Goodnight Children Everywhere and Other Plays Read online

  (Pause. Ryder says nothing.)

  I may change my mind, but that is how I feel at this time, John. (Beat) I’m planning a season at the Drury Lane. Nothing has been cast. Except the leads, of course. We can talk about anything you wish. (Beat) We can talk now.

  RYDER: I will be back in few months. It’s only for a few months.

  MACREADY: Oh. You didn’t say that. (Beat) Then we will talk in those few months. (Beat) How many is a “few”?

  RYDER: Three.

  (Short pause.)

  MACREADY: In two months, I begin to cast. (Pause) Forrest has parts for you?

  RYDER: If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be asking—

  MACREADY: Make him give you excellent parts, John! In America you deserve excellent parts, remember that.

  RYDER: I saw his Metamora tonight.

  MACREADY: I have seen this performance. (Beat) Years ago. Seven years or so ago. (Beat) Somewhere. He has power. In this role.

  RYDER: Absolutely. When he kills his wife—

  MACREADY: Ah. Yes. True. (Beat) And that must have been quite heartfelt tonight.

  (Ryder looks at Macready.)

  His wife has left him, you know. Just today. Everyone was talking about it. (Beat) She’s staying with a friend. Just left him a note. (Pause) Metamora is a very good role for him. I would never attempt it myself. (Beat) Audiences love it. (Shakes his head) He’s made a fortune from it. (Beat) I understand he’s building a castle of some sort just up the Hudson. All from the money he’s made from . . . (Beat) Lucky him. (Beat) Every actor is staying. I don’t have to replace anyone. I take my hat off to all of them. Not one is deserting. (Beat. To himself) Actors. By and large we are good and decent people. (Beat) So they left the stage and there I am trying to kill myself! (Laughs) I can see myself as Macduff. I’d be a very good Macduff. If the part were larger. Mmmmmmmmm. (Smiles to himself) Mmmmmmmmm. I’m waking up. (Beat) Let’s wait for the sun to rise. Which, like stage light, will keep us out of the dark. (Takes a sip of his drink)

  (Short pause. Blackout.)

  SCENE 6

  MAY 10, 1849. 8:30 P.M.

  The wings of a stage, first representing the wings of the Broadway Theatre, later the wings of the Astor Place Opera House. The “stage” is just off, where the end of Act Two of Metamora is in progress.

  A number of actors in soldier and Indian costumes wait and watch; they include Fisher and Miss Holland.

  From the stage: the council chamber scene. Errington (Blakely), Metamora (Forrest), Goodenough (Miss Burton) and Annawandah (Jones).

  Tilton enters the wings from the dressing rooms.

  In the wings:

  On stage:

  TILTON: How’s it going?

  METAMORA: You believe his

  words.

  MISS HOLLAND: Fine. It’s going

  GOODENOUGH: We do, and will

  fine.

  reward his honesty.

  TILTON: Either of you been outside

  METAMORA: Red man, say unto

  tonight? I just stepped

  these people they have

  out. It’s crazy out tonight.

  bought thy tongue, and

  A bunch of drunks nearly

  thou hast uttered a lie!

  knocked me down.

  ERRINGTON: He does not answer.

  METAMORA: I am Metamora, thy

  father and thy king.

  FISHER: It’s fine in here. It’s a

  ERRINGTON: Metamora o’erawes

  good house.

  him—send the witness

  TILTON: Is it? (Checks out the

  home.

  audience) I was thinking

  METAMORA: I will do that! Slave

  I might even skip the tavern

  of the white man, go follow

  tonight . . .

  Sasamond.

  ERRINGTON: Seize and bind him.

  METAMORA: Come! My knife has

  (They listen to the silence from

  drunk the blood of the false

  the stage.)

  one, yet it is not satisfied!

  FISHER: Ned’s dried. He’s dried.

  (Silence from the stage.)

  MISS BURTON (From the stage):

  MISS BASS (Entering from the

  Prompt! Prompt!

  stage): Do something! Help

  him!

  TILTON: Get a script!

