The Baby

Chris Hannan

• Publisher: Nick Hern Books
• Year: 2017
• eBook ISBN: 9781780018454
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

Rome, 78 BC. The ruler, Sulla, has just died, and professional mourners have been appointed to wail at his state funeral. But Sulla was hated by the poor and the working classes, and the wailers - led by Macu - threaten to strike, with dire consequences for them and for Macu's daughter...

Written in vivid, contemporary language, Chris Hannan's modern epic The Baby is about a polyglot, violent city at the heart of a divided nation.

The play was first produced at the Tron Theatre, Glasgow, in October 1990, directed by Michael Boyd.

ACT ONE

Scene One

Broad daylight. Two RIOTERS come on running, spattered in blood.

RIOTER 1. Scatter!

RIOTER 2. We kicked his head off.

RIOTER 1. Move!

RIOTER 2. I’m kicking away, all of a sudden his head’s like a slack tooth. We kicked his head off!

RIOTER l. I was holding them back. They climbed over me!

RIOTER 2. We were all kicking at him, you too.

RIOTER 1. Wipe the blood off your neck. You’ve got blood on your neck.

RIOTER 2. So! The whole mob’s out. Kicking down shops and throwing pails of cowblood at anyone stands in their way. I won’t look different from anyone else.

RIOTER 1. Come on then. Let’s get out of here.

They go.

Scene Two

Daylight. A street. MACU comes on, trying on a sarong. She sees EMILIA.

MACU. Emilia! Emilia!

Having caught EMILIA’s attention, she mouths the next bit silently.

Come and see what I found.

EMILIA enters. MACU shows off her new sarong.

MACU. Do you like it? They’re lying all over the street down there. Silk.

EMILIA. Silk?

MACU. Here, you have it. I don’t think it’s my colour. - What are they doing over there?

EMILIA. They’re gutting a flower-stall.

MACU. Oh look - there’s Laura!

MACU waves at LAURA.

She doesn’t see me.

EMILIA. Would she not be safer at home? She’s only eight, Macu.

MACU calls LAURA.

MACU. Laura! Laura!

LAURA comes in, carrying a battered wreath. The flowers in the wreath are white, the colour of mourning and death.

LAURA. Look what I got, mammy, do you think I can sell it?

MACU. A wreath?

LAURA. Then I could buy something proper. Sweets or something.

MACU. Should you not be at home? You’ll get hurt.

LAURA. I’m with Wocky and Yanis! You should see what they’re doing to the stalls. It’s like watching an accident, only better.

MACU. Well stay next to Emilia then. I’m going to get myself some clothes.

MACU goes. LAURA is more interested in what’s happening in the other direction.

LAURA. Look! They’re chasing him over here.

EMILIA. Come here out of the way, Laura.

WOCKY, YANIS and one or two others come on with poles and sticks etc, which they’re using to bait and threaten a FLOWER-SELLER. They’re enjoying themselves.

FLOWER-SELLER. Please, I’m new here. What do I know? I only get off the boat yesterday. My brother, this is my brother’s stall. He ask me to sell the flowers.

WOCKY. I don’t see any flowers, do you, Yanis?

YANIS. All I see are wreaths.

WOCKY. A whole stall and nothing but wreaths. Does he always sell nothing but wreaths, your brother?

WOCKY holds up a wreath on his pole while YANIS smashes it with a stick.

FLOWER-SELLER. You stupid fucks. You are the worst of men. You throw unclean blood over my shop, you’ve polluted the streets, by the way. You have no respect even for your own gods and this why you turn everything upside down. Yahweh protect me from you, God protect me. Sulla dies - who is this man? - he’s the greatest man in all Rome - yes, the greatest man. Do you cry, do you stay inside and say prayers? No, you turn the streets into like - shipwrecks - and you say this man Sulla, this your - king, this man will not even have a funeral. Yaaah - and women do this, and little girls, by the way. You are nothing but dirty fanny. Yes I sell wreaths - Sulla dies and many people buy wreaths for him, today and tomorrow they buy for Sulla’s funeral. Good boy, Sulla!

YANIS. Dirty Arab. Kick his head off.

LAURA. Kick his dirty head off. What does he know?

WOCKY. There’s Macu. - Macu! Macu! Come here and listen to this. This one talks. - She’s coming. This is the woman I was telling you about, Yanis, the one with the temper. Watch this, she’ll tear his head off.

MACU comes on, trying on another new sarong.

Macu. This one here was selling wreaths.

MACU. So he’s a stupid bastard, what do you want me to do? Come here a minute, Wocky.

WOCKY goes over.

Do you think this c...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Original Production
• Introduction
• Act One
• Act Two
• About the Author
• Copyright and Performing Rights Information