The Sum Read online

  LIZZIE NUNNERY

  The Sum

  a play with songs

  For Rita, my Mum

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Premiere Productions

  Characters

  Songs

  Note on the Set and Dialogue

  The Sum

  Scene One

  Scene Two

  Scene Three

  Scene Four

  Scene Five

  Scene Six

  Scene Seven

  Scene Eight

  Scene Nine

  Scene Ten

  Scene Eleven

  Scene Twelve

  Scene Thirteen

  Scene Fourteen

  Scene Fifteen

  Scene Sixteen

  Scene Seventeen

  Scene Eighteen

  Scene Nineteen

  Scene Twenty

  Scene Twenty-One

  Scene Twenty-Two

  Scene Twenty-Three

  About the Author

  By the Same Author

  Copyright

  Acknowledgements

  Thank you to Suzanne Bell, Cora Bissett,

  Craig Gilbert, Hayley Greggs, Laura Hall,

  Bryony Lavery, Sarah Nunnery Jones,

  Jane Owens at the Citizens Advice Bureau,

  Helen Perry, Lindsay Rodden, Sue Troake,

  the women of the Epsy Centre, and all actors

  who contributed to the development of the piece.

  The play was originally developed through the

  Bruntwood Salon Playwrights scheme as part of

  the Bruntwood Hub at the Royal Exchange Theatre

  and Liverpool Everyman and Playhouse.

  The Sum was first performed at the Everyman Theatre, Liverpool, on 6 May 2017. The cast was as follows:

  Alan McClasker Patrick Brennan

  Paul Walsh George Caple

  Iris Brennan Pauline Daniels

  Eve Brennan Laura Dos Santos

  Lisa Brennan Emily Hughes

  Ismael Tengku Tom Kanji

  Faisa Ahmed Asha Kingsley

  Theresa Tago Melanie La Barrie

  Bryn Hughes Dean Nolan

  Gabi Kalnietis Zelina Rebeiro

  Steph O’Sullivan Keddy Sutton

  Danny Scott Liam Tobin

  Director Gemma Bodinetz

  Composer and Musical Director Vidar Norheim

  Designers Molly Elizabeth Lacey Davies, Jocelyn Meall and Michael Vale

  Lighting Designer Aideen Malone

  Sound Designer Fergus O’Hare

  Choreographer Charlotte Broom

  Musician Martin Heslop

  Costume Supervisor Jacquie Davies

  Associate Director Chris Tomlinson

  Associate Lighting Designer Kay Haynes

  YEP Assistant Director Chantell Walker

  Casting Director Sam Stevenson

  Characters

  Eve Brennan

  thirty-one, from Liverpool 8

  Danny Scott

  thirty-one, from Liverpool 8

  Lisa Brennan

  fourteen, Eve’s daughter

  Alan McClasker

  forty, from Lancashire

  Iris Brennan

  sixty-four, Eve’s mum

  The Staff

  Steph O’Sullivan

  thirties, from Liverpool 8

  Theresa Tago

  fifties, non-white, from Trinidad

  Gabi Kalnietis

  twenties, Lithuanian descent, from Liverpool 8

  Faisa Ahmed

  twenties, Muslim, from Iran

  Ismael Tengku

  forties, Malaysian

  Bryn Hughes

  thirties,Welsh

  Paul Walsh

  twenties, from Liverpool

  Songs

  1 Forgive Me If I Smile: Scene 1

  2 Whole Again: Scene 3 (reprise Scenes 9, 23)

  3 Dawn Light: Scene 5

  4 Magical Times: Scene 6 (reprise Scenes 19, 22)

  5 Zero Hour Blues: Scene 8

  6 Sand: Scene 8

  7 Why Have It Hard? Scene 11 (reprise Scene 16)

  8 One Day I Want to Get Straight: Scene 12

  9 Smile and a Knife: Scene 13

  10 Where’s Your Soul? Scene 17 (reprise Scene 21)

  11 Poverty Knocks: Scene 23

  Lyrics by Lizzie Nunnery

  Music by Lizzie Nunnery/Vidar Norheim

  For musical scores apply to the writer’s agent

  The Set

  The assorted contents of a life: heaps of clothes, crockery, ornaments, books, loose photographs, cutlery, plant pots, tins, dried food, wine bottles, glasses, ill-matching furniture including a bed, table and armchair – nothing of much financial worth. Amongst all this are various musical instruments. All locations are created from this jumble.

