by Pierre-Marc Diennet (c) January 2003

Shell
by Pierre-Marc Diennet
(c) January 2003
"SHELL"
1.
Cast of Characters
The Band
It is a three piece band that should include a bass guitar
player, a rhythm/lead guitar player, and a percussionist.
Actor 1 - Cowboy, Archie, Armchair Man, Doctor, Soldier A
He is the protagonist to which the play happens. It's as if
he stepped off a bus into a crowd of people and they just
pushed him around and through all these odd experiences. In
this piece the characters that the actors play are
interchangeable. The characters are differentiated not by who
plays them but by the costume piece the actor wears. For
example, if actor 1 puts on the white lab coat he is the
doctor but later when the actor 2 puts on the coat he is also
the doctor. The line of the character is carried by the
costume piece not the person who wears it.
Actor 2 - Nora, Dot, Armchair Man, Parasol Girl, Soldier A
This female actor plays all of the female roles in the play.
Actor 3 - Clown, Soldier B
Has a slightly different job. He is the MC. He wears clown
face throughout the play and he sings all of the songs except
'Everyone's Leaving'. He may still change character at will.
If he puts on the soldiers helmet, he is the soldier. If he
puts on the cowboy hat he is the cowboy. He just has to also
play that extra layer of being slightly outside of the whole
thing.
The little boy
This character should be played by an actual seven or eight
year old boy.
"SHELL"
2. SCBNB 1
The performers enter the space
humming a gospel refrain. The band
goes back to the tiny stage set up
for them and begins one by one to
pick up their respective
instruments and accompany the
humming. All at once the song
begins in earnest with the clown
leading the call and response of
the song.
'The World Is Gone'
CLOWN
HASN'T ANYBODY TOLD YOU,
THERE WAS NO WORLD TODAY,
HASN'T ANYBODY TOLD YOU,
THERE WAS NO WORLD TODAY,
NO BEAN DIP AND NO SUNSHINE,
NO SEA, NO HORSE, NO HEY
The song picks up energy and the
call and response becomes more
passionate.
CLOWN (cont'd)
NO HELIUM BALLOONS
NO GIANT PANDA BEARS
NO MUSTARD
NO COLORS
NO SISTERS
NO BROTHERS
NO ASHES
NO HOUSES
NO LOVIN'
NO LIFE
IT'S GONE
IT'S GONE
IT'S SO FUCKING GONE
The lights go out. The music
changes abruptly. The base plays a
very slow Portis head version of
the baseline of 'Just a shell'.
The music is soothing and
hypnotic. There is the sound of a
winter wind.
"SHELL"
3. SCBNE 2 - JOURNBY'S BND
As our eyes adjust to the dark we
see a little boy crouched over a
crumpled figure. The doctor and
the assistant enter and approach
them.
DOCTOR
Qu' est ce qu'y a mon enfant? Mon dieux ? Help
him. The cognac, the cognac. Drink it my little
one. Look, how he shivers. Seperate them.
STUDENT Voici, Ie petit. Boives Ie doucement. II va vous choudir. But, what is there, professor? Lives she ? DOCTOR
She's been dead for quite some time.
Hypothermia. She's frozen. She was shielding
the boy from the cold but she neglected to
protect herself. (To the boy) Est-elle sa mere?
Child, with his back to the
audience shivers
DOCTOR (CONT'D) (cont'd) Ou sont votre famille? Child shivers without answering
DOCTOR (cont'd) Vous venez d'ou? Child shivers without answering
DOCTOR (cont'd)
He's in shock. Vraiment ! what a pity. Take him
to the hospital, tell Dr. Pommier to see to him
and then meet me back at the dispensary in an
hour.
STUDENT What is it that you will do, professor ? DOCTOR
I will try to find some identification and make
sure she gets to the morgue. Get going. The
child's going to freeze. ( to the child) C'est
bien Ie petit. Va avec lui. Je vais attender
ici avec sa mere. Va manger quelle que chose.
"SHELL"
4. The student and the little boy
exit. The doctor searches the
body.
DOCTOR (cont'd) Povre femme. Here's something. Travelling papers from Kirsk. Mon dieux. How far. And you walked the entire way, I imagine. How tiring. Well, don't worry. We'll look after the boy. You just rest. I'll be back with the cart. He stands and exits. 'Just a
Shell' begins in full. As slowly
as humanly possible, the slumped
figure on the stage unveils from
under the dark over coat a white
parasol. It rises very slowly,
followed even more slowly by an
ethereal girl.
SCENE 3 - DEATH AWAKENS
The clown joins the band and sings
the song from the platform as the
girl begins the Parasol dance. It
is a strictly choreographed dance
between the parasol girl and the
doctor.
'Just a Shell'
CLOWN
I'VE BEEN TALKING TO BOXES, TO BIRDS, TO SHOES,
KNOWING YOU HEAR ME.
WHEN I TALK TO SNOW, I TALK TO YOU.
THAT BEAT-UP HOUSE YOU LEFT BEHIND,
BURNED DOWN.
(ALL THAT PAPER FLYING AFTER)
WHEN THE SHELL'S TOO SMALL,
THE CRAB CRAWLS OUT,
LEAVING IT FOR ANOTHER.
~IT'S JUST A SHELL,
IT'S JUST A SHELL
YOU ARE WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY,
NOT WHAT YOU HAVE WHEN YOU'RE GONE.
"SHELL"
5. SCEBE 4 - THE GRIEF OF OTHERS
The music fades into the
background as the dance comes to a
close and the lights come up on a
dishevelled man, his back to us
wearing a white bathrobe, as close
to the audience as possible,
trying to sort through a dream
he's just woken from. He does not
face the audience.
ARMCHAIR MAN Then it seemed I woke up. It was quiet again. I couldn't see. The room was dark. I assumed it was still night time. My eyes adjusted to the dark and I could very faintly make out the table next to me. I thought I could see the threshold of the hallway but when it's that dark your eyes see things that you only think are there. Like when you're frightened every noise scares you. It's the same when you can't see. Whatever you are thinking about becomes a shadow in front of you. The darkness is a canvas for your every thought. Then I heard something distinct from next door. Very faint at first but very clear. I could hear a woman's stifled sobs. The noise was coming through the walls but it sounded as
she was in a long necked bottle beside me. She was wailing into a pillow or her hands. I couldn't make out what she was saying so I leaned over and pressed my ear to the wall. Between her tears I could barely make out her words. I thought I heard her say, 'Our specials today include our chilled honeydew melon and pineapple soup, our very popular pan seared scallop salad served with grilled green cabbage in a calabrian chili oil dressing, and the fish today is a Dorad from the coast of Spain.' And then she started weeping incomprehensibly. It made me sad for her but also strangely soothed. Then I woke again and it was light out. SCEBE 5 - A FAMILY AFFAIR
As he's been speaking a red settee
has been moved center stage and
the actress, now dressed as
Dorothy with a very English
looking white Easter-at-the-races­
hat, is comfortably resting on it.