  MISS HOLLAND (At the same time):

  Give him a line!

  MISS BASS (To Fisher): Bang the—!

  (They listen.)

  METAMORA: From the east to the

  west, in the north and in

  TILTON: He never dries.

  the south shall cry of

  MISS BASS (To Miss Holland):

  vengeance burst, till the

  Every time Ned comes off

  lands you have stolen

  stage he says he sees his

  groan under your feet no

  wife out there. She’s not.

  more!

  I checked.

  ERRINGTON: Secure him!

  METAMORA: Thus do I smite

  (Metamora/Forrest runs into

  your nation and defy your

  the wings. Fisher gives a drum

  power.

  -roll. Huge applause is heard

  ERRINGTON: Fire on him.

  coming from the theatre.

  Forrest gets a hold of himself

  (Soldiers fire on stage.)

  and returns to the stage

  for a bow. Others follow.)

  TILTON (The last to go): It is a good house tonight.

  (The applause fades away. From the stage one hears Macbeth and we are in the wings of The Astor Place Opera House, II.iii.

  Numerous actors in costumes wait and watch. From the stage:)

  MACBETH:

  . . . there, the murderers,

  Steeped in the colors of their trade, their daggers

  Unmannerly breeched with gore. Who could refrain

  That had a heart to love, and in that heart

  Courage to make’s love known?

  LADY MACBETH:Help me hence, ho!

  MACDUFF: Look to the lady.

  (Scene continues “on stage.” Lady Macbeth [Mrs. Pope] is carried from the stage. As she enters the wings:)

  BRIDGES: How is it out there?

  MRS. POPE: A couple of people in the balcony. A couple of boos nothing else.

  BRIDGES: Then that’s not too bad, is it?

  MRS. POPE: No. It’ll all be fine.

  (On stage, continuing:)

  MACDUFF: And so do I.

  ALL:So all.

  MACBETH:

  Let’s briefly put on manly readiness

  And meet i’th’ hall together.

  ALL:Well contented.

  (Macbeth [Macready], Macduff [Clark] and Banquo [Bradshaw] enter from the stage. Scene between Malcolm and Donalbain continues off.)

  MACREADY (Entering): I’ve played to better houses.

  BRADSHAW: They’re nervous.

  CLARK: That is true.

  MACREADY: The soldiers still outside?

  BRIDGES: There seem to be even more.

  MACREADY: Don’t complain.

  BRIDGES: I wasn’t—

  (Malcolm [Arnold] and Donalbain [Sefton] enter from the stage and Bridges [Ross] and Wemyss [Old Man] leave the wings and enter on the stage for Act II. iv—a heavily cut version.)

  SEFTON (To Macready, as a joke): As soon as you get off they settle down and listen.

  MACREADY: Very funny, Mr. Sefton.

  (He smiles. Suddenly from above, the sound of a window being smashed by a rock. Everyone stops. The scene on stage has stopped as well.)

  BRIDGES (From the stage): What was that?!

  MACREADY: Keep playing, Mr. Bridges! Everyone, do not stop, please!

  (The scene continues on stage.)

  MRS. POPE: They’re putting in a new sewer across the street. Did you notice? They’ve g
ot stones piles all over the place.

  ARNOLD: I guess some boy couldn’t resist.

  MRS. POPE: That’s just what I was thinking.

  (Clark [Macduff] leaves the wings and joins the scene on stage. From the stage:)

  ROSS: How goes the world, sir, now?

  MACDUFF:Why, see you not?

  (The scene continues.)

  MACREADY (To Mrs. Pope): How’s your sister?

  MRS. POPE: Who?

  MACREADY: Didn’t the other day you say something about your sister visiting?

  MRS. POPE: Did I? She’s good. Very good.

  (Bradshaw [Banquo] leaves the wings for the stage as Clark, Wemyss and Bridges come into the wings.)

  BRIDGES (Entering, to Macready): I’m sorry, it’s just when I heard—

  ARNOLD: Some boys—with stones.

  BRIDGES: Oh. Oh that’s what it was.

