Bliss (NHB Modern Plays)

Olivier Choinière

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2015
• ISBN:
  9781780014296
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Canadian Drama
• Index: Literature

A wild and slippery fantasy from French-Canadian writer Olivier Choinière, translated by Caryl Churchill, exploring our insatiable appetite for private lives made public.

Welcome to Wal-Mart. On their break, a cashier and her fellow workers flick through celebrity gossip magazines. 'See You Later, Celine, ' says a headline. What's wrong with Celine? Why is she turning her back on her glamorous public life, her adoring fans? And how is her story connected to the story of an unknown woman on the facing page? It's not. Until the Oracle intervenes.

'a small bombshell... a hideous glimpse of the cruel logic of celebrity-worship' - Guardian

MANAGER, COSMETICS SALESPERSON, DISPLAY ASSISTANT enter and face the audience. They’re wearing blue overalls, except for the MANAGER. They’re all wearing nametags with letters and numbers backwards so you can’t read them. They’re smiling. ORACLE enters and faces the audience. She’s not smiling. She’s wearing the same blue overalls. On her nametag you can read:

ORACLEBegin.

COSMETICSEveryone – breathless

DISPLAYYour legs –

MANAGERNo one dared breathe

COSMETICSThe silence – at the end of the note, I mean when the last note had died away

MANAGERVast

DISPLAYThen everyone looked up at the same time

MANAGERThe balloons were beginning to fall

COSMETICSRAINING balloons

MANAGERBut she stayed where she was, microphone in her hand, mouth open – eyes scrunched up

COSMETICSAnd it’s as if – she was still singing

DISPLAYThat’s right: as if the roar of the crowd was coming out of her mouth

MANAGERThousands of spectators – in her mouth

COSMETICSPeople were yelling, balloons still raining down on them – on her, standing there

MANAGERMouth open – eyes scrunched up

DISPLAYAnd then flash – all at once, from all over

MANAGERWonderful

DISPLAYAs if everyone wanted to keep the same memory.

COSMETICSAfter that, she lowered her arms, she opened her eyes, she smiled – yes, she smiled and she said: ‘Thank you’

ORACLENo – before

COSMETICSBefore what?

ORACLEBefore she said it

MANAGERYou’re right – before that, she put her hand on her heart and said: ‘Thank you,’ but / without saying thank you

DISPLAYWITHOUT saying thank you

MANAGERJust mouthing the words ‘Thank you’

DISPLAYYes, because people –

COSMETICSBut she did end up saying ‘Thank you,’ I mean really

DISPLAYBut it took – That’s why she said: ‘Stop. It’s too much.’

COSMETICSYES, then after that: ‘I love you lots!’ – with her arm

DISPLAYThen: ‘I love you too,’ because everyone was shouting: ‘I LOVE YOU’

MANAGER‘WE LOVE YOU, CÉLINE!’

COSMETICSThen Céline crying

DISPLAYOn the big screen: close-up of Céline’s face

MANAGEROne tear – with her finger. Fantastic – wonderful

DISPLAYBut everyone kept on: ‘CÉLINE! CÉLINE!’

COSMETICSThat’s when Céline said: ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart,’ bending her head, then softly, the first notes of – obviously! For an encore Céline sang ‘The Power of Love’, still crying

MANAGERHer cheeks – soaking wet

COSMETICSAnd everyone was crying. After the encore: ‘DON’T GO, / CÉLINE!’

DISPLAYCÉLINE on television – in every house

COSMETICSIn the living room: everyone crying

DISPLAYNext day – newspapers, magazines: ‘GOODBYE, CÉLINE’, in big letters

ORACLENot ‘GOODBYE’, ‘SEE YOU LATER’

MANAGER‘SEE YOU LATER’ – yes, that’s right – Céline just wanted a break.

COSMETICSWhen Céline appeared at the press conference in jeans and a sweater – a baggy sweater, really – simple. The journalists were on their knees

DISPLAYThe Photographer wanted to take a photo but he was crying too much

COSMETICSCéline and René sat down. Céline smiled – simple. And the press officer had a word with the Journalist and the Journalist asked if – no – earlier, the Journalist said: ‘Hello, Céline,’ and Céline said: ‘Hello, lovely. How’s your throat?’ Céline knew the Journalist had been ill, she’d been briefed – no – she / just knew

MANAGERAnd what did the Journalist ask?

COSMETICSThe Journalist asked: ‘How long’s the break for, Céline?’ And René replied

MANAGERIt’s not René who replied, it’s Céline – she replied: ‘I don’t know yet’ and after that René said: ‘Maybe two – three years’

DISPLAYThat’s right: ‘Maybe five, maybe seven’

COSMETICS‘Or maybe not, maybe just a month, who knows,’ but ‘If Céline took a break for a month it would feel like ten years, if she came back after ten years it would be as if she’d never left,’ thought the Journalist

MANAGERCéline said: ‘I want to take some time for myself, with my family,’ then gazing upward: ‘One thing I do know, I’ll always be with you’

COSMETICSAnd the Journalist felt she was speaking to her – for her – that it was just to her she was saying that

DISPLAYWhen Céline got up from the press table, the Photographer felt she turned towards him, it was for him she was turning her head, stroking her belly

COSMETICSCéline was pregnant

ORACLECéline didn’t say she was pregnant

MANAGERNo, not at the press conference, it was a fucking journalist who

COSMETICSThe Journalist didn’t say anything, I mean she just THOUGHT Céline was pregnant – maybe, even if deep down she knew

MANAGERSomeone talked, someone took a photo, a photo of her lying in bed

DISPLAYIt wasn’t one of the Photographer’s photos

MANAGERRené made them withdraw the magazine with the photo – all the magazines, from all the newsagents and all the shops. Céline wanted it to be INTIMATE.

DISPLAYIt was in the plane – René’s private jet ‘the Céline’, that the Photographer – knew. It was unbelievable! The Photographer had always dreamt of flying in ‘the Céline’, and it was there, up in the sky, Céline asked him: ‘How’d you like to be my motherhood photographer?’ and the Photographer cried

MANAGERShe wanted to take the time to experience it together, peacefully

COSMETICSThe Journalist had obtained an exclusive interview with Céline in ‘the Céline’, and when they landed Céline said: ‘Why don’t you come and spend some time at the house?’ She didn’t need to say any more

MANAGERShe wanted it to be at home, just the family

COSMETICSSo when Céline took the Journalist’s hand and looked at her with – her eyes, she knew what Céline was going to tell her and the Journalist cried

MANAGERAnd when the Californian Doctor said: ‘Céline, you’ll have to remain in bed,’ Céline didn’t feel like a prisoner, quite the opposite, she said to herself: ‘I’m going to stay in bed and I’m going to read, read all the fan letters I haven’t had time to read’ and all day long she lay there in the bedroom, a wonderful bedroom

DISPLAYThe light was – extraordinary

MANAGEREven bigger than the bedroom when she was married, the second time

COSMETICSMaybe not bigger

MANAGERShe wanted it just as big

DISPLAYIt wasn’t bigger but it seemed bigger – because of the desert

COSMETICSThe desert?

DISPLAYThe bedroom was at the back of the house – looked out onto the desert. The view – unbelievable

COSMETICSAnd the garden – the / Babylonian garden

DISPLAYBabylonian

MANAGERThe Las Vegas house: a real castle

DISPLAYThe Photographer took photos

COSMETICSThat bedroom – maybe not quite as big as the second marriage bedroom – was where she invited the Journalist

MANAGERNo journalist has been in Céline’s...