  Notes

  A dash ( – ) at the end of a line indicates an interruption

  An ellipsis ( … ) indicates a search for a thought or words

  THE SUM

  SCENE ONE

  FORGIVE ME IF I SMILE

  Eve surrounded by darkness, working out maths with a pen and paper.

  Eve … Plus 65p for a loaf of bread + £1.52 mild cheddar + £1.45 rice + £1.80 for a tin of tuna + £2 bag of apples + £1.36 frozen mince = £220.63. (Beat.) I’m a number’s person. Always have been. Give me a sum, I can do it. Give me a spreadsheet, I can balance it. And everything’s a balance: time and money and energy, work and home and sleeping and waking. Wanting and planning.

  Lights broaden on a hardware superstore, late afternoon. Eve is at a desk in the office. Paul and Bryn stack tins of paint. Ismael pushes trolleys of goods, unloads them. Theresa mops floors. Steph puts a cup of tea on Eve’s desk. As Steph moves away Eve squeezes her hand. Gabi and Faisa check prices/stock levels with scanners. Steph joins Theresa mopping up/ wiping surfaces.

  Paul (calling to Gabi) Go on then, what do you reckon?

  Bryn It’s a contradiction in terms, Paul.

  Paul I’m not asking you, I’m asking Gabi.

  Gabi (distracted) You’re what?

  Paul What’s your best ever day at work?

  Gabi This one, here with you now.

  Paul Really?

  Gabi (sarcastic) Yeah, this morning I walked across the car park in the rain at 5.30 a.m. and thought, ‘Today is the best day of my life.’

  Paul Did you?

  Bryn (low) Come on, lad, just leave it.

  Paul My mum says if I’m gonna get to know people here I have to ask questions.

  Bryn Yeah, but you don’t ask the same question over and over again.

  Paul Gabi …

  Bryn (low to Paul) Best way to get a woman to want you, boy: ignore her completely.

  Paul looks at Bryn in confusion.

  Faisa Extra zero day. None of your days beat that.

  Bryn You what?

  Faisa In here last New Year’s Day – I check my balance for my overtime. It’s there. But it’s not twenty pounds, it’s two hundred pounds.

  Steph No way.

  Faisa I run out those doors, jump a taxi to Cash Converters on Smithdown – I know exactly what I’m buying.

  He holds up his wrist, light bounces off his watch.

  All my life I wanted a nice gold watch: something people would look at and say … nice.

  Bryn Did Alan get on to it?

  Faisa Of course he did, but it was his mistake, and by then I’d spent the money.

  The others laugh or cheer.

  Gabi You know you can get the time on your phone these days, Ismael?

  Theresa When Thatcher went! Eh, Steph? When it came on the radio: all of us just standing here, mouths hangi
ng open –

  Steph With the shock and the fucking joy of it.

  Faisa I don’t want to hear this.

  Steph You can’t understand, love.

  Faisa It’s a woman dead.

  Bryn Agreed. Dance on the grave of the dead and expect no mercy from any soul. (Beat.) Cracking night down the pub though.

  Theresa and Steph laugh. Bryn grins at them.

  Paul My mum talks about Thatcher – her lips go all tight and blue.

  Alan enters quickly, frowning, looking around.

  Faisa What she did she did. It’s done. Wallowers: all of you.

  Steph It’s not done and it’s not dead.

