SIVA
— Where’s the wire —
HORTENSE
— In your great big beautiful eyes.
Dionysus manages, with Siva’s help in front of him, to scramble round the partition into his old room on the right Then he moves up the sloping floor to the right as he does this, he seems to take the weight off Anderson, who scrambles to the outside, left, of the old first floor.
FLORENCE
Ariel —
ANDERSON
Yes —
FLORENCE
Haven’t you got the right man?
DIONYSUS
What a coincidence!
THE MOOR
So where’s the difference — ?
Anderson looks over the top edge of the end of the first floor, which he is holding.
FLORENCE
There were tanks in the streets —
HORTENSE
There were people dying.
They all seem to become serious again. Dionysus reaches to the centre of his old room, right, and pulls the wire down through the ceiling. The wire from the ceiling of the Moor’s room is pulled up. Dionysus pulls the wire right through and coils it. Then he lies on his back, his legs against the partition on either side of Siva, and takes her by the hands. He seems to be trying to pull Siva out of the hole, and over him. The Moor, kneeling, moves slightly back to the left, and pushes against Siva’s legs.
Anderson lets go of the left-hand end of the first floor gingerly.
The floor remains balanced.
Anderson calls —
ANDERSON
Oi!
FLORENCE
What —
Hortense, on the bed, looks out over the audience.
HORTENSE
It’s only two foot to the bottom!
Florence turns to her.
Dionysus manages to pull Siva out of the hole and on to him. He pushes her up towards the raised edge of the top floor, right. She gets a hand-hold there. Then he passes the coiled wire up to her.
Anderson has had to lean on the top of the left-hand edge of the first floor, to balance it.
ANDERSON
You can sing, can’t you —
SIVA
Dance —
Siva has clambered up so she has one leg over the raised end of the first floor, right. She lowers an end of the wire down to Dionysus, who takes it.
DIONYSUS
Next time round —
THE MOOR
Can we kill them?
The Moor has moved backwards, to the left, on his hands and knees, to balance the floor.
Siva seems to be trying to pull Dionysus up to the raised edge of the first floor, right.
FLORENCE
I said — Jump —
HORTENSE
I jumped.
With Dionysus being pulled to the right, the Moor is moving further to the left of the floor, to balance it.
HORTENSE
What stops it —
FLORENCE
Saves it?
SIVA
Spreads it!
The Moor suddenly seems to lose his grip. He slides back to the left-hand edge of the first floor.
FLORENCE
Wo!
SIVA
Woa!
HORTENSE
Upsadaisy!
With the shifting of the Moor’s weight, the first floor, on its central back-to-front hinge, has dipped down on the left so that Anderson has to put his hands underneath it again to hold it. Florence, underneath it, ducks.
At the same time Siva, with the wire, has managed to help Dionysus to scramble up to the top edge of the first floor, right.
The floor now seems to tip the other way Anderson has to put his hands on top of the left end of it again to hold it.
ANDERSON
I get these headaches, see —
THE MOOR
Aged fifteen —
The Moor manages to get his feet down over the left edge of the first floor. He helps Anderson. The floor seems to balance, precariously.
SIVA
Those old buggers —
DIONYSUS
Are made of concrete.
The first floor is now at an angle of about 30° to the horizontal — up on the right, down on the left.
Anderson and the Moor and Siva and Dionysus hold the balance, as if on a see-saw, gingerly.
HORTENSE
They were shot — ?
FLORENCE
There were too many of them.
Florence has gone and stood by Hortense, who is on the bed, looking at the audience. The Moor and Anderson and Siva and Dionysus speak, holding the balance.
THE MOOR
They were in that trench —
ANDERSON
Then I was in that trench —
DIONYSUS
And the skylight —
SIVA
What about the skylight?
Florence stands looking down at Hortense.
FLORENCE
Good girl —
HORTENSE
Let me see it.
She stares at the audience.
Has it got one —
FLORENCE
It’s not two?
HORTENSE
Pick it up —
SIVA
Don’t hit it!
