Lazarus

The Complete Book and Lyrics

David Bowie, Enda Walsh

• Publisher: Theatre Communications Group
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9781559365581
• eBook ISBN: 9781559368780
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: British Drama

"Beautiful...a last transmission from a dying star." - Time Out

One of the last works completed by beloved pop icon David Bowie before his death in early 2016, the otherworldy musical Lazarus is a poignant homage to his legacy. Inspired by the 1963 novel The Man Who Fell to Earth, Lazarus weaves a thrilling rock opera from new compositions by Bowie as well as many of his classic songs.

LAZARUS

CHARACTERS

MICHAEL

NEWTON

ELLY

ZACH

JAPANESE WOMAN / MAEMI

TEENAGE GIRL 1

TEENAGE GIRL 2

TEENAGE GIRL 3

GIRL, later MARLEY

VALENTINE

BEN

LIST OF SONGS

‘Lazarus’ Newton

‘It’s No Game (Part 1)’ Japanese Woman, Newton, Teenage Girls

‘This is Not America’ Teenage Girls, Girl

‘The Man Who Sold the World’ Michael

‘No Plan’ Girl

‘Love is Lost’ Valentine, Teenage Girls

‘Changes’ Elly, Teenage Girls

‘Where Are We Now?’ Newton

‘Absolute Beginners’ Newton, Elly, Valentine, Teenage Girls, Girl

‘Dirty Boys’ Valentine

‘Killing a Little Time’ Newton

‘Life On Mars?’ Girl

‘All the Young Dudes’ Ben, Teenage Girls, Maemi

‘Always Crashing in the Same Car’ Elly

‘Valentine’s Day’ Valentine

‘When I Met You’ Newton, Teenage Girl 1

‘Heroes’ Newton, Marley

This text went to press before the end of rehearsals and so may differ slightly from the play as performed.

In the darkness a sudden cacophony of televisual sounds is heard.

It lights NEWTON – he sits detached – staring into a screen – the television switching between channels – Ricky Nelson’s ‘Hello Mary Lou (Goodbye Heart)’ skips/repeats in broken pieces.

The sounds mix, distort and escalate – until suddenly they snap into silence.

MICHAEL. I’m sorry I haven’t been around – it’s been on my mind – but what with work and life and – you know. (Slight pause.) So I was looking through old photographs and it’s weird – all these years I’ve known you – I find only the one photo of us from work together – this snap someone took.

Handing the photo to NEWTON –

You’re the exact same – but I’ve got all this hair on me – the darkest, blackest hair – like it’s been painted on.

ELLY hands NEWTON his Lucky Charms.

NEWTON (to ELLY). Thank you.

ELLY. You wanna bowl of something?

MICHAEL. Of cereal?

ELLY. Yeah.

MICHAEL. No, I’m good.

ELLY turns away.

So you okay? – you look all right – you don’t look too bad – maybe a little scruffier. It’s one of the many benefits of being retired, I suppose. So what do you do all day in here? Read all those books you always wanted to?

NEWTON. I watch television and drink gin.

MICHAEL. And that’s it – you don’t do anything else?

NEWTON. I walk around and try to locate the Twinkies.

MICHAEL. So a little bit of exercise too.

NEWTON. Yeah a little.

MICHAEL. But don’t you miss the business at all?

NEWTON. No.

MICHAEL. Yeah you do.

NEWTON. No I don’t. You wanna drink?

MICHAEL. It’s 9.30, Mr Newton.

NEWTON. Is it?

MICHAEL. Yes, it is.

NEWTON. Oh.

MICHAEL. In the morning – 9.30 in the morning.

NEWTON. So late.

NEWTON pours himself a gin.

MICHAEL. Anyway I’m sorry it’s taken me forever – I feel bad. I could swing by next week – if you wanted it? I’d like to – you wouldn’t mind me looking in?

NEWTON. I was sitting here in the middle of the night and the television went off and I saw something come out from the darkness. It’s a scene I couldn’t think about for years – and it came to me the way a lot of these things do – in these pictures. (Slight pause.) It was morning time and I was sitting at h...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Contents
• Introduction
• Production History
• Lazarus
• The New Colossus
• Acknowledgements
• About the Authors