Reviews
"An important piece. Difficult questions
are posed and you force us to confront them... This is a beautifully
written play, delicate, intricate and painful. the haunting song and
moments of stillness
make it compelling."
Elizabeth Freestone Freelance Director
"Difficult Themes are dealt with in a
skilful and impressive way" Viv Moore reader Soho Poly and
Verity Bargate Award
"Wow! Powerful stuff"
Andrea Koniuch actress, director and teacher
"Contemporary theatre at its best..."
Tim Prescott writer, director A Up productions
"A brave, and creative initiative, "
Viv Beeby Senior Drama Producer BBC
"Compelling and professional piece of
theatre"
Sue Robinson North Devon Journal
Synopsis
Mockingbirds Don't Sing - a drama - full length
by Liz Spear.
Two sisters who haven't seen each other for
years are reunited after the death of their Mother who was suffering
from Alzheimers Disease. Drink loosens the sisters' tongues and
inhibitions, they revert to childhood, relive memories and horrific
family secrets are revealed.
Mockingbirds Don't Sing was shortlisted by
Stop Gap Theatre at the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre Guildford for its new
writing season and reached the long list for the Verity Bargate Award in
2000 and was subsequently performed by the New Writers' Theatre
Company in May 2003.
Published by New theatre Publications. http://www.plays4theatre.com
Listed online at Doollee.com a database of
playwrights and their plays. http://www.doollee.com/SpearLiz.htm
An extract from
Mockingbirds Don't Sing.
ACT ONE
Scene One
PRESET
Mother is sitting soulfully in the rocking
chair with father’s photograph on her lap as music from Carousel plays
(When the children are asleep. . . ) As the female vocals come in she
fondly replaces the photo on the sideboard and exits. Sadie enters
dancing holding the doll and a brandy balloon. Sally enters with her
glass of wine and a photo album. They listen to the music and join in,
in places. Sally settles on the centre left swivel chair and Sadie
settles in Mother’s rocker. The lights go down. It is important that
neither Sadie or Sally ever touch Mother in the play as she is a memory.
LIGHTS UP
On the sisters as the music changes to ‘Daddy’s
Little Girl’ from Carousel, which has unpleasant memories for Sadie.
Not so Sally who joins in and toasts Dad’s photograph and looks
through the photo album. The stage is a comfortably furnished lounge. By
the hearth stage Right is a rocking chair which Mother vacated and now
sits Sadie. Centre front is a huge 3 seater settee with a coffee table
in front of it. On the coffee table is a half full bottle of brandy, an
opened bottle of dry white wine in a wine cooler and assorted glasses.
There are a few plates with tidbits. Stage right is a sideboard with a
large bowl of fruit topped by a big bunch of bananas, a clock and a
photograph of father ( a man on a rock by the sea ) a free standing
mirror and other nick knacks. Centre left and D S centre left are two
matching swivel executive chairs currently both facing front. Up stage
left is a trolley / table with a phone, train timetable, taxi card and
magazines. Two doors lead off, one to the kitchen and one to the hall
and stairs. Sadie elegantly dressed with high heels in a smart cocktail
dress is sitting with a half full brandy balloon and holding a doll
resembling a real baby. Her younger sister, Sally is more casually
dressed, attractive but careworn. She is slumped in the centre left
swivel chair looking at an old photograph album and holding a glass of
wine. Sally is quite drunk Sadie is less so.
Sadie: Sisters! Not all they’re cracked up to
be.
Sally: Rosy pictures of sharing and giving.
Sadie: Sweetness and light.
Sally: More like...you do that again and I’ll
punch out your lights! (She puts down the album on the floor by the
chair on top of two other albums)
Sadie: There were moments.
Sally: Everyone has their moments. (She places
her glass on the coffee table and watches Sadie)
Sadie: Like when you were born. ( She puts down
her drink and plays with the doll singing softly.) My new little
sister..... the baby of the family. (In a child’s voice wagging her
finger at the doll) I am four years older.
Sally: You never let me forget it.
Sadie: You never let me forget it, now.
Sally crosses to the rocking chair as a child
and rocks the rocker nearly tipping Sadie out who rises and crosses to
stage left and pinches Sally on the way.
Sally: Always the baby.
Sadie: Cry baby.
Sally: (reverting to childhood letting out a
squeal. She rubs her arm and addresses the empty rocking chair.) Ow!
Mum! Did you see that? Sadie pinched me. (Listens to imaginary Mum) I’m
not telling tales, it’s true. (Sadie sticks her tongue out at Sally
she, too, is a child once more) See! (She pulls her sleeve up) It’s
all red!
Sadie: She’s making it up! She did it herself
just to get me into trouble.
Sally: Mum! It’s not fair! She always says it’s
my fault. Anyway, it’s my turn with dolly now. (She makes a snatch for
it- there is a tug of war)
Sadie: Tisn’t!
Sally: Tis!
Sadie: Tisn’t!
Sally: TIS!!!(Sally gives a huge tug and wins
the doll, she runs behind the settee and disappears behind it)
Sadie: Mum! Our Sally’s taken my doll and I
was playing with it. (Listens to imaginary Mum) But, it’s my dolly. .
. It’s not fair!
