Purple Heart E-Book

Bruce Norris

• Herausgeber: Nick Hern Books
• Kategorie: Poesie und Drama
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2015

Beschreibung

A deeply moving meditation on love, loss and grief. October 1972. In a city somewhere in the American Midwest, Carla is trying to rebuild her life. Her husband is gone – killed in Vietnam. Now, under the watchful eye of her mother-in-law, she must raise her young son whilst struggling to avoid the sympathy of her local community. But everything changes with the unexpected arrival of a soldier on her doorstep. Bruce Norris's play Purple Heart was first performed by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago, in July 2002. It received its UK premiere at the Gate Theatre, London, in March 2013.

Leseprobe

Bruce Norris

PURPLE HEART

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Title Page

Author’s Note

Original Production

Characters

Act One

Act Two

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

Author’s Note

Purple Heart is a play I wrote in a period of my life that now seems – psychologically, if not chronologically – very distant to me. It was a period in which my personal life was in upheaval and also, significantly, not terribly long after September 11th, 2001, when the US was preparing to invade the nation of Iraq on the false pretext that they posed a threat to us. The real threat, as it would turn out, was from inside, a product of our collective paranoia and fear and desire for vengeance.

We performed the play in the summer of 2002 at Steppenwolf Theatre in Chicago – on the large stage, meaning it was very much a milestone in my so-called writing career – and then a year later we took the same production to the Galway Festival in Ireland. So, in addition to having positive associations with the play, personally, it was also the first time citizens of another country were listening to something I’d written. The tour was highly disorganised and we had roughly twelve hours to load the set into the theatre in Galway, undergo technical rehearsals, and then open to an Irish audience. The director and I stayed up all night painting the set and when we finally opened we collapsed from exhaustion.

It’s always tricky to recall the exact state of mind you were in a decade ago. Suffice it to say that during that time I had developed terrible doubts about the nature of love and kindness (and if the two are mutually exclusive), as well about the problematic imperial role played by the US in the larger world. And how the desire to hurt and the desire to help often become difficult to distinguish.

B.N. January 2013

Purple Heart was first produced by Steppenwolf Theatre Company, Chicago (artistic director, Martha Lavey), on 5 July 2002, with the following cast:

THOR

Nathan Kiley

CARLA

Laurie Metcalf

GRACE

Rosemary Prinz

PURDY

Christopher Evan Welch

Director

Anna D. Shapiro

Set Designer

Daniel P. Ostling

Costume Designer

James Schuette

Lighting Designer

James F. Ingalls

Sound Designers

Rob Milburn and Michael Bodeen

Stage Manager

Laura D. Glenna

The play received its UK premiere at the Gate Theatre, London, on 28 February 2013, with the following cast:

THOR

Oliver Coopersmith

CARLA

Amelia Lowdell

GRACE

Linda Broughton

PURDY

Trevor White

Director

Christopher Haydon

Set Designer

Simon Kenny

Lighting Designer

Mark Howland

Sound Designer

Tom Mills

Characters

THOR

GRACE

CARLA

PURDY

THOR is twelve. He has long hair and wears tinted ‘aviator’-style glasses.

GRACE is sixty-five and wears a hearing aid.

CARLA is in her thirties.

PURDY is in his twenties. He wears a corporal’s uniform. He is a large man with short hair and glasses and a polite manner.

This is a medium-sized city in the Midwest. The set is the living room of Carla and Thor’s home, with exits to a kitchen and dining room, one to the front door, and another to a hallway off of which other rooms are located. We can see down the hallway, but the front door is not visible. The house was built in the late fifties but has been decorated (tastefully, not tacky) in the modern way, i.e. shag rugs, contemporary lighting fixtures and so forth.

There should be no music of any kind in the play except where indicated.

The time is late October, 1972.

ACT ONE

Six p.m., central daylight time. The room is almost totally dark. THOR enters from the hallway. He turns on a lamp, illuminating CARLA, who is asleep on the sofa. She wears a bathrobe over her clothes. THOR studies her briefly, then makes a circuit around the room turning on other lights. CARLA remains asleep.

