HOME

 

wilf  jones

 

 

dramatis  personae

 

A  Narrator

El Presidente          unelected ruler of Himavante

His Aide de Camp

The Ancient             eldest Elder of Home,

 The Catcher

Ammal                     grandson of The Ancient

Rhianne                    Ammal's bride

The Twister              a torturer

The Power Station Supremo

Chorus of Friends

Chorus of Elders

An Announcer

Musicians                 band with two vocalists

 

 

STAGE BLACK, SILENCE.  SUDDENLY THE NOISE OF THE RAINFOREST CRASHES IN.  EBBS SLIGHTLY.  NARRATOR SPEAKS UNSEEN OFF RIGHT.

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen, to the jungle.  Can you hear it?  Close your eyes and listen to the voices and the splashings and the flappings and the beetlings: a billion birds, a zillion insects, hundreds of thousands of snakes and gators and jaguars all on the prowl for a quick bite, and most of all, over all, millions of trees.  A tree for every man, woman and child upon this earth twice over.  And each has a voice, so loud, so silent.  PAUSE  The jungle is so mighty you would think that nothing could harm it.  You would be wrong.  Even as we listen alien sounds tell us that the jungle is under attack.  The advance guard of the enemy: a railway, a steam train roars and hisses.  A sharp weapon indeed: the iron and stone is pitted against leaves and branches.  Futures are in the balance.

CHUG, CHUFF OF ENGINE BUILDS UP. MUSIC CUTS IN AFTER OPENING SPEECH.  FILM OF RAILWAY JOURNEY STRAIGHT AHEAD ON MAIN SCREEN

1 trouble up ahead

 

Rolling through the jungle                                      BAND
In the fireplate of noon,                                           Voc 1
Intense wet heat
All surrounding.
Crowding on the track,
The forest throws its branches,
Liana fingers reaching,
Feeling for the throat
Of the engine.
Slender neck of track
Thrust sharp into the jungle,
Iron making tracks
Through the tender green,
Waiting to be broken,
Waiting to be broken.                                              RPT

Suddenly confusion,
Trouble up ahead;
Suddenly confusion:
God's sake, kill the engine;
Suddenly confusion,
Trouble up ahead,
Save us from the jungle;
There’s trouble up ahead
Save us from the jungle,
For God's sake kill the engine,
Kill the engine,
Kill the engine,
Kill the engine!

SOUNDS OF BRAKES, SQUEALING WHEELS, RUMBLING, WHISTLING

            CRASH!    THEN SILENCE

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2 ghosts in the jungle

SCENE: SITE OF DERAILMENT.  WHISPERS OF ALMOST VOICES FILL TREES. SOLDIERS AND WORKERS NERVOUS.  SONG SUNG OVER THE CHANTING OF WORKERS AS THEY REPLACE TWISTED RAIL

White blinding stone                                                 BAND
Baking in the sun;                                                       Voc 2
Rails hot as ingots,
Wheels are thrown;
Breath of the furnace:
Hot cinder smoker
Gasping in the sun,
Idling the stokers.

There are ghosts  -  in the jungle.
Soldiers line the rail,
Rifles pointing outward;
Faces drawn and pale,
In the face of the sun;
Hammer hits the nail,
Mangled track removed,
Tangle tells the tale
Of sabotage.

There are ghosts - in the jungle.

Silence all around,
The silence of the forest,
Hiding from the sound
Of growling on the tracks;
Silence all around,
Fingers on the triggers,
Aiming at the forest,
Safe behind the diggers.

There are ghosts - in the jungle.

Superstitious signs:
The cross, the evil eye,
Orders barked in mime
Of boots and rifle butts;
Duty bound to die,
Desperate to run,
Each man holding tight,
Tense behind a gun.

There are ghosts  -  in the jungle;
There are ghosts  -  in the jungle;
There are ghosts   etc

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SHORT INSTRUMENTAL BRIDGE THEN REPEAT FROM 'superstitious signs'

 

SCREENS ILLUSTRATE NARRATIVE: archive or computer generated images:

Open your eyes, ladies and gentlemen, and see spread out before you, as though you were a god in his heavenly chariot speeding across the sky, or Icarus before he flew too high, or even one of those silent watchers carried at five times the speed of sound at the edge of atmosphere on the back of their hi-tec, night black Blackbird, see spread out for your purview the endless miles of darkling forest, fringed about by coastal plain or high sierra: the setting for our
story, the troubled land of Himavante.

The forest is dominant, seventy percent of what you see, that and a root-work of branching, bowing, meandering
river-ways shining like a tracery of silver inlaid on a jade topped table.  Only in the south do the plains amount to anything significant: flatlands, grasslands in the shape of a broad smiling face, with sea-cliffs for a chin.  To your elevated eye it may seem that this face is crawling with lice, but close-up you will identify longhorn and hereford, charolais and brahmin.  Then you will see tumours on this pale green face, pustules, tumescences red and black and yellow: the cities of Himavante.

Had you the choice, you would not wish to draw in close to these cities.  There is too much to the view, the concoction so dense, so rich it would turn the stomach.  The open wounds heave, infested.  Millions live meanly and die quickly in these places.  The sores weep.  You would not want to look too closely for fear you might recognize a face amid this churning mass, might be made to think suddenly of a friend or a relative, and understand that here are people just like you and me.

