Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads
Characters
Jimmy, white, mid-fifties | Sharon, black, early thirties |
Alan, white, late forties | Becks, white, late twenties |
Lawrie, white, mid-thirties | Barry, black, early twenties |
Phil, white, mid-thirties | Jason, white, early twenties |
Gina, white, early thirties | Duane, black, early teens |
Lee, white, early thirties | Glen, white, early teens |
Mark, black, early thirties | Bad T, black, early teens |
Sing Yer Heart Out for the Lads premiered at the Loft, National Theatre, on 29 April 2002 with the following cast and creative team:
Gina | Jane Hazlegrove |
Jimmy | Gawn Grainger |
Mark | Kolade Agboke |
Duane | Oladapo Tijani |
Bad T | Marvyn Johnson |
Lawrie | John Marquez |
Becks | Callum Dixon |
Lee | Alex Walkinshaw |
Phil | Gary Oliver |
Alan | Paul Copley |
Jason | Sid Mitchell |
Barry | Freddie Annobil-Dodoo |
Sharon | Kay Bridgeman |
Glen | Billy Seymour |
| |
Director | Simon Usher |
Sound designer | Rich Walsh |
Lighting designer | Steve Barnett |
Act One
King George public house, south-west London. This section of the bar area is decorated with flags of St George. Windows, walls, tables, etc. A huge TV screen is draped in the corner. Jimmy is assembling rows of stools and chairs in front of the TV screen. Gina, his daughter, is writing names on stickers with a felt-tip pen and sellotaping them on the stools, one by one.
Gina There had better not be any trouble.
Jimmy Lee will be here.
Gina Lee?
Jimmy He’ll sort ’em out.
Gina Lee is juss as bad as they are.
Jimmy He’s a copper.
Gina Yer point being?
Jimmy He’s a copper, Gina, nuff said.
Gina Get a few pints down him, you’ll see. I should know.
She looks at her dad, who has the remote for the TV.
You awright over there, Dad?
Jimmy Can’t get this fuckin thing to work.
Gina Well, I don’t want to hear that, do I?
Jimmy (looks at screen) Fucking static.
Gina Leave it to me. (Takes the remote.) Wat you done?
Jimmy Nuttin, I was…
Gina Pissin about.
Jimmy Oi!
Gina presses the button on the remote. The screen becomes all blue.
Jimmy Piece of shit.
Gina You finish with the names, I’ll do this.
Jimmy You put Lawrie at the front?
Gina Yeah. On second thoughts, stick him near the back. He’ll only piss about. (To TV.) Come on, come on!
Jimmy Ain’t workin.
Gina The satellite signal ain’t comin through. Dad do me a favour, check that the cable for the dish is plugged in.
Jimmy Have already.
Gina What about the dish outside?
Jimmy Done that.
Gina Then what is its fucking problem? Where’s the instruction manual?
Jimmy Behind the bar.
Gina Well, giss it.
Jimmy hands over the manual.
Gina If I said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times.
Jimmy Oh, don’t start.
Gina Becks is nuttin but a little thief. You should know better.
Jimmy It was a steal.
Gina Here we go. Come on, baby, come on, come on! (A picture comes on.) Yes!
Jimmy It’ll be typical if they called the match off. It’s pissing down. We ain’t gonna win.
Gina That’s patriotic.
Jimmy Kevin Keegan is a fucking muppet. Have you seen his line-up? (Holds up paper.) Tosser!
Gina A bit of faith, Dad.
Jimmy Bollocks. He oughta fuck off back to Fulh...