She interrupts his little
monologue and he wanders off
rather confused.
"SHELL"
6. DOT
Terence?
The clown enters wearing his white
gloves. He is now Dorothy's
butler.
CLOWN
Yes maim?
DOT
What time is it?
CLOWN
Very late maim?
DOT
Where's Archie?
CLOWN
I'm not sure maim.
DOT
That's not acceptable, Lawrence. You must keep
track of him, do you understand ?
CLOWN
Yes maim.
DOT
I should look for him at the Kings Head in
Quagshire.
CLOWN
Yes maim.
DOT
Oh, Terrence, before you go ?
CLOWN
Yes maim ?
DOT
I don't know if I've ever told you this but
when I'm looking out the window of an airplane
I often think of how the clouds look like
pillows of white tender cotton and how easy it
would be to fall into them and be comfortably
enveloped in their billowing softness.
CLOWN
No maim, you've never told me that.
"SHELL"
7. DOT
Clarence, don't forget to tell that man who
borrowed my bicycle for the worlds fair that
the back wheel is a bit loose. I don't know how
he expects to ride down the side of the Eifel
Tower on a Schwinn.
CLOWN
I won't, maim.
DOT
I've only loved one man, Clarence and I haven't
met him yet in person but in my mind he is this
wonderful perpetually changing form. He changes
shapes as my desires change and his ambitions
parallel my developing dreams. His neck is made
of milk so I can fall asleep in it like an
exhausted kitten. Oh, Lawrence?
CLOWN
Yes maim
DOT
Send for the carriage.
CLOWN
Yes maim. Where are you going maim?
DOT
To the midwife, I think my water just broke.
There is an enormous flushing
sound and then the sounds of
someone trying to find a radio
station.
SCENE 6 - OASIS
It flickers back and forth and we
see actor 1 with a radio. He is
wearing a large white cowboy hat.
He finally settles on an upbeat
country tune. As the intro plays
the clown with his own white
cowboy hat joins the band and the
cowboy rolls a cigarette.
'Watch her sleeping'
CLOWN
IF I CAN WATCH HER WHEN SHE'S SMILING AT ME.
IF I CAN WATCH HER WHEN SHE'S DIPPING SKINNY
IF I CAN WATCH HER WHEN SHE'S RIDING BAREBACK
TO THE RIVER IN THE MOONLIGHT AND BACK
HEY, IF SHE CAN ASK IF SHE CAN HAVE MY BABY
"SHELL"
8. WITHOUT ME ASKING IF SHE WANTS TO MARRY
THEN YEAH, I MAKE HER BLUSH AT THE SLIGHTEST TABOO
AND YEAH, I WATCH HER SLEEPING. WOULDN'T YOU?
DON'T TELL HER I KNOW THIS
SHE THINKS I DON'T NOTICE
BUT SHE SINGS WHEN THERE'S NO ONE AROUND
SHE HAS CONVERSATIONS
WITH MY UNCLE'S DALMATIANS
AND SHE LAUGHS WITH OLD HUMPHREY OUR HOUND
The cowboy turns the radio down
and the band lowers their volume
with the cue. The music is just
background.
As he is telling this story, the
cowboy jumps off his horse and
goes through the motions of an old
west duel with an imaginary
person. He checks his gun. He
turns. He walks ten paces and
waits for the count to be given.
This blocking should be drawn out
for the length of this scene.
COWBOY You're as thirsty as the desert and you're mouth is full of sand roses when you ride into Skogee, outside of Tuscon. You tie your dragon, Rough Kneck to the rail outside a crowded watering hole and stumble in. As soon as your eyes adjust, to the coal smoke room you see, sitting on a stool by the window facing west, this skinny fire headed whore, with eyes that kill you and yellow teeth. You can feel her sizing you up but when you turn to face her and light your cigarette, she's turned into a little girl, with bony knees and a hand that won't stop playing with her skirt. Nora enters on her line and she is
drinking a bottle of wine. Perhaps
she finds the cigarettes and rolls
one for herself.
NORA You're head still hurts from the night before and you've been wanting to just sit down somewhere and cry all day long. Ever since Lulu left with her baby and a suitcase for Texas, you've just been in a mood. You kicked one of the hounds this morning for howling at sheriff McGuire even though you hate that man. Your ass itches and your sweating your make up off on a bar stool in the front of the saloon. (MORE)
"SHELL"
NORA (cont'd)
Screw Fat Betty, You think, I'm not working
again tonight.
COWBOY
You walk over to her and look right in her big
green eyes and say I been ridin' all week
through death's valley and the last woman I
looked in the face was Chief Running River's
daughter when she gave me the hot peyote tea
and the bag of snakes. But this filly isn't
spooked. She stares you down like a gun fighter
and you can't wait till she opens her mouth and
you get to meet the scorpion you know lives in
there.
NORA
You can't get the sand out of your eyes and it
doesn't matter any way cause every time you
open them you see something to remind you of
home. This morning a package arrived for the
stable boy cause he's a registered orphan and
he gets handouts from this rich bitch in
Tuscon. It was brown paper wrapped up with
string just like Pa used to bring home full of
sweets and sand dollars and of course a new
white cotton blouse for rna. Goddamn if it don't
smart to see the moon every night and know he
killed your pa for a turquoise saddle buckle
COWBOY
You tell her your mother worked in a cathouse
in wyoming and when you were old enough to know
what that meant she kicked you out onto the
plains to find a good horse and ride it till
you die. Your mother told you never to come
back, but now no matter where you are, whenever
you see a house of disrepute you feel like
you're coming home.
NORA
You're just about to duck out and smoke a
cigarillo while Betty's talkin' to the poker
player with the eye patch when the next thing
you know this tall strong swig of whiskey in a
ten gallon hat is standing right in front of
you talkin like he knows you from home. He's as
dirty as the mail wagon but you trust his
smile. He buys a bottle of bourbon and you help
him finish it, wouldn't kill ya to do some work
tonight.
COWBOY
Then the beautiful little hussy pipes up and
tells you the short version of how the moon
killed her dad and a shiver runs up your spine.
You knew old Ceasar.