The greatest of these wens is the city of El Gracia de Dios, the capital of Himavante, the seat of power, seat of government.  There are beautiful buildings here, impressive works of man, mansions, palaces even - a domicile more fitting for the man of culture, of refinement, of wealth.  Motorways criss-cross, railways burst out on all sides, gardens sigh, towers shine. The shanty that encrusts, the barnacles of a lesser, ignorant life are easy to ignore, especially for those within.

Come down with me into the streets; streets today that are seething with carnival. Push through Fat Tuesday crowds and we will make our way to the Palace of Fun: the Word of God Television Studios.

Here, today, a very important man is about to give a speech.

 

3  dire news

MAKE-UP ARTISTS TOUCH UP PRESIDENTE BEFORE THE CAMERAS ARE ROLLED IN.  P. IN VERY SHARP SUIT, PROBABLY CREAMY WHITE. STUDIO PEOPLE AND HANGERS-ON IN CHOREOGRAPHED BUSTLE OVER INTRO.  FINAL TOUCH: A SELF APPLIED RED CARNATION. THE CAMERAS ROLL:

Dire news, my friends,                                                PRESIDENTE
It hurts me to say,
Millions of our people
Are living on the streets
Of the city;
Thousands are dying,
Starved of the work
They need to survive,
Here in the city,
Here in the city.

And what can we do
To make it all better,
What can we do
To feed the hungry child?
Down in the city,
Down in the city so wide.

The People of the World,
The rich men of the world,
Tell us we are wrong,
They tell us we are wrong,
When all we try to do
Is feed the homeless man,
And house his poor wife,
When all we try to do
Is feed her poor child,
Down in the city,
Down in the city.

Our country, my friends,
Of rivers and trees,
Mountain and plain,
Is rich enough for all;
Our country, my friends,
Is wide as the sea,
Is fertile and free,
And big enough for all,
All the hungry people
Who suffer in the city
Suffer in the city,
Suffer in the city so wide.

Big enough to give them hope!
Rich enough to give them food!
Lives need not be wasted:
Our land must not be wasted!

But the People of the World,
The rich men of the world,
Tell us we are wrong,
They tell us we are wrong,
To clear a little land,
To raze a few acres
Of valuable trees,
To mine the mighty riches,
And profit from a jungle,
Out in the forest,
Out in the forest.

I cannot stand by
And watch our people dying,
I will not stand by
And bow to the powers;
We will not be slaves
Who fall to our knees,
Whenever they cough,
Whenever they sneeze.
No! They are the ones
Who damage this world,
Those rich men, not we,
Who need to reform.

For this land is our land
To do with as we please;
The wealth and the power,
Now hidden by the trees,
Is all that we need
To succour our poor people
And give them the means
In their hour of need,
Out in the forest
And down in the city,
Out on the rivers and plains;

Out in the forest,
Down in the city;
Out in the forest,
No we will never lie down;
Out in the forest,
Down in the city,
Our dreams will soon become real;
Out in the forest,
Down in the city,
Our dreams will soon become real;
Out in the forest,
Down in the city,
Our dreams will soon become real.

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4  no need for a frown

A.D.C. DRESSED ALL IN BLACK HAS BEEN MOTIONLESS BUT NOTICEABLY PRESENT, NOW STEPS FORWARD. SNEERING NOT SLIMY. STUDIO EMPTIES

"Presidente!  What a speech,                                 AIDE DE CAMP
The figures are huge;
The T.V.s were burning
In city and shanty,
And all understood
What a great man you are
To stand up to the might
Of the foreigner far away.
There isn't a man
In all of this country                                                   cynical
Who doesn't know now
With our problems so grave,                                   edge
You'll fight like a hero
Your people to save.

Ahem!
May I breathe a quick word,                                  speed up
Before our gooses are cooked,                               half-spoken
They'll make us do bird
If we don't deliver this time."

"You know you worry too much:                            PRESIDENTE
If there is a problem
Just sell the Mercedes,
The house and the yacht,
Cash in the numbered
Swiss bank account;
We have it all sewn up
If we ever fail:
A quick trip to Europe
Not a quick trip to jail."

"It's good that you're sure,                                       A de C
It's good we've an out,
But you must be aware
That our plan for the jungle
Is suffering setbacks:
It's bungle after bungle;
I know we had it all sewn up:
With the building of the rail,
Just a skip and a hop
To our uranium grail…"

"Yes that is the jewel in our crown:                       PRESIDENTE
It'll make us so rich
We can buy another country,
So cheer up and smile!
There's no need for a frown."

"You really don't think so?                                        A de C
Then you can’t have heard of
The latest disaster.
Well I've just had word
That the link has been broken
Once more and the workers
Won't work as they're scared
Of the Spirits  -  in the Jungle."

"You know, you worry too much:                           PRES.
If there is a problem
Just send in the soldiers
And force them to work.
A stroke of the lash
And they'll do as they're told.
Just think of the loot
We're likely to earn
Just act like a brute
And we'll have money to burn.

We must have that jewel in our crown!
It'll make us so rich
It will all have been worth it,
So, cheer up and smile,
There's no need for that frown."

TOGETHER:

"I guess that you're right"                                    "This'll make us so rich"
                             "We could buy another country!"
"So I'll cheer up and smile,"                                  "So cheer up and smile,"
"I hear what you're saying:"                                "As I'm always saying:"
                                  "There's no need for a frown."

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                                    THIS SECTION SHOULD END IN A JIG OR REEL: THEY DANCE TO IT.