  CLARK: What is it about that audience? There’s something—

  MACREADY: As someone was saying—they’re nervous. (Turns to Bridges and smiles) As some of us are.

  (He smiles, laughs. The others laugh.)

  CLARK: There’s something else. I can’t put my finger on it.

  MACREADY (To Mrs. Pope): We’re on.

  CLARK: Wait a minute! I got it. They’re all men! The audience! There aren’t any women!

  ACTOR: Let me see. (Goes to look)

  MACREADY: We’re on!

  (Macready and Mrs. Pope enter the stage, followed by Bridges and others. Trumpet fanfare.)

  ARNOLD: Maybe we should have a few police back here with— I’ll go see if . . . (Moves toward off)

  (At the same time, from the stage:)

  MACBETH: Here’s our chief guest—

  LADY MACBETH:

  If he had been forgotten,

  It had been a gap in our great feast—

  (A scream from the audience. Arnold stops. The acting on stage stops. Clark turns back to Arnold.)

  ARNOLD: What’s—?

  CLARK: Someone’s tried to jump—from the balcony. Police are trying to—

  CHIPPINDALE (Entering from the dressing rooms): They’re bolting the doors!

  MACREADY (On stage, at the same time, to his actors): Do not stop! Keep speaking!!

  CHIPPINDALE: They are bolting the doors! We’re being locked in!

  (Arnold goes off to see.)

  CLARK: They caught the man. The police have him.

  (A cheer from the audience.)

  LADY MACBETH:. . . in our great feast,

  And all-thing unbecoming.

  MACBETH:

  Tonight we hold a solemn supper, sir,

  And I’ll request your presence.

  BANQUO:Let Your Highness

  Command upon me, to the which my duties—

  (Suddenly a number of windows are broken, large rocks crash against the door of the theatre. On stage the play tries to continue but is hardly audible.)

  CHIPPINDALE: Jesus Christ.

  (Then there is a single gunshot from outside the theatre.)

  CLARK: What was that?

  SEFTON: I heard it.

  CLARK: Who’s firing?

  (Bridges hurries in from the stage.)

  BRIDGES: What was that? We heard a gunshot.

  CLARK: It was from—

  (Suddenly many gunshots ring out, and screams. Then the full-fledged sounds of riot from outside.)

  BRIDGES: They’re storming the doors. They want to kill us.

  (Panic from the house and stage, Macready and the other actors hurry into the wings.)

  MACREADY: What’s going on? Where are the police? Why aren’t the police back here?!

  MRS. POPE: They’re setting fires in the balcony.

  CHIPPINDALE (Yelling): The balcony’s on fire!!

  BRADSHAW: Open the doors and get the soldiers in here.

  (Panic. No one knows where to go. The battles being waged in the house get closer; Arnold appears from above and hoists a ladder down.)

  ARNOLD: Up here! Climb up! They’re coming on stage!

  (Mrs. Pope screams.)

  MACREADY (Pulling out his sword): Fight them off! Fight!

  (Banging on the doors continues. Bridges begins to climb up the ladder.)

  WEMYSS: The doors are breaking in.

  BRADSHAW (Grabbing others): Quick, through the house. Come on. Through the house. Take off your costumes!

  (Actors start ripping off their costumes; one heads toward the stage.)

  Not across the stage! That way! That way! There’s a door! (Grabbing an actor, who is taking off his costume) There’s no time! Go! Run!

  (Actors run off. Ryder appears from the stage after having obviously battled his way there. He sees Macready.)

  RYDER: Mr. Macready!

  MACREADY (Dazed): Stand back! Stand back! Or die!!!

  RYDER: It’s John. (Beat) John Ryder. (Beat) It’s me.

  (Macready finally lets Ryder near him. Ryder puts a coat over Macready’s shoulders.)

  BRADSHAW: Hurry!

  (They all go off. The riot continues.

  Blackout.)

  SCENE 7

  11:30 P.M.

  Forrest’s dressing room; the Broadway Theatre. Forrest, half changed out of his Metamora costume and Ryder and Macready, both disheveled and out of breath.