(MORE)
9. "SHELL"
10. COWBOY (cont'd)
No one could ever forget a man with a scar that
big. He got it in a bull fight in Chiapas or at
least that's what he told you the night of the
stampede. You can see the pain of history in
her eyes as she takes a swig from the bottle
you just bought. The sun hits the dusty windows
of the saloon behind her. It looks for a second
as if the whole damn building has fallen into a
volcano and the lava's about to bust in and
burn everything up.
NORA
The thing is this snake don't bite. He's a lamb
in a wolf suit. The more you drink, the more
you just want to take your clothes off and go
for swim in his eyes. The room is getting
hotter as if there's fire outside and it's
about to bust in and burn everything up. But
then his gaze falls off you. It's gone quiet.
Something cold passes between you like a ghost
and you feel all alone again and this time
you're really gonna cry, when he puts his hand
on yours and he looks right at you and says
something you don't remember but it makes you
laugh.
COWBOY
You remember the story your mother told you
about the apache and the angry phoenix. The
apache painted himself yellow and hid in a
honeysuckle bush. That's why I wear yellow all
the time she said once sitting at the mirror,
so I'll smell like honeysuckle. The girl's
getting harder and harder to look at. She's
beginning to shine like a barn fire. You place
your hand on hers and you look up under the
jungle of her long eyelashes and you say
Stop being so damn pretty for a second. I can't
concentrate on my conversation.
Just as he finishes his story the cowboy turns
quickly to get the draw on his enemy but he is
shot and he falls dead. Nora turns up the
music. The lights fade up on the band and the
actors clear the stage.
'Watchin' her sleep' (con't.)
COWBOY (cont'd)
IF I CAN WATCH THE SUN SETTING RED IN HER EYES
IF I CAN WATCH HER WHEN SHE'S COOKING UP PIES
IF I CAN WATCH HER WHEN SHE'S HUGGING A STRANGER
SHE'LL GIVE HER LOVE IN THE FACE OF ALL DANGER
HEY, IF SHE CAN TELL STORIES ABOUT THE GIRLS IN MY PAST
AND I CAN KNOW THAT OUR LOVE'S GONNA LAST
"SHELL"
11. THEN YEAH, I TICKLE HER TILL HER LIPS TURN BLUE
AND YEAH, I WATCH HER SLEEPING. WOULDN'T YOU?
WATCHING HER SLEEPING
WATCHING HER SLEEP
IS THE ONLY REST I CAN STEAL.
JUST CAUSE I'M DREAMING
AND SHE'S JUST A DREAM
DON'T MEAN THAT MY BABY AIN'T REAL.
DON'T MEAN THAT MY BABY AIN'T REAL.
SCENE 7 - PRECIPICE
The bathrobe person is back but in
a different place and this time
the character is played by the
actress. She doesn't face the
audience but she is desperately
trying to get their help with
figuring these dreams out.
ARMCHAIR MAN I've just finished some huge exam and my fingers hurt from biting them. I am holding a number two pencil and I'm sitting in one of those metal and Formica chairs but it's in my living room. I have some popcorn and I'm about to start a movie when I look over at the window and my heart stops. My cat has managed to squeeze out the sliding window and crawl out onto the ledge of my ninth floor apartment. I scream out but catch myself before I startle her and make her fall. I start to shake. For a moment I don't know what to do. Then I stand and call to her "beaner" softly so she won't think there is anything wrong. "beaner" "beaner The kitten turns to look where my voice is coming from and she sees me close to the window. Her eyes full of helplessness, she meows softly and T can barely hear it through the windowpane. Her look of fear is too much for me and in an outburst of terror, I reach towards her "beaner!!". She is startled by my advance and loses her balance toppling off the ledge. "Beaner .•. !!ff lf
We hear the sound of a bomb
dropping and exploding and then
general battle sounds.
SCENE
e -
WAR OF THE BELIEVERS
The bathrobe character moves to
reveal two men in white battle
helmets. One man is pointing a gun
at the other's head.
"SHELL"
12. A
I have to kill you.
B
I
know.
A
Those are my orders and those are my
convictions. The best way to end this conflict
is by removing one of the opposing forces
B
Yes.
A
You will be the first man
believe in an after life?
I
kill. Do you
B
Yes.
A
So, when I shoot you, your spirit will separate
from your body and float upwards into the ether
to be judged and rewarded?
B
Yes and rewarded mightily.
A
Aren't you afraid that heaven is a fable
created to persuade people to be obedient?
B
No, are you afraid that it exists?
A
Perhaps, but is it possible that two opposing
notions of heaven, held by two enemy groups,
can exist at the same time, each rewarding
their own combatants and damning their enemies
to hell?
B
Or blessing their enemies with forgiveness. I
do not damn you for killing me. I am confident
that you are a good man misguided.
A
When will you know you are dead?
B
When I meet my creator.
"SHELL"
13. A
If you get there, will you do me a favor?
B
You're mad.
A
Honestly, send a sign. Let's decide now on a sign you can give me. B
When my army is victorious, you will know I have reached heaven. A
No something simpler. Throw a white brick through my window. B
Fine.
A
Promise?
B
Yes. A
Great. I'll be waiting.
He shoots the other man but the
gun shot is simply a snare hit
that begins the next song and
instead of falling dead the clown
just looses the helmet and starts
flying around the stage.
SCENE 9 - DEATH STEPS OUT
'Die You Will'
CLOWN
CAN'T SEE THE RATS TONIGHT
THE FOG IS TOO DAMN THICK
THE ICE IS STUCK TO THE GARBAGE CANS
BUT THE TRASH STILL STINKS
AN OLD CRONE SLIPPED ON HER STOOP
AND CRACKED HER HEAD WIDE OPEN
I TOOK HER SOUL AND THANKED HER, YES I DID
AND LEFT HER CAT TO ROTTEN, I SAID
YOU COULD DIE TODAY,
TODAY, TONIGHT, TOMORROW,
YOU COULD DIE OF DEATH, OF FRIGHT
14. "SHELL"
YOU COULD DIE OF SORROW BUT EITHER WAY BUT DIE YOU WILL, JUST BE STILL, JUST BE STILL. CAN'T SEE MY PREY TONIGHT CAN'T EVEN SEE THE STYX I'LL SEVER HIS LIMB WITH A BUS I'LL CLIMB THIS HILL AND SMELL HER. THE LIGHTS OF HOUSES DON'T OFFEND ME. THEIR WARMTH MAKES THE DYING COLDER I FROZE THE HOUSE AND STOLE HER CHILDREN AND LEFT HER THERE TO ROT AND I SAID YOU WILL DIE TODAY, TODAY, TONIGHT, TOMORROW, YOU WILL DIE OF DEATH, OF FRIGHT YOU WILL OF SORROW, BUT ANY WAY BUT DIE YOU WILL, JUST BE STILL, JUST BE STILL. AND PROUD LIKE SOLDIERS THE SOULS DEPARTED CHANTING IN JUBILEE I WILL DIE TODAY, TONIGHT, TOMORROW. I WILL DIE OF DEATH, OF FRIGHT, OF SORROW. BUT DIE I WILL, JUST BE STILL, JUST BE STILL. The song becomes a raucous pub
sing-a-Iong. With everyone happily
chanting away about dying. The
actor who killed the clown at the
beginning shoots the band members
and the other actors one by one
and then shoots himself but the
song continues from a CD even
after the last person is lying on
the floor.