All eyes now turn to the forest: the eyes of the Presidente and his Aide de Camp; the eyes of the common people of Himavante; and over and beyond these the eyes of all the world.  All look to the trees for salvation.  For the Presidente and the A.d.C. salvation is counted in the gold pieces of profit.  For the common people, for the peasants, the forest holds a promise of decent lives (once you are rid of the trees of course).  Salvation for the world, however, is counted in the thickening of ozone layers, in the promotion of bio diversity, in the getting of other people to suffer for the greater good: in short in the very survival of the trees.

 

There are other eyes: the Army of Himavante is looking too, peering ever so closely into the dark depths of the forest but they are not seeking some form of salvation.  They are looking for foreign spies, dissidents, revolutionaries, saboteurs.  Someone as yet unidentified is wrecking the line, halting production, delaying the required advance of the rail head, but no matter how hard the generals look they can find no-one to answer for these crimes.  Creative persuasion of the primitive indigenous population has revealed nothing.  And yet, without the help of explosives track is twisted and broken, bridges are felled, and overnight, somehow, there are places where the jungle grows back into clearings made only hours before, lianas strangle the line: the jungle itself seems to be fighting the advance of mankind.  The peasant labourers are a superstitious breed, easily scared, but even the soldiers guarding the line are talking of ghosts, of spooks, of the angry spirit of the forest.

 

But now, why not turn your eyes upon this mystery: you will see from your ethereal height - do you remember that you fly high above this madness? - you will see the unclouded truth beneath the trees.  You will see deep into the forest, far beyond the furthest intrusions of modern man, beyond even the bravest wanderings of the naked Indian hunters, and there, hidden by some strange art from the common sight of spy satellites, of reconnaissance aircraft with their Hasselblad cameras, there deep in the forest live a people unknown to the world.  Deep in the forest there is a Home.

 

MUSICAL INTERLUDE, MAJESTIC, STRANGE, AND THEN SWOOPING, DESCENDING CHORDS THAT DELIVER YOU TO A PLACE WHERE THERE IS LAUGHTER, SINGING, TALKING. BACK SCREENS SPIRAL IN FROM HEIGHT

OR ANGLE IN TO FOREST SCENE OF HOME

Come with me now, I will show you Home.  A day of celebration.  Not a Fat Tuesday bacchanalia: no perverted rite of fertility here but a simple and honest wedding.  Here two lovers, Ammal and Rhianne will pledge themselves to each other and pledge the strength of their union to Home.  And though you may not yet understand exactly what that might mean, let me say they have a very real strength to give.

 

The Master of Ceremonies, an old man known simply as The Ancient will, in his way, tell all.  Or he will as soon as he manages to stop the children running riot.  The Ancient, the most wise, the master of ritual, nearly the most powerful person in Home spends most of his time looking after the children.

ANCIENT ADDRESSES AUDIENCE RATHER THAN ACTUAL CHILDREN. HE COMPETES WITH SOUNDS OF SQUAWKS, SQUABBLES, CHILDREN'S LAUGHTER. BEHIND HIM PREPARATIONS FOR THE WEDDING ARE IN HAND.

 

5  a prologue

Children!                                                                       ANCIENT

Sit you down:

You'll make yourselves giddy;

Sit you down,

While the grown-ups get ready.

Oh, there's going to be some fun,

There's going to be a party,

But sit you down for now and

Listen to our story.

 

This is the Tale of Home,

And a long tale it could be

If I were to tell you all we know

From the ancients down to me,

But today is a wedding day,

A promise for the future:

Who knows, there may be children,

We'll have to wait and see;

But on days like these

We all should stop and think

Of all our days before

And the reason we sit safe here now

In peace and harmony,

Quiet in the forest.

 

There is a song they'll sing:

The ancient Song of Home -

The words a vision of our past,

I wonder if you'll like them.

Let's listen to them singing

 

6  the song of home          ETHNIC INSTRUMENTS

 

In the dark and distant past                                  BAND & SOME CHORUS

Before the sailors came,                                           three vocalists

Before the bloody temple bells                              each breaks in

Rang out in Quetzal's name,                                  to take up thread

Before the men with silent thought          

And lonely lives became the kings

Of all beyond our forest home,

Like ants upon the silent plain,

We knew that we were mighty.

 

We knew that we were mighty

For cities that we made

With halls of light,

With streets of gold

And dreams of every shade,

For science, art, the noble end

Of man upon this earth,

With power from the sky above

The food for minds at play,

With power from the living stream

We lit the night and cooled the day

All safe within the forest Home,

We knew that we were mighty.

 

We knew that we were mighty

For then our minds had gift:

We spoke afar, our thoughts were loud,

We had the power to push, to pull,

To squeeze, to stretch, to lift.

Our power made us demi-gods;

No threat to us was seen:

Wherever in the world was man

So resolute and strong?

Whenever had there been?

For us to rule, no finger raised!

We knew that we were mighty.

 

We knew that we were mighty,

But dreams are never final dreams,

Our wants were never satisfied:

The urge to find, to search, to know

Was all we thought important then

And Nature was defied.

Our pride betrayed the silent Earth,

Then faster ran our season:

Our lives were never long enough

For all we longed to do,

Our world was never wide enough

For pleasure ever new.

 

We knew that we were mighty,

But as the cost of life grew dear,

The best kept for the few,

We learned to fight between ourselves,

We learned the art of war.

We fought for gain, a fuller life,

Till every yard and every mile

Became a cause worth dying for;

And those whose skill created arms,

Machines of dreadful night,

Their pride grew stronger than before

And unconcerned by wrong and right

Knew well that they were mighty.