Sally pops up behind the settee and chucks the
doll at Sadie
Sally: It’s not fair! (As grown up Sally,
again) Growing up was painful. Remember teatimes? (reverting to
childhood and coming in front of the settee.) She’s got more than me!
Sadie: Her piece is bigger than mine!
Sally: I don’t want to eat it all up! Sadie
hasn’t.
Sadie: Why haven’t you given Sally any
sprouts? (listens) But, I don’t like them either. It’s not fair!
Sally: It’s not fair! (she sits on settee)
Sadie: MUM! (She sits next to Sally)
Sally: MUM!
Sadie: (Grown up again) There’s no Mum, now.
Sally: (sadly) No ..... no, Mum.
Sadie: And no dad neither...not for a long time.
Sally: (bitterly) Not that you cared.
Sadie: (defensively) I didn’t know about it.
Sally: You never wanted to know - couldn’t
deal with it- you said. Had your own life to lead, you said. Who was the
one who did the shopping?
Sadie: Don’t start!
Sally: The cleaning, the washing, the ironing.
Sadie: Here we go again!
Sally: You were never around to give her a bath.
Never there to feed her and change her.
Sadie: But you were. Let’s all hear it for
Saint Sally. (She rises and toasts Sally) Saint Sally of Sledgewick.
Martyred by the commode. Canonised by the laundry bin.
Sally: Ha! Bloody ha! (Sally pours herself
another drink)
Sadie: It’s your own fault. You could have
left home like I did. Seen the world.
Sally: And who would have looked after Mum?
Sadie: She wasn’t ill then.
Sally: No, but Dad had just died and she didn’t
want to be on her own. You just took off.
Sadie: I had my reasons.
Sally: But Mum had always looked after us.
Sadie: Not completely... She would have learned
- made new friends.
Sally: She wanted US!
Sadie: So, goody two shoes did the dutiful
daughter bit. I can hear them now, (mimicking) Poor Sally, giving up a
promising career to stay with her Mum. Such a good daughter. Sally rises
with her drink and crosses back to the swivel seat she left to get away
from Sadie’s jibes. What about Sadie? Selfish little slacker... only
out for herself. I’ve heard it all.
Sally: (She sits in centre left swivel chair)
Not quite all.
Sadie: What? What else is there left to tell? I’ve
heard all the jibes....(she signals with her hand) right up to here.
Sally: Perhaps, I’m saving it for a rainy day
- when you’re feeling low and vulnerable. Besides, you’ll know soon
enough.
Sadie: Come on Sal, it wasn’t all bad. We had
some fun too - Remember the games?
Sally starts to giggle. She joins Sadie on the
settee and they fall about with laughter. Trying to settle and can’t
bursting out with laughter again. Then they rise and move in front of
the coffee table. Both go into a double act ,with lines obviously said
many times before as part of some adolescent game.
Sally: (putting on a French accent) ‘Ello, my
name is Francoise, and zis is my cousin from Germany, Heidi.
Sadie: (putting on a German accent) We are. . .’ow
you say, on exchange visit.
Sally: (pretending to shake hands with imaginary
beau) I am from Oiselle, San Maratine...
Sadie: (also shaking hands) And I’m from
Munchen - Munich.
The phone rings and Mother, re- enters and picks
up the phone Sally and Sadie scramble on to the settee
Sally: If that’s for someone called Francoise
...
Sadie: Or Heidi
Sally: (With an American accent) Or Stevie
Sadie: (With an American accent) Or Mitch
Sally: (with a Swedish accent) Or Britt
Sadie: (Hungarian accent) or Ludmilla
Sally: (together)
Sadie: We’re out!
Mother shakes her head in a bemused fashion
turns up stage and speaks into the mouthpiece .
Mother: I’m sorry they’re out.
She replaces the receiver and exits. They watch
her go and collapse back gigling face front on the settee.
Sally: How long did we keep that up for? I felt
so sorry for those two lads...
Sadie: The ones who came to the house ?- With
books to help us learn English?
Sally: And we needed to get rid of them, cos Mum
and Dad were due home any minute.
Sadie: You wrapped a towel round your hair and
said. . .
Sally: (rises goes in front of coffee table
followed by Sadie) So sorry, my head’s in the basin - it’s all wet.
Sadie: She is lavering it. We ‘ave to go out
tonight. . .
Sally: The people we with, want us to eat. .
.
Sadie: Sank you so much for the books. (mimes
shutting a door)
Sally: (They both sit and laugh) I felt really
guilty. . . They were being so kind. And we were. . .
Sadie: Playing them for fools.
Sally: Not really. It was just a bit of fun.
Sadie: Not for them. . . (Sadie becomes helpless
with laughter) And what about that time at the Ritz?
Sally: The Ritz? What happened at the Ritz?
Sadie: Just cos we fancied the same guy...
Sally: (realisation dawns) Sorry - I couldn’t
help it ( starts to giggle, she rises and crosses to the DS swivel
followed by Sadie) Hi! My name’s Sally. This is my friend, Ludmilla
-(she blocks her out) don’t bother talking to her, she’s Hungarian
and can’t speak a word of English.
Sadie: And stupidly - I went along with it.
Sally: And every time we wanted to chat we had
to run to the loo. (She returns to the settee and sits)
Sadie: They must have thought we had weak
bladders.
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