SCENE 10 - PROTECTION
The phone rings. Everyone is up at
once and scatters. There is the
sound of someone just offstage
trying desperately to climb over
an enormously inconvenient pile of
old bicycles and other junk. He
hits his knee and swears. It's a
real herculean task. Finally,
actor 1 as Archibald enters. He is
wearing a white cricket sweater
over his shoulders. He trips on
something and the phone stops
ringing.
ARCHIBALD Damn! "SHELL"
15. He looks around the room.
ARCHIBALD (cont'd)
Dorothy?
Dorothy
enters.
ARCHIBALD (cont'd)
Did you see the signal flare?
DOROTHY
Archie, where have you been?
ARCHIBALD
I simply went for a walk after supper around
the grounds, but I had no idea there was a war
going on.
DOROTHY
Don't be silly.
ARCHIBALD
11m not being silly, Dorothy. I especially
heard drums and cannon fire and did you not see
the signal flare?
DOROTHY
My dear nephew, what on earth are you talking
about. I haven't seen or heard a thing.
ARCHIBALD
But you couldn't possible have missed the
sound. It was thundering.
DOROTHY
Well, I was playing the piano in the drawing
room for a time.
ARCHIBALD
Dorothy, I can't be entirely sure. Of course
I've never seen a war before but there really
is something dreadful happening. I could have
sworn I heard a bugle.
DOROTHY
But that just isn't possible darling, we live a
very pleasant and calm life here. The rumblings
of war are the maladies of the indulgent and
the wild minded.
ARCHIBALD
Perhaps you're right.
16. "SHELL"
DOROTHY Besides, who would want to attack our humble estate? ARCHIBALD True. DOROTHY Did you have a nice walk? ARCHIBALD
I think there was something large on fire just
west of the gazebo. I didn't see any flames but
there was a great deal of smoke.
DOROTHY Archibald, put it out of your mind. You've probably just a stomach upset from the Tuscan sausages. ARCHIBALD They were spicy weren't they? Archibald exits
DOROTHY Lawrence? The clown enters as the butler.
CLOWN Yes, maim. DOROTHY Clarence, fetch my pistols. CLOWN Yes, Maim. What for maim? DOROTHY Well, if you must know, Terrence. It's to kill someone. CLOWN Yes, maim. Right away maim. SCENE 11 - ANATOMY OF A MOTHER
The doctor enters and addresses a
large amphitheatre of other
physicians. As he speaks the clown
becomes the assistant and the
woman falls onto the settee as the
dead body. The doctor performs an
irregular autopsy.
·"SHELL"
DOCTOR As you can all see, can you all see? Clearly?
Good. As you can see the poor woman died of
hypothermia in a snow storm. If I remove this
you can see what the cold has done to her lower
extremities. My assistant calculated that about
a third of her was frost bitten before she even
lost consciousness. I'm sure you are asking
yourself. 'What could she have been thinking to
be sleeping on the streets? Couldn't she have
found a basement or a shack or some kind soul
to take her in?' Well, we asked ourselves the
same question and in fact we found that, if you
look just below her chest cavity her pride is
enlarged and this is undoubtedly due to a
swelling of the dignity. So, our first
assumption was that she was too proud to ask
for help. And this is often the case with
unfortunates. They suffer because they do not
want to debase themselves for charity. They are
too proud to beg. There must be dignity in life
after all or it is meaningless. But then as we
continued our investigation we found... Can
everyone see where I am pointing? Just here
beneath this layer, travelling papers that
appear to have been issued in Kirsk. My god,
you must be thinking, that's a long way and we
can tell by the large sores on her feet that
most if not all of the journey was done on
foot. By what we can deduce from her muscle
tissue and joints this woman was absolutely
exhausted the night of the storm. She hadn't
eaten in days and not much before then. We can
assume that she gave every scrap of sustenance
that she could find along their three or four
month journey to her young son. Who survived,
we are happy to announce. Her own health wasn't
important to her. It was her son who had to
stay healthy. She probably believed as we all
are like to do that he was too young to pay for
her mistakes; to young to be punished for the
errors of his parents. It wasn't his fault that
she decided to come to the city and look for
work in the middle of winter. Perhaps
circumstances forced her hand but how could he
be held accountable for that? And when she got
here, she thought people would be kinder. She
couldn't have known that allover the country
others just like her were coming to the city to
find food and shelter. She was caught by
circumstances and when it dawned on her that
she would not find what she was looking for in
this city she'd spent every ounce of her
resolve to get to, her spirit was broken. You
can see the fracture just here.
(MORE)
17. lB.
"SHELL"
DOCTOR (cont' d)
We are now building a scenario in which, far
from being too proud to ask for help, she was
suffering from such acute fatigue that she
didn't have the energy to. She collapsed in an
alley and her son crawled into her coat to
shield himself from the snow. She tried to
speak to him, she must have, but it seemed as
if her lips belonged to someone else. She
wasn't frightened as she felt her body go numb
and her breath slow to a halt. In fact, she was
kind of relieved that this humiliation would
finally end. And why not ? It seems to me that
as soon as you are unable or unwilling to fight
for your life, there is no point in having one.
At that moment the little boy
walks in. Everyone freezes. He
walks over and pulls a telephone
out of the body. He inspects it
and leaves. Stunned the doctor
turns to his audience of
physicians.
SCENE 12 - DEATH COURTS A LOVER
'Just a shell' comes in forcefully
and the Parasol II dance is
performed. It is almost exactly
the same as the first dance.
'Just a Shell' (con't.)
I USE YOUR NAME WHEN I TALK TO VAPOR,
TO SMOKE,
TO STORMS,
FEELING YOU NEAR ME.