 

We thought we all were mighty,

But nothing could we do

To halt the march to endless night

Our fathers had begun.

The war they made destroyed so much

No road or town was left beneath

The angry glaring sun.

A million died to bring us news

That nothing we can do

Could ever bring us happiness

When pride is all we know.

We learned the truth so long ago

That ever makes us humble:

Beside the Earth, the Sun, the Stars,

Beside the endless river flow

Neath everlasting sky,

Naught we ever say or do,

Nothing we could ever be

Could ever be called mighty.

 

Naught we ever say or do,

Nothing we could ever be

Could ever be

Could ever be

Could ever be called mighty.

 

 

 

 

Well my young and weary friends                         ANCIENT
A lot of words and thoughts
And far too many I'll be bound                             spoken
For you to remember all.
But children: we MUST remember
Why it is we're here,
And why we live so quiet
Hidden by the art
Beneath the forest canopy.
For there was once a foolish time
A time when in our pride
We nearly lost our reason,
We nearly lost the world:
The world and all its glories.
I see you fidget, hear you think
That these are not the happy words
You wished to hear today.
Well words are the privilege of the aged
And fidgeting is yours.

But now the stage is set,
The tables laid, musicians paid and ready.
And there they are the happy pair:
To join their lives
They are prepared
To give their lives to each
And give their lives to Home.
Come listen to their wedding song
Come listen to their vows
And cheer them on their road.

A STYLIZED BOWER WITH PEOPLE OF HOME AS WITNESSES. FOLK DANCE TAKING UP THE TUNE OF THE MIDDLE EIGHT.  BREATHLESS FUN.

GAMALAN STYLE BUT WITH FIDDLE FOR DANCE SECTION
 

 

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GAMALAN STYLE BUT WITH FIDDLE FOR DANCE SECTION (think Year of living Dangerously) FAST 3/4( first line 4 bars!)

 

7  ceremony

 

Take my hand                                                             AMMAL

My love,

Walk with me in this holy place

Where lovers swear

To stem the sands of time,

Defy the passing of the years,

Banish all the tears

That loneliness will bring

If you won't take my hand, my love,

Together we will never see

Another lonely day.

 

I will take your hand,                                                 RHIANNE

My love,

Marry me to your heart and soul;

I'll never find

A better place,

A better home.

If you always keep me near

My love will calm your fear,

Our love will keep us safe from harm

So take my hand, my love

Together we will chase the tears

And fears of life away.

 

 

I give my life to you;                                                   AMMAL

As the sunshine and the rain

Will make the forest bloom

Our love will find the way

To bring new life

To Home.

 

In the joy of the day                                                  RHIANNE

Two minds will work as one,

Two hearts will find the way;

When dreams together run

We will give our strength

To Home.

 

DANCE SECTION

 

Here we stand                                                            VERSES SHARED BY A & L

Before you all

To sing the truth:                                                        FINISH TOGETHER

Together, joined forever

We will live our vow

Our solemn word

To bravely face the trials

To walk the weary miles

With laughter in our eyes and hearts

So take our hands

And bless this day,

Though the world beyond

Grows dark and cold

We will see our dreams unfold

And live our lives together come what may,

And live our lives together come what may.

 

 

HAPPY PARTY CONTINUES DURING WHICH AN OUTLANDISHLY DRESSED CHARACTER CLUTCHING AN ENORMOUS STRIPED PILLOW CROSSES STAGE FROM LEFT FRONT TO REAR.  HIS APPEARANCE INDICATED BY MUSICAL SIGNATURE. ON THE WAY HE NODS TO THE ANCIENT, WHO BOWS SLIGHTLY IN RETURN; OTHERS SEEM NOT TO NOTICE. DIALOGUE MAY BE OMITTED FOR STAGE PRODUCTION

Catcher!                                                                                                               ANCIENT

Ancient!                                                                                                                CATCHER

We so rarely see you in the village.                                                               ANCIENT

And yet I am often here. Even now I am not much seen.                    CATCHER

They are too intent upon themselves. This is their day. 
It is a joy to see them so happy.  Isn't it?                                                     ANCIENT

It is.                                                                                                                         CATCHER

And yet here you are. Gathering happy dreams perhaps?
Or are you here to spoil them.                                                                       ANCIENT

They spoil themselves.  I’m here to watch and to listen.
There is inevitability to dreams if pursued too long or too far.              CATCHER

I am not sure I understand you.                                                                    ANCIENT

But you will.  Don't you think the music is beginning to sound
a little strained. Take care. I will not be far away.                                   CATCHER
 

UNCOMFORTABLE CHORDS IMPINGE.  AT REAR CATCHER CLIMBS A TOWER INTO THE DARKNESS. SWIRL OF ACTIVITY LEFT: NEW ARRIVALS, DRESSED IN CAMOUFLAGE RATHER THAN FESTIVE GEAR - BODY PAINT PERHAPS.  THESE ARE THE MAIN PART OF THE CHORUS OF FRIENDS. THEY MOVE CENTRE WHILE PARTY RECEDES. THE ANCIENT EAVESDROPS

 

8  more dire news

Ammal my love                                                          L
At last my love our friends
Come to give us news...
Of my brother!                                                             A
I missed him here today
Come my love, we'll listen to their news…
Of your brother                                                           L
And the cause he makes
Let's listen to their news…
Of the men beyond our forest Home                   A
Their never-ending crimes
We'll listen to their news
We’ll listen to their news                                           A & L

Where the forest falls                                                 FRIEND X
Before the metal rails
Where men with iron heads
Hands like hammers, teeth like nails
Beat a path destroying all
Before them..

