His Dark Materials (Stage Version) (NHB Modern Plays)

Philip Pullman

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2014
• ISBN:
  9781780014814
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

A two-play dramatisation of Philip Pullman's extraordinary award-winning fantasy trilogy, first seen at the National Theatre.

His Dark Materials takes us on a thrilling journey through worlds familiar and unknown. For Lyra and Will, its two central characters, it's a coming of age and a transforming spiritual experience. Their great quest demands a savage struggle against the most dangerous of enemies. They encounter fantastical creatures in parallel worlds – rebellious angels, soul-eating spectres, child-catching Gobblers and the armoured bears and witch-clans of the Arctic. Finally, before reaching, perhaps, the republic of heaven, they must visit the land of the dead.

Note to performers: although conceived for a theatre with rich resources, this adaptation can also be staged in imaginative ways without the aid of sophisticated technology.

'Nicholas Wright... has risen to the challenge with brilliance' - Mail on Sunday

'"Unstageable" was the first reaction of the National Theatre's artistic director, Nicholas Hytner, to the idea of dramatising His Dark Materials. But last night's opening has triumphantly proved him wrong' - Sunday Times

'Children's theatre of an uncommon maturity and ambition... dazzling in just the right way... moments of heart-stopping simplicity' - Independent

'The hottest ticket in town long before press day... Book to see it next Christmas' - Financial Times

PART ONE

CHARACTERS IN PART ONE
Between the Worlds
LORD ASRIEL and STELMARIA
JOPARI
THOROLD, Lord Asriel’s manservant

Lyra’s World
JORDAN COLLEGE
LYRA BELACQUA and PANTALAIMON
ROGER PARSLOW and SALCILIA
THE MASTER
PROFESSOR HOPCRAFT
MRS LONSDALE
CAWSON, a college servant

LONDON
MRS COULTER and the GOLDEN MONKEY
LORD BOREAL
DAISY
JESSIE
LILY
STALLHOLDER
TOP-HATTED MAN

THE CHURCH
THE PRESIDENT
FRA PAVEL
BROTHER JASPER and PERPETUA

GYPTIANS
LORD FAA
FARDER CORAM
TONY COSTA
BILLY COSTA
BEN

TROLLESUND
LEE SCORESBY and HESTER
MAYOR
BEAR-KEEPER

WITCHES
SERAFINA PEKKALA and KAISA
RUTA SKADI
GRIMHILD
PIPISTRELLE
CAITLIN
GRENDELLA

BOLVANGAR
DR SARGENT
DR CADE
DR WEST
NURSE

BEARS
IOREK BYRNISON
IOFUR RAKNISON

Cittàgazze
ANGELICA
PAOLO
GIACOMO PARADISI
TULLIO

Our World
WILL PARRY
LIBRARIAN
LIBRARY ASSISTANT

SCHOLARS, STUDENTS, STOLEN CHILDREN, PARTY GUESTS, GYPTIANS, TROLLESUNDERS, WITCHES, CLERICS, BEARS, TARTAR GUARDS, CLIFF-GHASTS and others

ACT ONE

Oxford / Oxford. The Botanic Gardens. Night. A tree with spreading branches. LYRA and WILL, both aged about twenty, are waiting on a wooden bench. WILL has an old green leather writing-case.

A clock strikes twelve.

LYRA. Will?

WILL. Lyra?

LYRA. This morning I half woke up, and I felt so happy. Even before I knew what day it was. Then I remembered it was Midsummer Day. I looked at the clock and I thought, it’s only sixteen hours to midnight. Sixteen hours, and I’ll be sitting right next to you.

WILL. I had to scramble over the wall this time. There was a copper on duty till quarter to twelve.

LYRA. I know you’re there.

Pause.

WILL. I’m wearing my one good shirt and I’ve cleaned my trainers. I don’t usually look so smart. I’m sharing a house now with three other students, and one of them said, ‘Hello, Will, don’t tell us you’ve got a date at last.’ I said, ‘I do, in fact.’ He said, ‘Oh, nice one, when do we get to meet her?’ I said, ‘That might be difficult.’

He laughs, then stops.

I still miss you.

PANTALAIMON. Say something.

WILL. I miss Pantalaimon too. Your daemon. Your soul. I miss him as much as I miss you. Because he is you.