Hortense stands facing the audience.
HORTENSE
— On a dark night —
FLORENCE
— At the edge of the wood —
SIVA
Oh God!
FLORENCE
And in between?
Hortense leaves the bed and comes to the footlights and stares at the audience. She smiles.
HORTENSE
It looks like the sun.
FLORENCE
What does the sun look like?
HORTENSE
Round, a sort of yellow.
Florence looks up at the see-saw roof above her head.
FLORENCE
They usually give you more time.
The Moor and Dionysus speak at opposite ends of the see-saw.
THE MOOR
— You’re my wife — ?
DIONYSUS
— You’re my child — ?
Siva, perched on the raised edge of the first floor, right, looks down through the hole of the old flue-pipe in the central partition as if to try to see Anderson.
SIVA
Hullo —
ANDERSON
Hullo —
SIVA
I wondered if you remembered me —
ANDERSON
— Oh yes I loved only you, you see —
Siva speaks looking at the audience —
SIVA
— I never loved anyone else in my life —
The Moor looks round the left bottom edge of the first floor as if to try to find something to wedge it with. He sees Florence.
THE MOOR
Hullo —
FLORENCE
Hullo —
THE MOOR
I was afraid you might not remember me.
Florence smiles. They seem to quote —
FLORENCE
— You’ve got the money —
THE MOOR
— You’ve got the child —
FLORENCE
— Then run —
THE MOOR
— I can’t —
FLORENCE
— Why not —
THE MOOR
— Arthritis.
Florence drags Anderson’s stove and helps the Moor to use it to wedge the left-hand edge of the floor with.
In the meantime Anderson holds down the edge of the see-saw with difficulty.
SIVA
— Now you see it —
ANDERSON
— Now you don’t —
Dionysus is perched with Siva at the top end of the first floor on the right, facing the audience.
DIONYSUS
Good God, are we t
alking about —
HORTENSE
The people in the valley?
Hortense, at the front of the stage, and Dionysus are both staring out over the audience.
HORTENSE
Hullo —
DIONYSUS
Hullo —
HORTENSE
And where were you?
DIONYSUS
In the pub.
HORTENSE
And was I left with an only child to bring up —
Siva leans over the right-hand edge of the first floor, trying to see down into the room below.
SIVA
It’s a boy.
ANDERSON
It’s a girl.
SIVA
Has it really got three heads?
Siva looks at the audience.
The Moor and Anderson, with Florence’s help, have succeeded in wedging, with Anderson’s stove and bed and so on, the lower end, left, of the first floor. They step back from it gingerly.
THE MOOR
— Huts, watchtowers —
FLORENCE
— Ladies and gentlemen on the grass —
Hortense stands looking out over the audience.
HORTENSE
But if this part of it was never used —
DIONYSUS
Throw it over —
THE MOOR
Is it meant to be?
Anderson has been looking on the ground along the footlights at the front. He seems to quote —
ANDERSON
— Oh you are an old fraud. I’m sure you’re frightfully good at it really —
Then he goes and looks along the wall at the back.
The others are all now looking at the audience.
FLORENCE
We go down there —
Anderson speaks from the back.
ANDERSON
Come up here —
SIVA
What happens if I get squashed?
THE MOOR
You won’t —
FLORENCE
It’s open at both ends —
HORTENSE
And in the middle?
Anderson seems to have found what he is looking for on the ground floor on the right. He bends down.
DIONYSUS
A little room —
ANDERSON
Just behind the eyes —
Anderson looks at the audience.
Florence begins looking along the ground at the footlights at the front.
Siva watches her.
SIVA
Oi!
HORTENSE
Oi?
SIVA
— There’s a boy down there on the wire!
FLORENCE
— There’s a child, in its pram, at the airport —
Hortense speaks, looking at the audience.
HORTENSE
Will you look after it?
ANDERSON
It’ll survive?
Anderson comes to the footlights and stands by the Moor looking over.
THE MOOR
It goes down there —
Florence has now moved to the back wall on the left. She gets down on her hands and knees.