We know the place, say on                                      A & L

There hard we worked                                             FRIEND Y
With figured minds
To bring to naught
The works we find
Where others shirked
A duty…

You know we would have been there                A & L

No! Safer here by far                                                  FRIEND Z
Dear friends
On evil thought
We can depend:
Whatever can they will they mar
Whatever cost to us.

Whatever cost to us? / Tell on.                               A / L

Grim weapons had they:                                         FRIEND X
Tongues of fire,
Fired them at the wood;
With hate these monsters never tire,
Intent to have their way
They fired their weapons blind.

Yes, we have heard their 'guns'.                                    A & L

Then you know the fearful cost                           FRIEND Y
These devils make us pay:
The guns they hold in bloody hands
They fired upon us yesterday:
pause
Ammal, your brother's lost,
Blind they found a mark.                               (this line dim echo of 3 voices)

My brother is                                                                A
Your brother lost?                                                       L
Not true: I would have known                               A
I hear his voice; not dead!

We searched an age                                                FRIEND X
But found him not

A captive then, not dead.                                   

REPEAT LAST STANZA ALL MIXED UP THEN BREAK DOWN INTO A BABBLE OF CONCERNED VOICES

A captive they say?                                           ANCIENT
A captive how? A captive why?
The cost we have to pay?
What do these young bloods talk about,
What mischief have they done?
What foul things are happening
Beneath this ancient sun?

ANCIENT TURNS TO REAR STAGE (high) AND SHRUGS IN QUESTION     

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What foul things indeed?  Things are happening to be sure but are all of them foul?  We know about the Aide de Camp and his boss; though we may not approve, we understand all those who follow their orders or else; we know that the rail head advances hour by hour toward a hidden Home, toward a hidden people who can bend iron track with nothing more than the power of thought; but what of these young bloods of Home?  Are they not HEROES in their defiance, in their sabotage?  We know their only desire is to protect their own.   Who could disagree with that?  It is a natural, not to say noble response.  It is their duty.  Well isn't it?    Whatever the cost?

Let's see what happens when these young bloods take the cause to their Elders.

 

CATCHER, PEERS OUT FROM TOP OF TOWER, YAWNS AND SETTLES ON FOLDED ARMS TO WATCH THE PROCEEDINGS.  THIS TIME IT IS CLEAR EVERYONE CAN SEE HIM.  ELDERS GATHER FOR MOOT.  X MAKES AN OBEISANCE THAT WILL SEEM QUAINT TO OUR SOPHISTICATED EYE. CATCHER SEEMS TO FIND IT AMUSING

 

9  debate

Elders of our Noble Home                                        (SPOKEN)     FRIEND X

 

Ha ha ha! Such charm!                                             CATCHER

 

Elders of our Noble Home,                                        FRIEND X
Mothers, Fathers fair and wise,

 

Deary deary me.                                                          CATCHER

 

Forgive us please…                                                    FRIEND X IRRITATED

 

Splendid! Groveling's the way!                               CATCHER

 

SILENCE   -   REPROACHFUL GLANCES TOWARD THE CATCHER

 

You want me to be quiet, I suppose?                  CATCHER
Well then, you carry on.  Don't mind me.  
Carry on! Just try pretending I'm not here.

 

Elders of our noble home,                                        (SUNG)       FRIEND X

Mothers, Fathers fair and wise,

Forgive us please our eager will:

We yesterday in pride did let

Allowed the savage heart to kill,                         

Provoked their fear

Provoked a rage

In petty man, half blind;

In terror yes they fired their guns

On what to them were spirits, ghosts,

The angry jungle mind.

 

But what are we to do?                                          FRIEND Y

Their iron road grows closer every day,

Comes closer to our hidden Home,                      + CHORUS OF FRIENDS

Threatens all we are and do,

What do the Elders say?

 

We say that Home is safe                                         CHORUS  OF ELDERS

And hidden by the art;

We say that till the Forest falls

And rain turns back into the sky,

We say that till the sun turns black

And mighty Forest stream runs dry

We'll live in peace with all on Earth

And Home will never die.

 

Elders of our noble Home,                                        RHIANNE

Mothers, fathers fair and wise,

You cannot see the Truth I put

Before your kindly eyes;

Listen to the proof

That makes your answer lies:

Look beyond the Forest Home                               FRIEND Z

With focussed thought and see

That trees do fall

Smoke blacks the sun;

Will it be long before

The evil hand turns back the clouds

And stays the River run?

 

So what are we to do?                                            RHIANNE +

Their iron road grows longer every day,              CHORUS

Comes closer to our hidden Home,                      FRIEND Z

Threatens all we are and do

What do the Elders say?

 

We say that home is safe,                                        LEAD ELDER

Hidden by the art;

We say that till the crying voice                            C. OF ELDERS

Of all the world rings out

And shakes the Earth beneath our feet

Our strength denies your doubt:

We'll live unharmed by force of change

Our Home - the last redoubt.

 

But Elders of our noble Home,                                FRIEND X

Mothers, fathers fair and wise,

The people of the world outside

Are shaking mountains with their cries.

Our strength is nothing if we wait,

Will you watch the Forest die?                               AMMAL

Look beyond the bounds of Home,

You must look out and see:

The soldiers nightly prime their guns,

Will it be long before

Their arms destroy our weary souls,

Before the River crimson runs?