  Outside, in the distance, the occasional gunshot and whoops from a roving mob.

  RYDER: There were some rocks thrown. Some boys, they— At first the soldiers fired into the air. But then one or two . . . (Beat) I suppose . . . (Short pause) I figured the last place anyone would think of looking for—

  (He looks at Macready, who is very upset, trying desperately to get his breath.)

  I need to find some horses. I need to contact friends. My guess is that they would kill him, it’s a riot. No one’s in control. (Beat) The soldiers are running through the streets firing. The police refused to leave the theatre. (Laughs to himself) We left with the audience. We just got out and ran. (Beat) Inside, I don’t think there’s . . . By now. The seats were being ripped apart. Someone set a fire under the balcony. (Beat) From the parquette. (Beat) They just suddenly were crawling over the seats, over people in the audience—from the parquette. How they got there . . . It could all be on fire now.

  (Short pause.)

  FORREST: Are people hurt? Someone must have been hurt.

  (Ryder looks at Macready, who doesn’t answer, then turns back.)

  RYDER: We saw ourselves— What? (Covers his eyes for a moment) People are dead.

  FORREST: I don’t believe this.

  RYDER: Who knows how many. Five, ten, at least. (To Macready) Right? (Beat) And a lot wounded. Seriously wounded. Twenty, thirty, fifty? I don’t know.

  (Pause.)

  FORREST (Suddenly turning to Macready): You goaded them! Why did you perform?!

  RYDER: That’s not fair.

  (Short pause.)

  MACREADY (Quietly): I didn’t goad anyone. Could I get a drink, please? The opposite is true.

  (Forrest doesn’t move.)

  FORREST: Ten people dead, Mr. Macready!

  RYDER: I don’t know for sure how—

  MACREADY: Could I get a drink, please?!

  (Ryder looks at Forrest, then goes to a cabinet and pours the drink.)

  FORREST: You should not have played.

  MACREADY: They begged me. Irving promised me it’d be— He had a petition. Everyone said— (Beat) I wasn’t to worry. I wasn’t to . . .

  (Macready starts to sob. Short pause. Ryder hands Macready his drink.)

  FORREST (To Ryder): People killed for what?

  MACREADY (Suddenly turning): They were shouting your name again!

  (Forrest turns to Ryder, who nods.)

  “Kill Macready! Three Cheers for Ned Forrest!”

  FORREST: Why would they do that? That doesn’t make sense.

  MACREADY: “Ned Forrest—an American!”

  FORREST: I have made it very clear that I—

  MACREADY: I didn�
��t want this! (Beat) After the other night, I . . .

  FORREST: When you should have shouted them down. That’s your mistake. You should have had the guts to shout them down! All of this could have been—!

  RYDER: You don’t know what you’re talking about.

  (Pause.)

  MACREADY: I was told—if I didn’t perform—I’d be hurting American . . . American what? They made it sound like I had to . . .

  FORREST: For seventy-five percent of the house! I heard about this!

  MACREADY: That had nothing to do with— (Beat) Money has nothing to do with this. (Beat; attacking) “Three cheers for Ned Forrest. Hurray for Forrest!” As they try to burn down a theatre!

  FORREST: Those people have nothing to do with me! (Walks away. Pause. Finally to Ryder) You want him to stay here?

  RYDER: I shouldn’t be too long. We can’t go back to the hotel.

  MACREADY: No.

  RYDER: I’ll take him to Boston. We have friends. (Beat) He can get a boat home from there. (Beat) But if you don’t want to . . .

  FORREST: He can stay.

  (Short pause.)

  RYDER: He’ll need some clothes.

  FORREST: He can stay. Don’t be long.

  (Ryder hesitates, then hurries out. Pause.)

  MACREADY: He didn’t know where else to bring me. Could I have another? (Holds out his glass)

  FORREST: Listen.

  (Pause. From outside the noise of the mob. After a moment Forrest goes and gets the bottle and pours Macready a drink.)