He goes to the stereo and picks up a record. He places it on the turntable, then leaves the room. An aggressive rock song begins to play at a very high volume. CARLA remains asleep. THOR re-enters with a stepladder. He places it near a wall and climbs up. He removes a clock from the wall and opens its back.

GRACE enters from the front hallway. She wears a coat and scarf and carries her purse.

GRACE. Thor?

He does not respond. GRACE patiently repeats herself.

Thor? Thor? Thor? Thor?

She takes the needle off the record.

Thor.

He still does not respond.

I’m speaking to you, Thor.

THOR. I know.

GRACE. I’d like you to answer me when I speak to you.

THOR. I’m answering.

GRACE (re: the clock). What are you doing with that?

THOR. Changing the time.

GRACE. Did you ask before doing that?

THOR. No.

GRACE. Is there something wrong with it?

THOR. No.

GRACE. Maybe we should leave it the way it is.

THOR. Spring forward fall back.

GRACE. Oh I see.

THOR. I’m doing them all.

GRACE. I see now. Well. Thank you, then. And you know what you’re doing?

THOR. It is oh so challenging.

GRACE. It is an expensive clock, Thor.

THOR (innocently). Did you pay for it?

GRACE. I think we ought to ask your mother before we do something like that.

THOR (to CARLA). Mom, can I set the clock back?

CARLA does not stir.

She doesn’t mind.

GRACE. I don’t trust that ladder. Is that ladder safe?

THOR. I don’t know.

GRACE. Let’s avoid having an accident.

GRACE exits down the hallway. THOR replaces the clock on the wall and descends the ladder. He sits next to CARLA.

THOR. She’s back.

She does not stir. THOR continues patiently.

Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom.

He takes her arm and removes her wristwatch. He resets the time, then replaces it on her wrist.

Mom. Mom. Mom.

He pinches her nose. She pulls her head away but does not open her eyes.

CARLA. Don’t.

THOR. She’s back.

CARLA. Don’t do that to me.

THOR. You said wake you up when she got back.

CARLA. I’m awake.

THOR. Now you are.

CARLA. Don’t pinch my nose.

THOR. Get up.

CARLA. I’m up.

THOR. No you’re not.

CARLA. Go away.

THOR. Lazy ass.

CARLA. Go away.

THOR. Lazy ass.

CARLA. Watch it.

THOR. Lazy fucking ass.

CARLA. You’re about to get your ass whipped.

THOR. I’m scared.

CARLA. Keep it up.

THOR. Like to see you try.

CARLA. Keep it up.

THOR. Have to get off your ass first.

CARLA. Keep it up.

THOR. Your lazy ass.

CARLA. Toilet mouth.

THOR. Ass face.

CARLA. I’m not going to speak to you.

THOR. What a tragedy.

CARLA. I’m not going to speak to a toilet mouth.

THOR. Oh no. Not speak? Please. Anything but that.

A long pause.

Aaah. Peace and quiet. Peace at last.

He grows restless.

Did I get my package?

CARLA does nothing. THOR kicks her.

Answer me. Where is it? Answer me. Cut it out. Answer me.

CARLA sticks out her tongue.

God you’re ugly. Old and lazy and ugly. Answer me. Did it come? Stop it.

CARLA wiggles her tongue.

You’re disgusting. You look disgusting when you do that. Stop it. Answer me. I hate you. Lazy whore.

CARLA opens her eyes and sits up.

CARLA. Hey.

THOR. What?

CARLA. Watch what you say to me, you little piece of shit.

THOR. So try answering me for a change.

CARLA. I did answer you but you better watch your mouth.

THOR. No you didn’t.

CARLA. And don’t do things to me while I’m asleep.

THOR. You said to wake you up.

Pause.

CARLA. How long has she been back?

THOR. Couple of minutes. Where is it?

CARLA. Where is what?

THOR. My package. I asked you ten times.

CARLA. I don’t know.

THOR. Why is it taking so long?

CARLA. I don’t know.

THOR. Fucking rip-off.

CARLA. It’ll come.

THOR. When?

CARLA. I don’t know.

THOR. Never.

CARLA. Maybe tomorrow.

THOR. Maybe never.

CARLA. Few more days.

THOR. I better get some money back.

THOR reaches in his pocket and pulls out a ‘finger guillotine’ from a novelty shop.