Pandas E-Book

Rona Munro

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

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

A romantic-comedy-thriller about the heat of love and the magic of changing perspectives. Lin Han and Jie Hui have exchanged 536 emails and 72 jpegs, though they've only just met. She's sure he's the man she could fall in love with, if only he'd do it first. But Jie Hui's a little distracted. When his business partner gets shot, things start to get very complicated – especially when he realises his heart is broken. Meanwhile, Madeleine finds herself falling for James, the most attractive man she's met in years. And the feeling seems to be mutual. It's just a pity he's the policeman questioning her about the shooting of her ex-boyfriend… Rona Munro's play Pandas was first staged at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, in 2011.

Leseprobe

Rona Munro

PANDAS

NICK HERN BOOKS

London

www.nickhernbooks.co.uk

Contents

Dedication

Author’s Note

Original Production

Characters and Note on the Text

Act One

Act Two

About the Author

Copyright and Performing Rights Information

For Dave

Author’s Note

Once in a while you write a play and you can’t pinpoint where it comes from. With Pandas the characters simply demanded to start talking about love. That was the start, but this play came bouncing joyfully out of other places as well. It comes from a long and happy relationship with the Traverse Theatre, I couldn’t imagine this play starting its life anywhere else. It comes out of an abiding love affair with the city of Edinburgh. I might have been born in Aberdeen but when the cherry blossom comes out on The Meadows there’s nowhere else on Earth I’d rather be. But, more than anywhere else, this play comes out of the twenty-five years I’ve spent writing comedies for MsFits theatre company and the wonderful Fiona Knowles. Without Fiona and without those years writing for an actress with such superb storytelling skills, my own would never have been able to develop so happily. Bless you, darling, this one’s for you too.

In the delightful event that you have this script in your hands with a view to further production a few explanations and safety warnings. The scene descriptions may induce headaches in any designer (not to mention sound and lighting designers). What’s important is that the audience gets an impression of springtime, green trees and blossom. How that’s achieved is not crucial nor are any mentioned effects or sound effects.

Also, as a note to actors and directors, what we discovered in rehearsal was that it’s crucial to pin down who knows what and when they know it… and to mark the moment each character really falls in love.

Rona Munro

Pandas was first performed at the Traverse Theatre, Edinburgh, on 15 April 2011, with the following cast:

ANDY

Keith Fleming

MADELEINE

Meg Fraser

JIE HUI

Siu Hun Li

JULIE

Vicki Liddelle

JAMES

Phil McKee

LIN HAN

Crystal Yu

Director

Rebecca Gatward

Designer

Liz Cooke

Lighting Designer

Colin Grenfell

Sound Designer

John Harris

Dramaturg

Katherine Mendelsohn

Characters

JAMES

JULIE

JIE HUI

LIN HAN

ANDY

MADELEINE

Note on Text

Speeches in Mandarin are written phonetically. Jie Hui and Lin Han speak actual Mandarin where specified, the rest of the time Lin Han is usually speaking Mandarin (as English for audience comprehension) unless it specifies English. Jie Hui speaks English to all the other characters and Mandarin to Lin Han unless otherwise indicated.

The change from one language to the other occurs wherever it feels fluid and allows comprehension for the audience, but we found it useful to switch from one language to another in the middle of a speech rather than the end. This seems to make the device clearer for an audience.

ACT ONE

There’s a tree. It could be strands of thin bamboo towering to forest height, it could be an old urban trunk leaning over the roofs, it could be a cherry tree laden with blossom. It will be all of these things. Its leaves and branches are dancing, moving, flickering. Wind in leaves dying away to a faint, bleating call… the sound of the giant panda.

Fade lights into: An immaculate living room.

JAMES, a forty-something detective is caught in the process of creeping into his own house, lights on, caught in the glare like a guilty burglar. JULIE, late thirties, his partner, is standing by the light switch. There are neat heaps of boxes everywhere.

JULIE. What’s that?

JAMES. What’s what?

JULIE. On your jacket? What’s that on your jacket?

JAMES looks for a moment.

JAMES. I think it’s somebody’s brains.

JULIE. What have I told you about coming home with somebody’s brains on your jacket?

JAMES. Sorry.

JULIE. Have I not told you?

JAMES. You have. Sorry.

JULIE. So you don’t remember or you don’t care?

Pause.

JAMES. I couldn’t help it.

JULIE. What do you think that’s like for me?

JAMES. Sorry.

JULIE. This is the whole thing, the whole thing right here, James, right here, this is why I have to go. What do you think it’s like for me, you tracking someone else’s brains into the house?

JAMES. It’s only a wee bit…

JULIE. It’s disgusting!

JAMES. It was a mistake. I had to secure the scene…

JULIE. Heard it! Heard it!

JAMES. You couldny avoid it was… it was… all over…

JULIE. How fucking pissed are you?

Pause.

JAMES. On a scale of one to ten?

Waits, no response.

About an eight.

Still nothing.

Eight point five… mebbe.

JULIE. You went to the pub with some poor soul’s brains on your jacket?

JAMES. That’s why I went to the pub! That’s why!

JULIE. Heard it! Heard it!

JAMES. What do you mean you have to go?

Beat.

JULIE (change of tone). Och James…

JAMES. What do you mean?

JULIE. Come on.

JAMES. You’re leaving me? You’re leaving me?

JULIE. What did you think we’d been talking about?

JAMES. Sorting things out.

JULIE. Well… maybe I’ve done a bit more sorting out than you.

JAMES. Wait… just…

JULIE. James…

JAMES. Wait!

He’s pulling off his jacket. Exits.

Clattering, banging and swearing offstage, then JAMES re-enters, without his jacket.

(Breathless.) There! It’s in the bin.

JULIE. James…

JAMES. The jacket is in the bin. Crucial fucking DNA evidence and all.

JULIE. It’s not crucial evidence, is it? You wouldn’t have binned it if it was crucial. It wouldn’t have been on your jacket if it was crucial, it’s just another bit of the… vile… filthy… horror that you track into the house along with the whisky fumes!

JAMES. Don’t leave me, Julie.

JULIE. I’ve got to.

JAMES. Don’t leave me.

JULIE. I’ve got to.

JAMES. Please.