FLORENCE
Comes up here —
DIONYSUS
I thought it was a baby —
THE MOOR
No, it’s seeds —
SIVA
Isn’t that a baby?
HORTENSE
If they look after it.
They all, except Florence, look at the audience.
ANDERSON
But if we go all over them —
SIVA
They’ll kill us?
Florence seems to have found what she is looking for at the ground floor at the back She seems to draw a bolt. Then she turns to the audience, crouching.
DIONYSUS
Say it’s a tomb —
THE MOOR
It’s a laboratory.
Florence comes to the front of the structure, treading carefully. She stamps on the ground.
ANDERSON
Huts, watchtowers —
HORTENSE
Ladies and gentlemen on the grass.
Siva speaks from her perch on the top right of the old first floor.
SIVA
What’s holding it?
ANDERSON
You’d better jump.
Florence speaks to Anderson.
FLORENCE
You took the pin out?
The Moor watches the audience.
THE MOOR
Your hands and feet on the ground. Your body on the ceiling —
They wait.
After a time Hortense looks up at Dionysus.
DIONYSUS
Did you stay with me, for ever, in that monastery — ?
HORTENSE
We were married —
The Moor speaks to Florence —
THE MOOR
Weren’t we?
Florence is looking over the footlights.
FLORENCE
Children see by what they learn —
Anderson goes to the back wall again and feels on the floor on the right.
SIVA
One or two —
DIONYSUS
Get through —
HORTENSE
And the rest?
FLORENCE
The people in the valley?
THE MOOR
Are buried —
DIONYSUS
Beneath the tree —
HORTENSE
And grow —
SIVA
One or two —
Anderson straightens and comes forward on the right, gingerly.
FLORENCE
Now you see it —
ANDERSON
Don’t you?
Anderson stamps with his foot at the front of the stage. They wait.
FLORENCE
You got it?
Florence and Anderson seem to be making slight forward-and-back movements as if to test, facing the audience, whether the stage might be balanced on a left-to-right axis at the very front of the stage — against the counterweight of the auditorium.
HORTENSE
How will I recognise you —
SIVA
In that great big room?
ANDERSON
With your head in your hands —
FLORENCE
And just behind your eyes —
THE MOOR
No curtain!
DIONYSUS
Customs —
HORTENSE
An avalanche!
The to-and-fro movements that Florence and Anderson are making seem to be having no effect.
SIVA
Hold it in your arms —
HORTENSE
Is it crying?
Siva moves along to the front edge of the raised first floor. She stretches her hands down as if to Anderson. The Moor looks up at her.
ANDERSON
But if we don’t hurt them —
FLORENCE
You think they’ll keep us?
She and Anderson go again to the wall at the back, left and right. They look on the ground there.
SIVA
Look —
DIONYSUS
Isn’t it sweet —
THE MOOR
It can fly then?
Siva straightens. She and the Moor look out over the audience.
Anderson comes from the back, right. He stops halfway between the back wall and the footlights and he rocks, one foot in front of the other, as if to see whether there might be any movement in the stage.
Florence is watching him from the back, left.
FLORENCE
Try it now —
ANDERSON
One over the top —
HORTENSE
They go down —
SIVA
We go over.
Dionysus has edged forwards, with Siva, to the very front of the top left of the old first fl
oor. He looks down at Hortense.
DIONYSUS
Oh my darling —
THE MOOR
Oopsadaisy!
Anderson speaks facing the audience.
ANDERSON
Do they see —
Hortense speaks in a matter-of-fact voice facing the front —
HORTENSE
— You didn’t really sleep with her —
DIONYSUS
Didn’t you?
Florence straightens, back left, and stands there gingerly.
SIVA
— Was that really a bomb in your pocket —
ANDERSON
Wasn’t it?
Hortense and the Moor, at the footlights, are now making slight forward-and-back movements, facing the audience, as if to see whether the stage-and-auditorium might pivot on the axis along the footlights.
FLORENCE
Didn’t we have children —
Catastrophe Practice Page 21