IN THOSE PREDAWN DREAMS, I THANK YOU. THERE'S NO HEAT IN THE FIREPLACE YOUR BREATHING, FED THE TREES, LONG AFTER. THE HATCHLING DOESN'T KEEP HIS EGG, HE FLIES AWAY, LEAVING IT FOR HIS MOTHER. IT'S JUST A SHELL. IT'S JUST A SHELL. YOU ARE WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY, NOT WHAT YOU HAVE WHEN YOU'RE GONE. Again the bathrobe character
appears as the music fades.
"SHELL"
19. SCBNB 13 - RUNNING IN CIRCLBS
ARMCHAIR GUY I Woke up with a bolt, fell into cool day wear a leather jacket, jeans, sneakers, careened out of the apartment. I was an older man for a few moments as I traded jibes with the actor from Catch 22. We laughed a bit about how Jewish we weren't or how German I can't remember, then I stumbled out of the Paris apartment onto the Rue Gergovie, Then I had to find this child, my child, my little girl and bring her safely through the woods from Friday the thirteenth or Fargo or ET, the woods were misty and dangerous, and there were a lot of other children running after us and I had to protect her from the other children because if they touched her we would both die (They touched me and I got very tired) and it got very tense for awhile, we were running through a house with no electricity but I knew where I was going and finally we reached this tiny door through which we just made it. Then I woke up again as the young man, put on cool day wear, a leather jacket, sneakers, and careened out of the apartment, I got old, I ran into that actor on the stairs again and we joked about how Jewish we were or weren't and how German we were. Then we heard the Beatles tune, woke up got out of bed, dragged a comb across my head. Then I stumbled out of my Paris apartment onto the Rue Gergovie, then I had to find this child, my child, my little girl and bring her safely through the woods from Friday the thirteenth of Fargo or ET, the woods were misty and dangerous, and there were a lot of other children running after us and I had to protect her from the other children because....... SCBNB 14 - WAR OF THB NON-BBLIBVERS
As it becomes clear that the dream
is just looping, the soldiers
interrupt. They are in the same
positions as before.
A
I have to kill you. B
I know.
"SHELL"
20. A
Those are my orders and those are my
convictions. The best way to end this conflict
is by removing one of the opposing forces
B
Yes.
A
You'll be the first man I've killed.
B
I can't say I'm honored.
A
Do you believe in the afterlife?
B
Don't be absurd.
A
Absurd that there is or absurd that there
isn't.
B
Heaven is just a story, told to children before
they go to sleep.
A
A lot of people are convinced that story is
true.
B
I don't see how any intelligent person who can
read can have any misconceptions about whether
heaven exists or not.
A
But our armies are fighting about that very
thing.
B
Perhaps.
A
So, when I kill you, when your heart stops,
that's it. You'll be gone completely. The
matter that used to be you will disengage and
diffuse into the universe to be used in some
new haphazard combination ?
B
Yes.
"SHELL"
21. A
Why would humans from every culture in history
independently arrive at some sort of concept of
the afterlife if it did not exist on some
level.
B
Because we don't want to die, obviously.
A
If you're wrong, you'll go to hell.
B
If that makes you feel better.
A
If you wake up and you're in hell what will you
do?
B
Wait for you.
A
will you send me a signal, to let me know
you've arrived?
B
When your army
burnt to ashes, you will know
I have reached hell.
A
No something simpler, throw a red brick through
my window?
B
Fine.
A
You promise?
B
Yes.
A
Great. I'll be waiting.
This time the gun shot takes us
right into a deep bayou blues
riff.
"SHELL"
22.
SCENE 15 - THE GATES OF HEAVEN
The clown moves to join the band
and the cowboy and Nora silently
act out their first night
together. She stands by a window
and he approaches from behind. He
kisses her neck. They are in love.
'On the Way to Heaven'
CLOWN
I'M ON THE STEPS TO HEAVEN, OH LORD
THE STEPS TO HEAVEN
THE STEPS TO HEAVEN
I CAN SEE THE GATES OF HEAVEN, LORD
THE GATES OF HEAVEN
THE GATES OF HEAVEN
KEEP MY FEET A MOVIN' AND MY HEAD UP HIGH
CAUSE, I SEE THE WAY TO HEAVEN, LORD
ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN, AM I
I FEEL THE BREATH OF HEAVEN, LORD
THE BREATH OF HEAVEN
THE BREATH OF HEAVEN
I CAN SEE THE LIGHTS OF HEAVEN, LORD
THE LIGHTS OF HEAVEN
THE LIGHTS OF HEAVEN
KEEP MY FEET A MOVIN' AND MY HEAD UP HIGH
CAUSE, I SEE THE WAY TO HEAVEN, LORD
ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN AM I
WHEN I
GET TO
GET TO
WHEN I
GET UP
GET UP
GET TO HEAVEN, LORD
HEAVEN
HEAVEN
GET ON UP TO HEAVEN, LORD
TO HEAVEN
TO HEAVEN
I'M GOING TO THANK YOU OH, LORD, THANK YOU AND CRY
CAUSE, I SEE THE WAY TO HEAVEN, LORD
ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN AM I
KEEP MY FEET A MOVIN' AND MY HEAD UP HIGH
CAUSE, I SEE THE WAY TO HEAVEN, LORD
ON THE WAY TO HEAVEN AM I
There is a black out. This is the
first time that there has been
kind of break in the visual
action.
"SHELL"
23. SCENE 16 - BORDERS The song finishes and the lights
come up on Archibald reading a
letter. He yells for the butler.
ARCHIBALD
Hortence?
The clown has been standing right
behind him.
CLOWN
Yes sir?
ARCHIBALD
I have something rather important to talk to
you about.
CLOWN
Yes sir?
ARCHIBALD
I got another note from Claudia?
CLOWN
who sir?
ARCHIBALD
You know perfectly well to whom I refer, Boris.
The McLeashes maid, Claudia.
CLOWN
The McLeashes, sir?
ARCHIBALD
Oh, for god sakes, our neighbors? Stop taking
the piss. This is serious.
CLOWN
Yes sir.
ARCHIBALD
You can't do the grounds work without pants
anymore.
CLOWN
Pants?
ARCHIBALD
Claudia has written three times about it. It
seems it's beginning to have it's effect on the
children
"SHELL"
24. CLOWN
But sir?
ARCHIBALD
No butts Florence. Absolutely no Butts.
CLOWN
Yes sir?
ARCHIBALD
Morris?
CLOWN
Yes sir?
ARCHIBALD
Have you heard a bugle recently?
CLOWN
A bugle sir?
ARCHIBALD
Or seen any large fires, signal flares, that
sort of thing?
CLOWN
I'm not sure sir.
ARCHIBALD
Linus, it's imperative that you tell me as soon
as you notice anything unusual behind the
cypress grove. I'm going to town.