 

What are we to do?                                                  CHORUS++

Our certain doom grows closer every day,

The time has come to act!                                      X

What now do the Elders say?                                 A + L

 

We say that Home is safe,                                       ELDERS

Hidden by the art..

LONG PAUSE AS SOME FORM OF DEBATE TAKES PLACE. GROUP OF ELDERS HAVE JOINED TO FARSEE. MUSIC HANGS ON A CHORD UNTIL AT LAST A DECISION IS MADE.

But we will act as you desire:

We feel those minds of fear and hate,

We see too clear their foul intent,

We see the Forest's fate

If we refuse to change our way,

We know we cannot wait.

 

But what are we to do?

Go gather news to give us aim,

To give our thought a target.

Our answer must be strong enough

To keep their forces tame.

Go gather news,

Go gather news

Then tell us all you see.

 

EXEUNT LEAVING ONLY CATCHER AND ANCIENT

 

Well, that's the youngsters and the Elders. 
What about the old man: the Ancient,
the children's nanny?                                                CATCHER

 

"Go gather news" they say,                                    ANCIENT

The answer must be strong enough

To keep their guns at bay.?                                    HE SPEAKS TO

What do they think they'll do                                 AUDIENCE

To fly against the way we chose                           HAVING ACKNOWLEDGED

Two thousand years ago.                                        CATCHER WITH A NOD

The Song was only words today

But what about tomorrow?

I am old (sigh)  I am old

The children's nurse,

Fit to teach them play

And nothing else.  Ha!

But will I be silent - not at all:

Very soon my little ones

You'll see I'll have my say.

 

LIGHTS GO DOWN ON THE CATCHER AND HIS TOWER.  ANCIENT WEARILY LEAVES STAGE. OTHERS RETURN AS IF MAKING PREPARATION FOR A JOURNEY.  NARRATOR EXPLAINS.

Duty calls.  They go as they must go, to see what there is to see, to discover exactly what threatens their home.  They will observe an alien civilization, they’ll wonder at how the people of the plain live their daily lives caught in the hideous tension between fulfillment and desire; they will marvel at how these people have learned to die and at the truths they have learned to ease their passing.  But the greater part of the task must be to learn what makes this benighted enemy strong and where the real weaknesses lie: they must decide, before it happens, how the people of Himavante will think to make war.

But there is one who leaves Home at this time with a task more urgent and a duty more severe.  He has a journey to make that will carry him into the heart of Himavante, deep into the City of the Grace of God.  A brother may have been lost but he will not be abandoned.

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10  go and stay

 

Ammal                                                     Rhianne

 

My brother waits

But cannot wait                         You cannot go

Till everything                                (pleading

We must do is done                You cannot go

 

They hold him fast

His strength can't last              You cannot go

Until this war

The war we fight is won

 

                                                 Then you must go

I cannot stay                        But must you go

   (ashamed)                       And throw our love

I cannot stay             Away till the end is come

                                             And you must help

I cannot stay                       But who will help

                                                  Me live each day

                            Each day when you are gone

 

                                                         And if you go

But I cannot go                        As you must go

    (in pain)                                  To find your bro-

I cannot go              -ther in some far off place

                                                       Then I will wait

I cannot go                              But cannot wait

                                               To see and hear you

                                  To touch, and kiss your face

 

But if I stay

Yes if I stay                                You cannot stay

My brother lost                             (resigned)

You know he cannot wait    You cannot stay

And he'll be lost

In hell be lost                            You cannot stay

Rhianne, my love

You know he cannot wait

 

I cannot stay

                                               Then you must go

I cannot go

                                              You must not stay

I love you

                                                              love you

But I must go                          But you must go

 

rpt last verse in round perhaps three times

 

THEY PART LINGERINGLY

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BRIEF INSTRUMENTAL TO SUGGEST A DANGEROUS JOURNEY.  SCREENS WILL CONCENTRATE ON OPENING SCENES OF FOREST GIVING WAY TO PLAIN AND FOCUSSING IN ON FACES OF GRIM DETERMINATION.  ALL THROUGH NEXT TRACK SCREENS TO TALLY WITH LYRIC.  INSTRUMENTAL SEGUES INTO:

 

11  petty crimes

 

Twelve thousand miles of metalled road,          BAND

Four thousand miles of track,                                  jazz jungle beat

A million cars, a million loans,

A zillion tons of coal so black

It burns into the skies,

A billion gigawatts of power

To turn their mills, to blind our eyes.

 

Twenty million fearsome souls,

Twenty mill' to feed and clothe,

Twenty million homes to find

And a million petty crimes to loathe

And hatred like an open sore,

A million million wrongs to right

Excused because the nation's poor.

 

A hundred thousand men at arms

They use with pride and skill,

A million more from shanty towns

Who trade their safety for a meal,

No more than cannon feed,

Four thousand tanks, a thousand planes

All set to drop their devil's seed.

 

And men of power, safe from harm,

Fire up the hearts of those to die,

Pretend their way will win the day

And keep false aspirations high

In those without a hope.

"Without the wealth of trees"

they cry, "We know we cannot cope."

 

And all that holds their arms in check                    BAND + CHORUS

The deadly fear we generate:

The jungle mind, the jungle soul,

The last defence against their hate.

Before we are attacked

We soon must spoil their careless strength,

With bravery must act!

