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SCRIPT
(Note:
some speeches in this excerpt are summarized, not quoted, to
move things faster.)
An urban back alley.
Midnight. Across the playing area stretches a rough wooden fence,
with a raised platform in front of it. Actors on the platform will
be understood to be "on" the fence.The players should be able to
walk around that actual fence, and to conceal themselves behind it,
at times.
In the dark, cast
member approach the stage from separate directions, singing
"Back Fence Choir"
(below) as they do. In the singing, voices combine in various
ways, with specific lines going to individual characters -- in
solos, duets, etc. (One example is given below: Desiree sings the
line that's obviously hers.).
[ Click to hear
first part of Back Fence Choir:]
We gather in the alley, Under the midnight
sky. We gather in the alley; You'll hear the
reason why.
We are the Back Fence
Choir! Our leader is the moon; Lifting
our voices higher, Till we are all in
tune.
We're here for choir
practice Singin' it loud and strong,
And the essential fact is: We practice all night
long! Solo, duet and
trio, then a quartet (ooh,
ooh)-- We do it all con
brio, and con amore, too. [sung by Desiree]
[etc.]
By song's end they are all on the platform, and
lights have come up enough to see them clearly.
Afterwards, the cats
break into several groups. Jack and Murphy are in an upstage corner,
talking quietly. Randolph sits alone, calmly watching the moon.
Desiree is in center stage -- her natural habitat -- doing
slow-motion stretching exercises, in skin-tight leotards. All the
men are very aware of every move she makes (as they are throughout
most of the show). Meanwhile, Olivia and Eleanor move downstage, and
converse: |