CLOWN
Are you sure that's a good idea, sir?
ARCHIE
What do you mean? Of
course it's a good idea.
CLOWN
Miss Huntington asked you stay with the house
for the afternoon.
ARCHIE
Oh, you're quite right. I forgot, silly me. Oh
well, I suppose I'll just get the place ready
for her return. We've got quite a party
planned.
We here the sounds of a very big
party and the phone rings.
"SHELL"
25. The musicians from the band enter
the scene holding glasses and the
woman is in a lovely white
cocktail dress and they all want
to say hello to Archie as he tries
to get past them to get to the
phone and finally after the last
person has stopped him and he is
about to reach it, it stops.
ARCHIE (cont'd) Damn ! SCENE 17 - WAR OF THE UNCERTAIN
The party disperses to reveal the
soldiers again in the same spot as
before
A
I have to kill you. B
I know.
A
Those are my orders and those are my convictions. The best way to end this conflict is by removing one of the opposing forces B
Perhaps.
A
You're the first man I've ever killed.
B
You haven't killed me yet.
A
Do you believe in an afterlife ? B
I don't know.
A
When I kill you where will you go ?
B
I don't know.
A
You haven't decided?
B
I haven't ruled out any options.
"SHELL"
26. A
So, there might be a heaven?
B
OK.
A
And there might not be ?
B
Sure.
A
It sounds like fence sitting to me.
B
Look, if you need to have an answer to
question, just choose one. They're all
likely. But be sure you believe in it
completely because if you don't and it
time to die and you have doubts, well,
just wasted all your time.
the big
just as
comes
you've
A
Why don't you clear it up for me?
B
I've been trying to.
A
No, I mean, when I kill you and you get to
where you go. Send word back about where you
are.
B
Why should I?
A
Perhaps i t ' l l stop the war. Set the record
straight for once and for all.
B
what do you want me to do?
A
Send me a sign.
B
OK, if I go to heaven, your testicles will fall
off and if I go to hell you're testicles will
falloff.
"SHELL"
27. A
No, no, throw a brick through my window. Throw a white brick if you're in heaven, a red brick if you're in hell, and no brick if you're not anywhere. B
Fine.
A
You promise?
B
Yes.
A
Great. I'll be waiting.
This time the gun shot cues a punk
jam. The music is fuckin' crazy
and loud.
SCENE 18 - COMPROMISE
Nora rushes in and turns the radio
knob. It goes to radio fuzz. She
searches around to find a good
tune and settles on a rock and
roll song. As this song plays she
readies the saloon to open it when
the rustlers come at sun down.
'Fix Me Up'
CLOWN
I GOT THE BLUES SO DAMN BAD
I CAN FEEL IT IN MY EYES.
I GOT A MIGRAINE.
MY VISION IS BLURRED, I CAN'T SEE,
AND ALL I DO IS CRY, CRY, CRY.
I'VE LEANED ON MY FRIENDS SO MANY TIMES
NOW THEY GOT IT TOO.
AIN'T NOTHING BUT SINGIN' CAN FIX ME UP. I GOT THE BLUES SO DAMN BAD I CAN FEEL IT IN MY TOES. I GOT THE GOUT. I GOT A SWOLLEN LIVER, BAD KIDNEYS AND A HEART THAT'S BROKE, BROKE, BROKE. I BEEN TO THE DOCTOR SO MANY TIMES HE'S GOT IT TOO. CAUSE MY BABY'S GONE. AND SHE DIDN'T GO WITH ANOTHER MAN. "SHELL"
28. OR ANOTHER WOMAN NEITHER.
SHE GONE AND LEFT FOR GOOD,
AND SHE DIDN'T TAKE ME WITH HER. I BEEN TO THE RIVER SO MANY TIMES NOW HE'S GOT IT TOO. AIN'T NOTHING BUT SINGIN' CAN FIX ME UP. The cowboy has entered and as he
tells the story he acts out the
blocking from the first story. He
sees the girl he goes over to her.
They share a couple laughs and a
bottle of whiskey. But they always
take their part of the story out
to the audience.
NORA It's nearly sunset the next day before you let your cowboy go. He's gone before you can wake up enough to say goodbye. You hear his boots kick the stable door. You hear him soothing his mount. You hear him call to the freckled stable boy who lives in the tent by the laundry line. COWBOY You're nearly dead with love and shivering on your dog hide saddle on the outskirts of Skogee where you left her, when the sunset ignites the mountains in front of you and your cheeks burn with the blaze. The moon comes racing up the through the pass behind you and draws his silver gun and says hold em up cowboy. NORA You're legs are still weak as you step through the lace curtain onto the balcony to breathe the dry mesquite wind and watch the sunset turn from skin to pink to deep red and cool the scratches on your soft cheeks. You can feel him pouring down the inside of your thigh. You didn't rinse him out for a reason. His body is still heavy on you like an imprint on feather pillows. COWBOY Damn, you think, he caught me daydreaming. You raise your hands to the first shimmering stars and you say quietly over your soldier. I knew I couldn't hide from you, old man cheese. I rode out here looking for your cave dwellings so I could face you. The moon smiles sideways with a flash of his crescent. His long leather over coat darkening the sky behind you. Your dragon, Rough Kneck, gets restless and kicks the dirt with a snort. "SHELL"
NORA
You put the steak on a rope and lower it down
to the hounds. They tear at the meat angrily.
You hear a knock on your door inside and hear
Fat Betty calling your name. "I'm comin' » You
say. « I gotta feed the lads. I'll bring the
money down to you." You like to make 'em wait.
Make 'em think they're missin' something.
COWBOY
The moon unravels from his bedroll a long
package tied with a string and sets it at your
feet. You kick aside a sleeping rattlesnake and
pick it up. Your nostrils feel the desert chill
like snorting vodka. You can hear the cactus
shiver in the lonely desert. The moon tells you
the story of how the stars are precious gems
sewn to an infinite dress of black silk.
NORA
You descend languidly down the wooden spiral
staircase. A cattle run is near town and the
bar is filled with dirty cowboys. You stare
right back into all those hungry eyes. You can
hear their hearts pumping.
COWBOY
Now these gems, you understand « Says the
moon « are mined from a vein deep within the
bowels of the earth where stones steep in the
blood of millions of generations of life. Where
a song can be crystallized into emerald or a
skull can become a pearl. Where crude oil fills
the gills of the earth and magma is the engine
of rebirth. »
«
NORA
You lean over the bar ignoring the leering old
man whose hand has already found the crease
between your left leg and your ass. You throw
Betty a wad of sweaty bills and spin to face
the whiskey breathing room. You feel your
clothes peeled off by a hundred pairs of eyes.