 

Their roads are never long enough

To bring them to our doors;

Their arms are never strong enough:

Will never still our jungle roar;

Their power too weak within our nets,

Of troops they have a million more

But against the mighty power of Home

Their battle cries are empty threats.

 

Yet men of power, safe from harm,

BAND

Fire up the hearts of those to die

Pretend their way will win the day

And keep false aspirations high

In those without a hope

"Without the jungle razed" they cry,

"We'll never, ever cope!"

 

But their roads are never long enough                BAND + CHORUS

To bring them to our door;

Their arms are never strong enough:

Could never still our jungle roar;

Their power too weak within our nets,

Of troops they have a million more,

Against the mighty power of Home

Their battle cries are empty threats.

top

ALL THE PEOPLE OF HOME GATHER THROUGH PREVIOUS TRACK.  SOME OF THEM CHEER THE BIT ABOUT HOW WEAK THE ENEMY REALLY IS.  THE ANCIENT LOOKS ON IN DISBELIEF.  HE SETS HIMSELF TO SQUARE UP TO THOSE HAWKS WHO WANT TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY HEAD ON.

 

12  to challenge fate

 

And now you count yourselves so mighty:                                      ANCIENT
A match for all their guns,
And ready for the fight we
Ready thought we ready power:
Destruction of their ways and means!
In self defence we have the right, we
Have the right to act!
We'll close our ears to all the screams,
All the weeping mothers' sons,
The daddies' girls: the parent
Starving for his child.  We'll
Set their course for misery,
And all because in greed they dared
They dared to threaten Home?


We have the right, old man,                                                               FRIEND X
You do not see the danger;
We have the right:
The meek response,
To bow to fate,
To suffer silent
What may come
Will mean the end
For Home.
The common folk out there                                                                 RHIANNE
Must rise against their masters;
Our quarrel lies with evil men
They've let become their masters;
It's up to them to see                                                                            FRIEND Y
The evil they allow
To rule their lives;
We need to show them how
Their lust for land and mines
Will lead them to disaster.

What foolish words                                                                                 ANCIENT
To speak so glib;
What foolish thoughts to think:
Two thousand years is yesterday
And yet you do not hear
The echoed cries,
The rushing tears
Our pride allowed to happen here.
The Song is ringing in our ears
Yet you refuse to listen.
Our way was set so long ago
By wiser ones than we, are we
Bold enough and Dull enough
To treat their truth so free?

Not wrong for then                                                                                FRIEND Y
Those thoughts old man
But wrong for now:
Can you not see the danger?
We must respond
And challenge fate,
Raise the cry
And stir our hearts,
Must act before
The killing starts.

Your time is past                                                                                     FRIEND Z
Old Father Time,
Stay safe and fed
Beside the fire,
Keep the young ones,
Play their games,
Tell them tales
To make them laugh,
To make them shiver
With the fright,
But know you're safe
Behind our lines,
Behind the walls
Our thoughts create
And watch for signs of our return
In victory from the fight.

To keep you safe,                                                                                    CHORUS++
To succour Home,
To halt their march,
No more:
Bloody strife
Their aim not ours;
We'll take from them
The tools they use
And break their roads;
We'll take from them
The power they make
And twist their rails;
We'll take from them
Their words on air
And still their noise
Of war.
And halt their march,
No more;
We'll halt their march,
No more:
A Victory for Right!
 

UP LIGHTS ON CATCHERS TOWER. ONLY THE BACK OF HIS HAT AND MAYBE A BIT OF THE PILLOW IS VISIBLE

 

Fine words my friends, don't you agree: might is always right!            CATCHER
What say you old man, Old Father Time? 
What will you tell your children?

Watch them go                                                                                       ANCIENT
My little ones,                                                                                            slow waltz
Watch them go to war.
I never thought to see the sight,
Not in dreams of darkest night,
To see them march to war.
Watch them go
My little ones
And learn the art of tears.
 

RPT

ANCIENT IN SLOW WALTZ WITH REAL OR IMAGINARY CHILDREN   

 

To war then:

 

The Army of Himavante  V  the People of Home.

 

In the blue corner: tanks, planes, guns and a million soldiers; in the red: nothing more than the power of human minds working together; well, that and a hefty chunk of surprise.  Which will

prove the stronger: industrial might or personal power, blitzkrieg or sabotage? 

top

SCENE OF MUCH SCURRYING IN WHAT SEEMS TO BE A CONTROL ROOM. PRESIDENTE AND ADC RECEIVE THE BAD NEWS. BUILD UP OF WARLIKE DRUMS,  SOUND OF SIRENS/KLAXONS GRADUALLY DROWNED OUT BY THE BUILD UP OF THE BEAT  -  THEN A PAUSE -  THEN IN A SUDDEN RUSH:

13 red alert      BAND & OTHERS

 

Red Alert                                                                       THIS A GENERAL SHOUT

Klaxons wail                                                                  This SINGLE VOCALIST

Fire bells ring                                                                      SINGS THE REST

The prisoners

Escape the jail:

  

The walls fell down

Without a bang

Without a bomb

To break the stone

And out they sprang.

 

Red Alert

The flashing lights

Screaming to a halt

The drivers can't

Believe the sight:

 

 The bridge fell down

 Without a quake

 Without a tremor

 Deep in rock

 To make it shake.

 

The Daily News

Shouts out the line

"The Earth Rebels -

 From God a Sign"

The Presidente

Calls for calm

   "Not a soul                                                                    PRESIDENTE

    Will come to harm

    And everything

    Will be just fine"

The troops are out

Arrests are made

For no-one knows

What crime.

