King Hit

Tom Lycos, Stefo Nantsou

• Publisher: Currency Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781760621872
• eBook ISBN:
  9781760621971
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: Drama
• Index: Literature

King Hit examines violence amongst young people, the perpetrators, victims, witnesses and the so-called 'innocent bystanders' and offers alternative perspectives to reckless and abusive behaviour. It's Tula's birthday party and the theme is a Blues Brothers Pizza Night. Heaps of people arrive, the music is pumping and everyone is having a great time. When Tula's parents leave the party, things change. Two boys begin a feud and what starts as a bit of fun quickly escalates into an alcohol-fuelled war reaching a shocking climax.

PART ONE: TULA’S PARTY

A mellow blues bass line plays quietly in the background.

MARK stands alone and nervous in the hallway of Tula’s house, holding a six-pack of beer under his arm. He is dressed according to the party’s special theme.

(Note: In the original production, the party was a ‘Blues Brothers pizza party’, so all the characters at the party wore a black suit, white shirt, black tie, black hat and dark sunglasses as do the main characters of the movie The Blues Brothers.)

MARK: Hello, anyone home?

No answer. MARK waits but no-one is around.

Hello?

Still no response, as if the house is empty.

Hello, anybody home?

TULA’S DAD suddenly appears, a tall imposing figure.

TULA’S DAD: Yeah?

MARK: Hi, I’m Mark Duckworth, I’m one of Tula’s friends from school.

TULA’S DAD: I’m Tula’s dad.

MARK: Hi.

TULA’S DAD: Yeah, hi.

MARK: Hi.

TULA’S DAD: You’re a little early, aren’t you?

MARK: Yeah … arh, Dad had to drop me off early … so he could …

TULA’S DAD: The party’s through there.

He points into the kitchen-lounge room area at the back of the house.

MARK: Thanks.

MARK smiles and goes towards the party zone but TULA’S DAD blocks his path.

TULA’S DAD: Did you bring any alcohol with you?

MARK: Arh … well …

TULA’S DAD: Yes or no?

MARK: Just … a couple of mid-strength beers …

Small pause as TULA’S DAD inspects the six-pack under MARK’s arm.

TULA’S DAD: Can I have one?

MARK: Arhh … sure …

MARK offers him a beer from the six-pack under his arm. TULA’S DAD takes one, opens it with his eye socket and takes a long drink, MARK watching open-mouthed in shock and awe.

TULA’S DAD: Thanks.

MARK doesn’t know what to say. He nods and heads for the party area. TULA’S DAD blocks his path again.

If you muck up the place I’ll break both your legs. Okay?

MARK: [terrified] Okay.

TULA’S DAD calls up the stairs.

TULA’S DAD: Tula!

TULA: [offstage] I’m on the phone, Dad.

TULA’S DAD: Your friends from school are starting to show up.

TULA: [offstage] I’ll be down in a second.

TULA’S DAD exits. MARK goes into the party area and stands uncomfortably in the empty lounge room as TULA comes down the stairs, talking on her mobile phone.

TULA: She pulls this on me every single birthday, I just gave the bitchiest response to someone crying on the phone ever, I was so rude, I was just like, ‘Donna, everyone’s coming, everyone is gonna be here any minute …’

She smiles widely at MARK and motions him to put his beers in the fridge and to sit down on one of the stools at the kitchen bench. TULA starts putting chips and dips on the table as she talks on the phone.

And she says, ‘Aren’t yas going to the park?’, and I said, ‘No, we’re having Blues Brothers pizza night at my place like I texted you about like one hundred times today already’, yeah okay, Blues Brothers, Men in Black, whatever … and she’s like, ‘Ooo, arh … I might have a shower and come over …’, like she’s forcing me to say, ‘Well, you don’t have to come over if you don’t feel up to it’ … and she’s like, ‘Oh oh oh’, and I’m like, ‘What’s wrong?’, and she’s like, ‘I’m not having a good day’, so I’m like, ‘Where are you?’ ‘At Benny’s.’ Well, it sounded like she was having sex with Benny … What? Jane? No, she’s not invited … No, she’s the skank who told that mole that I’m a slut … total L-plate bitch! … Hey, guess what, I got a Jake text, yeah, it was really nice … Okay, Cathy, hurry up and get here … see you soon, mwa...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Playwrights’ Biographies
• Zeal Theatre
• Foreword
• Introduction: A Cautionary Tale
• First Production
• Characters and Setting
• King Hit
• Copyright Details