeah, this morning I walked across the car park in the rain at 5.30 a.m. and thought, ‘Today is the best day of my life.’
Paul Did you?
Bryn (low) Come on, lad, just leave it.
Paul My mum says if I’m gonna get to know people here I have to ask questions.
Bryn Yeah, but you don’t ask the same question over and over again.
Paul Gabi …
Bryn (low to Paul) Best way to get a woman to want you, boy: ignore her completely.
Paul looks at Bryn in confusion.
Faisa Extra zero day. None of your days beat that.
Bryn You what?
Faisa In here last New Year’s Day – I check my balance for my overtime. It’s there. But it’s not twenty pounds, it’s two hundred pounds.
Steph No way.
Faisa I run out those doors, jump a taxi to Cash Converters on Smithdown – I know exactly what I’m buying.
He holds up his wrist, light bounces off his watch.
All my life I wanted a nice gold watch: something people would look at and say … nice.
Bryn Did Alan get on to it?
Faisa Of course he did, but it was his mistake, and by then I’d spent the money.
The others laugh or cheer.
Gabi You know you can get the time on your phone these days, Ismael?
Theresa When Thatcher went! Eh, Steph? When it came on the radio: all of us just standing here, mouths hangi
ng open –
Steph With the shock and the fucking joy of it.
Faisa I don’t want to hear this.
Steph You can’t understand, love.
Faisa It’s a woman dead.
Bryn Agreed. Dance on the grave of the dead and expect no mercy from any soul. (Beat.) Cracking night down the pub though.
Theresa and Steph laugh. Bryn grins at them.
Paul My mum talks about Thatcher – her lips go all tight and blue.
Alan enters quickly, frowning, looking around.
Faisa What she did she did. It’s done. Wallowers: all of you.
Steph It’s not done and it’s not dead.
Alan Have you seen Eve?
Steph Office. Doing the payroll.
Paul What’s your best ever day at work, Alan?
Alan Er … Fridays.
They all laugh. Alan looks at them bewildered as he moves off to find Eve.
Shift finished one minute ago. You can gas all you like, but you’re on your own time.
Gabi pulls a face at Alan. Steph, Faisa and Theresa laugh at this as they all move off. Bryn jumps on the back of a trolley and scoots off. Paul and Ismael follow.
Alan (calling after them) Actually, not you, Theresa. Customer loo’s in a right state.
Theresa No one ever uses it.
Alan Because it’s in a right state.
Theresa scowls at him, moves upstage with her mop and bucket, continues cleaning. Alan approaches the office.
Eve £192.63 for gas, water, electric, TV licence, council tax + £520 rent = £712.63. Lisa’s pocket money, bus fare, school dinners, science club, books, PE kit, direct debits on the laptop = £445.22. Plus £51.30 for my travel, £40 for toiletries, £10 for the holiday fund, £19 broadband, £74.68 in phone bills + four quid for the window cleaner= £644.20. Credit cards plus store cards plus insurance = £389.06. £712.63 + £644.20 –
Alan (popping his head in) Eve?
Eve Plus £389.06 + £220.63 =
Alan Can I have a minute? Five minutes that’s all. Fifteen max.
Eve Just give me a sec …
Alan Only it’s, er … It’s …
Eve You alright, Al?
Alan No, it’s … I mean yes. I’m okay. We’re alright.
Eve We? Like the royal ‘we’?
Alan That’s a nice dress.
Eve It’s a blouse and skirt.
Alan You got it for your birthday. I remember.
Eve Al?
Alan I remember you saying …
Eve Has something happened?
Alan No. Well … in a sense. I, er … Eve …
She looks at him, waiting.
I’m doing my best here. You know that?
Eve (going to him) Course you are.
Alan I’m doing my best, Eve.
Eve (ushering him in) We all have heavy days. You’re not invincible.
Alan Exactly. Exactly, I’m not.
Eve My dad died thirteen years ago, it still gets on top of me sometimes. What’s it been – a year?
Alan It’s not that. It’s not –
Eve It’s one foot in front of the other. Right? Eyes front, chin up – ignore all the shit they talk out there in the shop.
Alan What shit?
Eve Plaster on a smile and eventually it will start to feel better.
Alan They’re talking about me?
Eve You’re doing everything he would’ve wanted. You’re still here running this place –
Alan Oh, Christ.
Eve What? Al, what?
He takes her cup of tea, drinks from it.
Alan I’ve had phone calls. From the board. Emails bouncing around …
Eve What’s the genius idea this time? Rebrand the trolleys? Digitalise the garden section?
Alan They’re nervous. Investors are nervous. Which makes the shareholders nervous.
Eve Should I be nervous?