You think to yourself they must see it or smell
it on me. They can feel the deep luxurious
happiness that is coursing through my body.
They see the love in my cheeks. They smell my
womb blissfully drinking his seed. They hear my
toes as they wiggle with glee.
COWBOY
You smile a large generous smile and tear the
paper off the package revealing a golden bolt
action rifle with a pearl stock and leather
holster.
(MORE)
29. "SHELL"
COWBOY (cont'd)
Instantly, you understand and check the
chamber. 'One shot each.' he says. 'The snake
will give the signal and then turn and fire.'
You walk silently shaking to the crest of the
next dune. Your heart beating wildly against
that picture the redhead gave you of her
grandmother. She didn't have any pictures of
herself.
NORA
You smile a large generous smile and point a
finger at the young looking boy leaning on the
piano. His eyes widen as he realizes you've
chosen him. He grabs his hat and nearly falls
over trying to get to the bar. He stammers and
offers you a drink but you simply put his hand
in yours and lead him quietly shaking to the
first floor room with the red velvet drapes and
the phonograph.
COWBOY
As you wait with your back to him, the moon
tells the joke you've heard before about the
midget and his little mouse. Then, after a
short pause, you hear the snake sputter
'ready?' 'As I'll ever be.' You say 'Can't
wait.' Says the moon.
NORA
You put in your protection and wait with your
back to the young man, the moon shines in
through a crack in the curtains beside the bed.
You can hear the boy struggling with his belt
and pants. You draw the curtains open further
to look out at the desert night. You see the
outline of the dunes against the deep blue sky.
'Ready?' The boys voice cracks with anxiety.
'As I'll ever be' you say as you lay down on
the settee and lift your skirts.
COWBOY
'Gentlemen raise your weapons and on my signal
turn and fire.' The desert air suddenly goes
hot as if a crack in the earth has released
some deep volcanic heat. You can hear the
rattle quivering with apprehension as the snake
slithers for cover.
NORA
The curtain blows open and the desert air
suddenly goes hot as if a crack in the earth
has released some deep volcanic heat. The young
boy has found his way inside and has begun to
grunt sheepishly in your ear.
(MORE)
30. "SHELL"
31. NORA (con t ' d)
You can't help but imagine that it is your love
playing the silly amateur and you embrace the
frightened boy with abandon.
COWBOY
'And fight!!' You turn quickly around, take aim
and pull the trigger but you never hear your
shot ring out. You are suddenly a disembodied
spectator, watching yourself spin helplessly
into the air as if into a cloud of dust and
sand and blood. Before you hit the ground, the
crack in the earth swallows you whole and
belches a spiral of fire forty feet into the
air. Rough Kneck in a last valiant attempt to
save you rushes into the conflagration and
disintegrates instantly. Your last thought is
'Nora? will she be OK?'
The cowboy exits
NORA
Just as your little boy explodes helplessly
with amorous spasms you see a high red flame in
the desert and an enormous emptiness fills your
stomach. You are breathless and desperate for a
few seconds as you realize your love man is
lost. You push the poor boy off you and rush to
the wash basin. You splash water on your face
and look at your reflection. But you see the
red in your cheeks and you remember you are
pregnant. with a few deep breaths you are
perfectly content again. The warmth of your
body returns as you wash and collect your
money. You playa little hostess and then
around midnight you steal a bottle of wine from
the bar, sneak back to your room and sit on
your bed caressing your belly and imagining how
your baby will look like his cowboy father.
Nora is left alone on stage by the
radio.
'Fix me up' (con't.)
I GOT THE BLUES SO DAMN BAD I CAN FEEL IT ON MY TONGUE.
TASTES LIKE WHISKEY, BEE·R AND SOUP,
MY MOUTH IS ALL DRY, I CAN'T CHEW
AND ALL I DO IS TALK, TALK, TALK.
I BEEN TO THE SHRINK SO MANY TIMES
HE'S GOT IT TOO.
MY BABY'S GONE.
AND SHE DIDN'T GO WITH ANOTHER MAN
OR ANOTHER WOMAN EITHER.
THE ANGEL WITH BLACK EYES
HE COME AND TOOK HER
AND LEFT ME BEHIND.}---- REPEAT
"SHELL"
32. The song repeats that refrain over
and over and with each repetition
the music gets increasingly
strange and out of key until it's
unbearable and Nora is shocked out
of her reverie and must turn the
radio off. She stares at it for a
second.
SCENE 19 - LOSS
The phone rings. She leaves the
stage and picks up the receiver
off stage. Lights out on stage.
DOROTHY Hello? MAN
Yes. Is this Dorothea Huntington?
DOROTHY Yes it is. MAN
I'm •.• grieves me .•. inform you ••.
The line goes wonky.
DOROTHY Hello? Hello? You're not coming through. MAN I'm terribly ... your loss ... will be deeply missed ••. DOROTHY Oh bloody hell. This damn phone. Hello? MAN
•.. please do not hesitate to call ...
DOROTHY No wait. There's something wrong with the line. Hello? Oh Damn. Lights up on Archie and the clown
sitting in an awkward lotus
position.
ARCHIE
Now cross your left leg over the right, good.
Repeat after me. " An eye for an eye leaves
everyone blind."
"SHELL"
33. CLOWN
An eye for an eye leaves everyone blind."
Dorothy enters
DOROTHY
Archie! Stop torturing Maurice.
ARCHIE
But Dot, He needs to have at least a working
knowledge of Gandhi and his principles.
DOROTHY
Archie, have you looked outside today?
ARCHIE
No, actually, I've been here all morning.
Marcel brought in the paper and we started
talking about the pacifists in our rose garden
and one thing led to another and...
DOROTHY
Well, don't.
ARCHIE
Well, now I have to.
DOROTHY
No, honestly, don't bother, nothing to see
really.
ARCHIE goes to the window and
looks out.
ARCHIE
My god! What happened to the world?
DOROTHY
It's gone but don't make a big fuss. I beg of
you. Just accept it and move on and make it
easier for the rest of us. Right, Moses? Go
into the pantry and get an inventory of the
provisions.
CLOWN
Yes maim.
The clown exits.
DOROTHY
We'll need to collect all the water that's left
in the tap for drinking. We can keep it in the
fountain in the atrium and the tub in the guest
quarters and there are buckets in the pantry.
"SHELL"
34. ARCHIE
No more snooker at the Kings Head in Quagshire.
DOROTHY
We'll have to stop heating the west half of the
house, to save firewood.