For no-one knows

What crime.

 

Red Alert

The rolling stock

Declines to roll,

The station gates

Refuse to lock,

 All moving parts

 Refuse to move,

 All over town

 The needle pauses

 In the groove.

 

Red Alert

The T.V. screens

All turn to black,

The radio fuzz

All howls and screams,

 Transmitters fail

 Receivers die,

 Bulletins

 Remain unsaid

 No knowing why.

 

The Daily News

Shouts out the line:

"The press rebels

 They think it's time"

The Presidente

Calls for calm:

 

   "Not a soul                                                                 PRESIDENTE

    Will come to harm

    And everything

    Will be just fine"

The troops are out

Reporters nailed

For no-one knows

What crime.

For no-one knows

What crime.

 

Red Alert

The gas is blown,

The power plants

That light the night

Refuse to glow,

 The coal won't burn,

 In Hydro-mills

 The turbines seize,

 The Power Kings

 Are popping pills.

 

Red Alert

The power fails

The current fades,

The nations hope

Now flickers pale.

   Except for one last throw

   The die is cast:

   To meet the need

   The fastest breeder

   Comes to power at last.

   To meet the need

   The fastest breeder

   Comes to power at last.

 

The Daily News

Shouts out the line:

"P.W.R.

 Ahead of Time!"

The Presidente

Cuts the cord,

The Power Baby

His reward

Now everything

Will be just fine,

The troops are out

Rubber bullets fly

Demonstrators

Are dispersed

(They'll never nail

 That safety lie)

 

The troops are out

Arrests are made

And we all know

The reason why

Yes we all know

The reason why.

top

TRUMPETS AND DRUMS - A FANFARE.  BECOMES APPARENT THAT THE CONTROL ROOM IS IN A POWER STATION. PRES AND ADC WITHDRAW.

 

14  intro

 

Ladies and Gentlemen                                             AN ANNOUNCER

May I take this opportunity

To introduce to you

Your Saviour:

The man with lightning bolts for eyes!

Be on your best behaviour

And give some credit where it's due

You never know what he'll do to you;

Raise your voices higher

And welcome now

Your Nuclear Messiah.

 

 

15  the power hymn                                                   very heavy

 

 

I'll give you the power                                              THE POWER STATION SUPREMO

Coz I got the power

The power to thrill

The power to kill

I'll give you the power

Coz I got the power

For making you boil

Your God is my coil

Coz I got the power

And I'll give you the power

 

Your future was sold

To those bastards outside

The bastards who lied

For your Uranium Gold

Now the tables are turned

On those bastards out there

You won't have care

In this future you've earned.

 

Coz I got the power

I'll give you the power

The power to fight

To fire up the night

I'll give you the power

Coz I got the power

I'll keep you alive

On isotope 235

My nuclear power

I'll show you the power

 

So I've made mistakes

And haven't we all

That particle fall?

Those figures were false!

They even complain

When I chop a few trees

Farting in the breeze

Has gone to their brains

Forest or plain

Well who gives a shit

Gone too far to quit

See me counting the gain

 

Coz I got the power

We all got the power

Asleep in the trees

So fall to your knees

And pray for the power

And I will give you the power

HEAVY ELECTRIC LEAD SOLO

 

They say we jumped the gun

They say the cores unstable

Cards on the table

When your race is run

You gotta be the winner

Risks you gotta take

If you wanna raise the stakes

It don't make you no sinner.

 

Coz I got the power

We all got the power

Pray for the power

And I will give you the power

C'mon pray to your God

The Uranium Rod

C'mon pray to your God

That Hot Uranium Rod

C'mon

I'll give you the power

Coz I got the power

We all got the power!

I'll show you the power

Let me show you the power

Let me show you the power

Let me show you the power

Let me show you the power:

 

I'm switching

 

On

 

NOW!!

• top

BAND PRODUCE PAINFUL THROBBING/BUZZING/ELECTRIC SOUND THROUGHOUT NEXT TRACK - CONTINUALLY BUILDING

 

16  the power builds, the power rolls

 

On come the lights!                                                  POWER STATION SUPREMO

The wheels begin to roll

We're gearing for a fight

Uranium our goal.

Our future's looking bright:

The struggle takes its toll

But you know that we are right

To win back what they stole.

The spooks will take to fright;

They may have spoiled the coal

Destroyed our metal might

Think we're sunk into a hole

Much too deep to see the light;

But we got iron in our souls

We never falter in a fight

Atomic hearts will keep us whole

Bring us clear in darkest night

 

The power builds, the power rolls

The troops protect reactor site                              CHORUS

The power builds the power rolls

Their faces bathed in liquid light                            CHORUS

The power builds the power rolls

A roller coaster, holding tight                                  CHORUS

The power builds the power rolls

Soon our bark becomes our bite                           CHORUS

The power builds, the power rolls

Our power surges to the heights                           CHORUS

The power builds, the power rolls

The power rages super-white                                 CHORUS

The power builds, the power rolls

Reactor burning radiant                                          CHORUS

The power builds, the power rolls

The power thunders through the night                CHORUS

 

rolling repeats

synth takes over from voices, gets higher and higher then all sounds cut dead

 

and                                                                                    THIS SPOKEN QUIETLY IN SILENT PAUSE

 

 

B O O M !!!!!!!

 

 

•  

 

 

 

 

END OF ACT ONE

(break to hospitalize people with weak hearts)  

 

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