Alan They want us more flexible. Competitive. Light on our feet.
Eve We’re selling paint, not doing gymnastics.
Alan We need to generate confidence –
Eve We’ve had a few bad months, that’s all –
Alan Profit margins are out of balance with staffing levels –
Eve You’re doing that thing, Al: you’re speaking words but you’re not actually saying anything.
He stares at her.
Are you firing me?
Alan No. God, no.
Eve Look me in the eye.
Alan I’m modernising. Restructuring.
Eve You’re cutting hours?
He looks at her, nods.
Everyone’s hours?
Alan This isn’t me. This is share prices dropping and investors bailing, directors looking round the portfolio for fat to cut away. They’re shitting themselves over the referendum –
Eve Everyone’s hours?
Alan Just for now. Just until I can show a clean sheet.
Eve My hours?
Alan Just by a couple of days a week.
Eve A couple of days?
Alan Just until things pick up. Just for a month or so.
Eve No. No, let’s think about this.
Alan I’ll be telling the same to the Aintree and Garston staff –
Eve You know my mum hasn’t been well. She’s not working and –
Alan We need to get more –
Eve Don’t say the word ‘flexible’ again.
Alan I just need time. I just need you to help me.
Eve We’ll tell them to hold off. We’ll bring in some new lines. August bank holiday’s coming up –
Alan It’s not enough. You think I haven’t tried –?
Eve If the place wasn’t falling to bits more people might come in here.
Alan That’s not going to wash. That’s not going to work for them.
Eve It’s your name above the door.
Alan And I take full responsibility. Not one person’s losing their job.
Eve Everyone’s hours?
Alan It’s the contract you all signed. Nothing was ever set in stone.
The phone rings. She moves to leave. Alan slams the phone against the receiver to stop it.
This isn’t me, Eve. You know that?
Eve One month?
Alan Eh?
Eve You said a month?
Alan This is my place. This is our place. I …
She nods.
First step’s getting the message out there.
Eve No. Not me –
Alan They like you. They trust you.
Eve And I can’t tell them it’s a good thing that they’re losing hours.
Alan You tell them it’s the best we’ve got. They’ll believe it from you.
Eve This is shit, Alan.
The phone rings again.
Alan It is. But sometimes we have to swallow shit. With a little bit of sugar. (Picking up phone.) Alan McClasker? (Beat.) Yeah she’s … Okay. Okay.
He hands the phone to Eve.
Eve Hello? (Her face falls.) He’s what?
Lights down on Eve and Alan, up on Theresa as she mops. The band plays. Gabi, Steph and Faisa enter and begin to help Theresa.
Theresa (sung)
Not wishing to be cruel, not wishing to be crass
But I heard the news break like the tinkling of glass
She closed the docks and kept the change
And took her tea with Pinochet
So forgive me if I smile …
Gabi/Steph
Forgive me if I smile …
Theresa/Gabi/Steph
Forgive me if I smiled the day that Maggie Thatcher died
The rest of the staff enter.
Theresa (sung)
Not wanting to be maudlin
Gabi/Steph
Not wishing to offend
Theresa
But she crippled us with crafty tax
She sold us runner, sleeper, track
And that old train’s not coming back
So f
orgive me if I smile …
Gabi/Steph
Forgive me if I smile …
Theresa/Gabi/Steph
Forgive me if I smiled the day that Maggie Thatcher died
Chorus.
Faisa
Old noise, old news
Steph
Here we all are again
Gabi
You can’t wipe that slate clean
Theresa
New blood from old wounds
Steph
Here we all are again
Gabi
You can’t wipe that slate clean
Theresa (sung)
She took our wage and sent it south
She took milk from our children’s mouths
And made our streets a battleground
So forgive me if I smile …
Gabi/Steph
Forgive me if I smile …
Theresa/Gabi/Steph
Forgive me if I smiled the day that Maggie Thatcher died
Faisa
There’s a hollow refrain
To your victory tune
Theresa/Gabi/Steph
There’s a voice in your ear and it
May be familiar to
Theresa
You …
Faisa/Bryn/Paul/Ismael
Old noise, old news
Steph
Here we all are again
Gabi/Bryn/Paul/Ismael
You can’t
Wipe that slate clean
Theresa/Bryn/Paul/Ismael
New blood from old wounds
Steph
Here we all are again
Gabi/Bryn/Paul/Ismael
You can’t
Wipe that slate clean
Repeat chorus.
Faisa/Bryn/Paul/Ismael
New blood, old wounds
Steph
Here we all are again
Theresa/Faisa
Forgive me if I smile
Repeat.
All
Here we all are again
Lights cut.
SCENE TWO
The Sum Page 1
