Masquerade: the play

Kit Williams, Kate Mulvany

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2017
• ISBN:
  9781760621742
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

In a wondrous world of riddles and hidden treasure, bumbling Jack Hare is on a race against time to deliver a message of love from the Moon to the Sun. Far, far away in a world just like ours, a mother cheers her son Joe with the tale of Jack Hare's adventure. But when Jack's mission goes topsy-turvy, Joe and his mum must come to the rescue, and the line between the two worlds becomes blurred forever.

Bringing to life Kit Williams' iconic picture book, Masquerade stars a talking fish, a tone-deaf barbershop quartet, a gassy pig, a precious jewel and a few mere mortals. It's a magical adventure that is, at its heart, about the love between a parent and a child.

ACT ONE

SCENE ONE

A dark stage.

A young woman appears suddenly. Tries to catch her breath.

She is dressed simply, her clothes rumpled, and looks rather weary. Her name is TESSA.

She tries to regain her composure.

Out of nowhere, a book drops from the sky while TESSA’s back is turned.

She picks the book up, a little confused, opens it and reads…

TESSA: ‘Within the pages of this book there is a story told Of love, adventures, fortunes lost, and a jewel of solid gold. To solve the hidden riddle, you must use your eyes, And find the hare in every picture that may point you to the prize…’ Huh.

The lights fade. As TESSA begins to disappear into blackness, a band of MUSICIANS begin to play as the stage glows dimly with moonlight…

TESSA’s voice continues from the darkness…

Once upon a perfect night, unclouded and still, there came the face of a pale and beautiful lady.

The moonlight glows stronger and a woman appears, cloaked and hooded—the MOON.

The tresses of her hair reached out to make the constellations…

The MOON removes her cloak hood and reveals a wild mane of hair that forms a messy orb around her beautiful face. Stars appear in the night sky around her.

… and the dewy vapours of her gown fell soft upon the land.

The MOON removes her cloak to reveal a long dress, beautiful and pale.

Every night she performed her merry dance in the sky…

A violin starts to play a beautiful, lilting melody and THE MOON begins to dance. As she does, a spotlight reveals a musician— THE MAN WHO PLAYS THE MUSIC THAT MAKES THE WORLD GO ROUND—who plays a battered old violin.

… and depending on the day, the dance took many different forms—waxing and waning, growing from a small sidestep… to a smiling jig… to a full, passionate tango.

During this speech, the MOON dances as illustrated. At her full point, her dance is seductive and showy—she seems to be performing for someone.

The lady was most merry in her dance when she knew she was being watched. And the one who watched—from far, far away—was the object of her glowing affection.

From across the stage, a golden light. A MAN appears from amid the MUSICIANS—young and athletic and handsome—THE SUN. He watches THE MOON intently. THE MOON sings, wooing the SUN to join in. He does… shyly at first. As he watches, she dances more vibrantly, fully lit. At the height of her dance of seduction she reaches out to him and he smiles brightly. They sing together, growing in volume.

This lady, whom all mortals call the Moon, had fallen in love with the Sun. However, no matter how happy her dance appeared, it always ended in sadness, for whenever the dance led her into the same part of the sky as the Sun, she seemed to simply fade away.

THE MOON’s dance begins to wane, despite THE SUN beaming at her. His smile fades away. Their singing dwindles away.

The Sun, on the other hand, contrary to his app...