PANTALAIMON. Tell him about the college.

WILL. I know he’s there. I know you’re there. Even though you’re further away from me than the furthest star . . . you’re here. Right here. On the same bench. In a different world.

LYRA. I’ve had a very good year at college. It’s like they told me, all those years ago . . . if I work very hard I can start, just start to do the things that came so naturally to me when I was a kid.

WILL. ‘I spread my wings, and I brush ten million other worlds, and they know nothing of it.’

LYRA. It’s different for me, from what it’s like for the other students. Jordan College is new for them. They see the obvious things, like books and towers and ancient stones. I see the place where I grew up. I see Mrs Lonsdale, who was meant to look after me and keep me tidy . . .

MRS LONSDALE is there to change LYRA’s clothes.

MRS LONSDALE. Just what do you think you’re wearing, Miss Lyra?

LYRA. I see the mouse-holes and the secret doorways, and the hiding-places. And the mouldy old scholars with their flapping gowns. I see Roger, like he was on the day I met him. I was twelve. Me and the other college kids had been fighting the kids from town. Then we all joined up to fight the brick-burners’ kids down by the clay-pits. And then we remembered it was the horse-fair week . . . so we all rushed down to the river to fight the gyptian kids. I was fighting Billy Costa.

LYRA’s Oxford. WILL and his world disappear. LYRA is twelve. Assorted KIDS are yelling at the GYPTIAN KIDS.

KIDS. Oi! Gyppoes!

Water rats!

Fortune-tellers!

Tea-leaves!

Want any knives sharpened?

Any old iron!

GYPTIAN KIDS and other KIDS fight. LYRA gets BILLY COSTA down on the ground in a headlock. The others clear.

LYRA. Give up, Billy?

BILLY. No!

LYRA. Now?

BILLY. No!

LYRA. What about now?

BILLY. Yeah! Get off.

They stand.

How’d you do that?

LYRA. It’s a headlock. Look, I’ll show you.

BILLY. Leave off!

BILLY’s brother TONY appears.

TONY. Oi, Billy! Our ma says, get back home this minute or she’ll give you a clip.

LYRA. Hello, Tony.

TONY. Don’t you ‘hello’ me, you horrible little tyke. Wasn’t it you throwing mud at our boat just now?

LYRA. That weren’t me. It was some other kids.

TONY. Oh yeah!

LYRA. They come down from Abingdon in a special coach . . . all painted black, with a skeleton driving. And he saw your boat, and he pointed his bony finger . . .

TONY. Oh aye. Lyra the liar. En’t that what they call you? Go on, get back home. Come on, Billy.

He and BILLY go. LYRA stays, dejected. ROGER runs on.

ROGER. Where’s the fighting?

LYRA. You missed it.

ROGER. Who won?

LYRA. Dunno. Don’t matter either. See yer, whoever you are.

ROGER. See yer.

They turn to go.

PANTALAIMON. I’m Pantalaimon.

SALCILIA. I’m Salcilia.

PANTALAIMON. I en’t seen you before.

SALCILIA. That’s ’cause we only just arrived from London.

The DAEMONS approach each other. LYRA and ROGER look at them in surprise.

ROGER. That’s funny.

LYRA. They wanna be friends.

ROGER. That could be. My mum always says, you know at once when you like somebody. An’ I like you. I’m Roger. Roger Parslow. My dad’s the new head gardener at Gabriel College, an’ me mum’s a cook an’ I’m gonna be a kitchen boy.

LYRA. I’m Lyra Belacqua an’ I’m at Jordan College. I don’t work there or nothing. I just play around.

ROGER. Jordan’s bigger’n Gabriel, en’t it?

LYRA. It’s bigger an’ richer an’ ever so much more important. You wanna see it?

ROGER. Yeah, don’t mind.

LYRA. Come on, then.

They walk on.

ROGER. Where’s your mum an’ dad?

LYRA. En’t got none. I’m nearly an orphan.

ROGER. You can’t be nearly an orphan.

LYRA. You can if you’re me. I got an uncle, and he’s famous.

ROGER. Bet I never heard of ’im.

LYRA. Bet you have.

ROGER. So what’s his name?

LYRA. Lord Asriel.

ROGER. Him? What, the ...