ARCHIE I'm feeling rather hopeless suddenly. DOROTHY
Chin up Archie, we'll get on without the world.
She exits
ARCHIE I guess the existentialists won, eh? Archie sings a sad ballad.
'Everyone's leaving'
ARCHIE (cont'd)
EVERYONE'S LEAVING
JUST WHEN I'M SINGING
JUST WHEN LOVES HEALING
JUST WHEN I NEED THEM.
EVERYONE'S LEAVING
JUST WHEN FUN'S STARTING
JUST WHEN LOVE'S FLYING
JUST WHEN I'M HURTING
EVERYONE'S LEAVING
JUST WHEN IT'S SAD TO
JUST WHEN I'M SMILING
JUST WHEN I NEED THEM
HAVEN'T THEY NOTICED
THAT I WANT THEM AROUND
COULDN'T THEY HAVE SAID
GOODBYE.
AREN'T THEY FINDING IT
AS WRENCHING AS I DO
DON'T THEY NEED ME TOO
EVERYONE'S LEAVING
JUST WHEN THERE'S SINGING
JUST WHEN THEy'RE ASKED FOR
JUST WHEN I NEED THEM
EVERYONE'S LEAVING
JUST WHEN FUN'S STARTING
JUST WHEN LOVE'S FLYING
JUST WHEN I'M HURTING
"SHELL"
35. EVERYONE'S LEAVING JUST WHEN IT'S SAD TO JUST WHEN I'M SMILING JUST WHEN I NEED THEM HAVEN'T THEY NOTICED THAT I WANT THEM AROUND COULDN'T THEY HAVE SAID GOODBYE. I COULD HAVE PREPARED FOR THE LASTING IMPRESSION OF A VACANT SCHOOL CLASS IN JULY BUT THERE'S NOTHING SO EMPTY THAN SCHOOL YARD IN WINTER DID EVERYONE GO RUN AND HIDE ? EVERYONE'S LEAVING JUST WHEN I'M SINGING JUST WHEN LOVES HEALING JUST WHEN I NEED THEM. EVERYONE'S LEAVING JUST WHEN FUN'S STARTING JUST WHEN LOVE'S FLYING JUST WHEN I'M HURTING EVERYONE'S LEAVING JUST WHEN IT'S SAD TO JUST WHEN I'M SMILING JUST WHEN I NEED THEM HAVEN'T THEY NOTICED THAT I WANT THEM AROUND COULDN'T THEY HAVE SAID GOODBYE. AREN'T THEY FINDING IT AS WRENCHING AS I DO DON'T THEY NEED ME TOO EVERYONE'S LEAVING JUST WHEN I'M FALLING IN LOVE. SCENE 20 - DEATHBED
The bathrobe character with his
back to us tells us another dream.
He's searching for the meaning.
Another actor in a bathrobe
appears somewhere in the piece and
begins reciting this dream with
him. Then the last actor enters
with the bathrobe and joins in.
Sometimes they say it together
sometimes the other two repeat a
word or phrase.
"SHELL"
36. They just begin to fracture the
dream up like prism does to light.
ARMCHAIR MAN
There's a woman in black silk lying on a soft
bed her deep black eyes calling me and
reassuring me. But I am angry. I am in a rage.
I break the bedside table by throwing it
against the wall. I break the lamp, picture
frames, a CD shelf. I'm crying, tilt's not fair.
It's not fair." Then she turns into a black
Labrador retriever but she doesn't move she
just stares lazily, understanding from the bed.
She perks her ears up when I call on God. My
bedroom is a swimming pool of floating broken
belongings. There is no water but my hot tears.
I am swimming in my grief. Then I am washed
into a flood of black coffee and I am smoking a
cigarette and we are walking in the woods early
on a cold winter morning. The dog sniffs a
rusty can and because she can't feel her frozen
nose she cuts herself. She runs ahead leaving a
trail of blood in the snow. There is a green
marble in the snow next to the blood and then
another and another and another. I look up and
see the bare trees are crying. Little jade
rocks are raining down from the trees like
frozen spring blooms. We play fetch for a long
time and her nose continues to leave red
streaks behind her so that the field looks like
a child has taken a red marker and scribbled in
the snow. Then she lays down in the snow
exhausted, sickly and tired, unable to tell me
what she needs. I carry her from the snow to a
steel table and she cannot stand. I want to
scream for help but I am still and frowning as
she goes to sleep and the vet is doing nothing.
The fluorescent lights above me flickering
imperceptibly. I am taken into another room
and, there, an old and trusted friend tells me
At this point the clown turns
around and delivers the line like
the trusted friend.
CLOWN
You will be able to say one thing to her
The actress turns around
CLOWN (cont'd)
And then there will be no more communication.
without hesitation actor 1 turns
around.
"SHELL"
37. ACTOR 1
Thank you? Thank you very much for everything.
And then, as if she hasn't heard me at all, she
fades away.
The actress turns and exits.
SCENE 21 - END OF THE JOURNEY
The music of 'Just a Shell' comes
in. The clown moves back to the
band to sing. Actor 1 changes into
the doctor and they perform the
Parasol Dance III.
'Just a shell'(con't.)
AND WHEN I SPEAK I'M LOOKING UP,
I'M LOOKING DOWN.
I'M LOOKING STRAIGHT,
BUT ALWAYS TOWARDS YOU.
WHEN I SHOUT GOODBYE,
YOU HEAR.
I TALK ALL DAY TO LIGHT, TO LOSS, TO ATOMS, AND NO ONE ELSE CAN LISTEN. WHEN I PAW THE EARTH I KNOW, I KNOW YOU FEEL. WHEN THE SHELL'S TOO SMALL, THE CRAB CRAWLS OUT, LEAVING IT FOR ANOTHER. IT'S JUST A SHELL. IT'S JUST A SHELL. YOU ARE WHAT YOU GIVE AWAY, THAT'S ALL THAT'S LEFT WHEN YOU'RE GONE. Only, this time, the parasol girl
changes the blocking slightly and
catches the doctor by surprise.
She begins to pull him off stage.
DOCTOR Oh, I didn't expect it so soon. Right now? This minute? But things are such a mess. Let me just get some of my papers in order. He turns to his briefcase and
begins to pile papers on top of
each other, to try and organize
them. The parasol girl goes to
him, whispers in his ear, gently
takes his hand and leads him off.
"SHELL"
38. As he is leaving he drops his coat
on the ground. Their exit reveals
the little boy sleeping with his
head on the phone. It rings. He
picks
up. He listens for a bit.
Then
BOY
Merci. Merci beaucoup pour tous.
Lights out. The end.