HIT AND RUN, a play by Kate Herbert Copyright 2007
Published by Currency Press 2001This post includes details of the script of Hit and Run, past productions, and a short excerpt form the beginning of the play. KH
STORY Anita and Adam Siteranos lost their two year old, Jack, in a hit and run outside their house six months before the play begins. Anita, unable to overcome her grief, has withdrawn into a strange half-life which denies Jack's death. The Man arrives, proposes to help. He seems to know a great deal about her, puts her at ease and encourages her to play piano again, go to concerts and cook Viennese food. She seems cheerful but things deteriorate when Adam proposes to give away Jack's toy tractor.
SETTING There is one set which serves for several locations in and around Adam and Anita's house (kitchen, back yard, shed..)
CHARACTERS
ANITA 30ish has never recovered from the death, stopped working, does not see family, friends or psychiatrist. Her moods swing. She is at times almost dangerously unstable, at others, unsettlingly elated.
MAN An anonymous and slightly mysterious man who arrives at her door one day and becomes her confidante and partner in isolation. He can be charming, exuding confidence and will power: the perfect Social Worker. He is hard to catch hold of, like a chameleon. He can be dangerous. He echoes her actions, has no history. MAN appears and disappears amongst them and observes Anita and Adam through them when he is not in scenes.
ADAM 30 ish Anita's husband. A real estate agent who loves his wife and wants to help her but has no idea how to go about it. He is grieving for the loss of his child as well as the loss of his wife.
SINGER A live soprano is on stage to sing the signature word "Lacrimosa" and to sing melodies representative of the piano and Anita's obsession with Viennese music. She embodies the beauty of the music in ANITA'S head.
VOICE OVER MOTHER, NURSE
SETTING ANITA and ADAM’S home: Living area, JACK’S room, Kitchen, Shed as well as ANITA’s imagines locations of beach, concert hall etc
DESIGN By the end of the play the space should be filled with foliage. The trees creep into the house, encroach on the space and fill ANITA'S head. The room looks not quite normal: a little nightmarish in quality. There is a wall of windows with opening in the lattice centre upstage. Trees massed behind them. Upstage doors act as front door and back garden exit. Down Left and Down Right are representative of various elements of set. Down Left for singer. Couch centre for kitchen, piano playing.
LIGHTING Lighting for scenes with MAN has strange other worldly quality. More natural and stark for ANITA and ADAM.
STYLE It is a poetic, lyrical play but it has an edge of danger and confusion about it as if it is all affected by Anita's state of mind. Anita and the Man change like the wind. Their moods alter and lighting, timing, soundscape all echo this. The scenes between ADAM and ANITA, despite the often naturalistic dialogue, are stylized ie They talk to each other at a distance, through the set, across large spaces to accentuate the alienation between them.
MUSIC Music is instrumental in creating mood. It is preferable for the songs to be sung live but instrumental music could be recorded. If a live musician is available, the instrumentals could be live also.
The music used in the play is:
1. Lacrimosa. from Mozart Requiem.
2. Heidenroslein - Austrian Traditional song. Lyrics by Goethe
3. Little Red Engine traditional English children's song
4. Brahms' Lullaby by Johannes Brahms
5. L'Amour - two words from The Habaniera Carmen by Bizet
6. Merry Widow Waltz -Franz Lehar
7. Wiener Blut -Waltz by Richard Strauss.
8. Hi Ho It's off to work we go from Disney Snow White and the Seven Dwarves
9.Brahms Lullaby reprise
10. Lacrimosa from Mozart Requiem
______________________________________________________________________________________________________HIT and RUN by Kate Herbert - excerpt from Scene One
ANITA and ADAM’s home
MUSIC Pre-show music Mozart selection.
LX Lights fade.
MUSIC In blackout, recorded introduction to Mozart Requiem. (Track 1)
FX Toy train starts to run around space in blackout.
LX Up on ANITA seated on couch immobile.
FX Toy train speeds up until it is at full speed.
ADAM screams over the sound
ADAM (screams) Jack!
MUSIC Requiem snaps out.
LX BLACK OUT
FX Train slows but continues to run during the following scene
LX Lights up on ANITA on couch
SINGER sings solo unaccompanied "Lacrimosa' from Mozart Requiem track 8. Sung from bar 9.
SINGER Lacrimosa di-es il-la / Qua re-sur-get ex fa-vil-la / Ju-di-can-dus ho-mo re-us / Hu-ic er-go par-ce De-us
/ Pi-e Je-su Do-mi-ne / Do-na e-is re-qui-em / Do-na e-is, Do-na e-is re-qui-em / A-men
ANITA sits immobile in centre of couch.
MAN appears behind her through trees. He stands, neutral, watching her.
ANITA turns to see him.
MAN disappears through trees as Adam appears among trees upstage at end of song.
ANITA turns to sit immobile again.
ADAM stands for a long moment, uncertain whether to interrupt ANITA.
He finally moves to rear of couch to stand behind her. He puts one hand on her shoulder. She remains immobile. He places the other hand on the other shoulder. He strokes her carefully as if she might bite. He leans down to kiss her neck from behind.
ANITA moves her head slightly away from him. ADAM pauses, tilted over her neck then slowly rises, defeated and stands staring at her, at a loss.
MAN stands in half-shadow, watching them, inscrutable.
LX FADE on tableau with train running slowly around them. BLACKOUT.
SINGER Stops
FX TRAIN STOPS.
MUSIC Recorded Mozart Lacrimosa plays from beginning bar 1, swells, recedes, Stops.
LX Fade up on ANITA seated on couch, immobile.
Suddenly she leaps out of her chair quickly and cheerfully. She plays with her invisible son. She is playful, giggling and running around chasing JACK, hiding behind the couch from him, popping up over the couch.
ANITA Where's Mummy? Where's Mummy gone, darling?
She bobs up from behind the couch.
ANITA Boo!
She looks surprised then worried.
ANITA Oh, darling. Did Mummy scare you? Don't cry. It's only a game. Come here sweetheart and sit on Mummy's knee. We'll read Thomas the Tank Engine. There, there! Don't cry now.
LX FADE DOWN
SINGER Lacrimosa (one word sung as in bar 3)
LX FADE UP
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