  Alan Have you seen Eve?

  Steph Office. Doing the payroll.

  Paul What’s your best ever day at work, Alan?

  Alan Er … Fridays.

  They all laugh. Alan looks at them bewildered as he moves off to find Eve.

  Shift finished one minute ago. You can gas all you like, but you’re on your own time.

  Gabi pulls a face at Alan. Steph, Faisa and Theresa laugh at this as they all move off. Bryn jumps on the back of a trolley and scoots off. Paul and Ismael follow.

  Alan (calling after them) Actually, not you, Theresa. Customer loo’s in a right state.

  Theresa No one ever uses it.

  Alan Because it’s in a right state.

  Theresa scowls at him, moves upstage with her mop and bucket, continues cleaning. Alan approaches the office.

  Eve £192.63 for gas, water, electric, TV licence, council tax + £520 rent = £712.63. Lisa’s pocket money, bus fare, school dinners, science club, books, PE kit, direct debits on the laptop = £445.22. Plus £51.30 for my travel, £40 for toiletries, £10 for the holiday fund, £19 broadband, £74.68 in phone bills + four quid for the window cleaner= £644.20. Credit cards plus store cards plus insurance = £389.06. £712.63 + £644.20 –

  Alan (popping his head in) Eve?

  Eve Plus £389.06 + £220.63 =

  Alan Can I have a minute? Five minutes that’s all. Fifteen max.

  Eve Just give me a sec …

  Alan Only it’s, er … It’s …

  Eve You alright, Al?

  Alan No, it’s … I mean yes. I’m okay. We’re alright.

  Eve We? Like the royal ‘we’?

  Alan That’s a nice dress.

  Eve It’s a blouse and skirt.

  Alan You got it for your birthday. I remember.

  Eve Al?

  Alan I remember you saying …

  Eve Has something happened?

  Alan No. Well … in a sense. I, er … Eve …

  She looks at him, waiting.

  I’m doing my best here. You know that?

  Eve (going to him) Course you are.

  Alan I’m doing my best, Eve.

  Eve (ushering him in) We all have heavy days. You’re not invincible.

  Alan Exactly. Exactly, I’m not.

  Eve My dad died thirteen years ago, it still gets on top of me sometimes. What’s it been – a year?

  Alan It’s not that. It’s not –

  Eve It’s one foot in front of the other. Right? Eyes front, chin up – ignore all the shit they talk out there in the shop.

  Alan What shit?

  Eve Plaster on a smile and eventually it will start to feel better.

  Alan They’re talking about me?

  Eve You’re doing everything he would’ve wanted. You’re still here running this place –

  Alan Oh, Christ.

  Eve What? Al, what?

  He takes her cup of tea, drinks from it.

  Alan I’ve had phone calls. From the board. Emails bouncing around …

  Eve What’s the genius idea this time? Rebrand the trolleys? Digitalise the garden section?

  Alan They’re nervous. Investors are nervous. Which makes the shareholders nervous.

  Eve Should I be nervous?

  Alan They want us more flexible. Competitive. Light on our feet.

  Eve We’re selling paint, not doing gymnastics.

  Alan We need to generate confidence –

  Eve We’ve had a few bad months, that’s all –

  Alan Profit margins are out of balance with staffing levels –

  Eve You’re doing that thing, Al: you’re speaking words but you’re not actually saying anything.

  He stares at her.

  Are you firing me?

  Alan No. God, no.

  Eve Look me in the eye.

  Alan I’m modernising. Restructuring.

  Eve You’re cutting hours?

  He looks at her, nods.

  Everyone’s hours?

  Alan This isn’t me. This is share prices dropping and investors bailing, directors looking round the portfolio for fat to cut away. They’re shitting themselves over the referendum –

  Eve Everyone’s hours?

  Alan Just for now. Just until I can show a clean sheet.

  Eve My hours?

  Alan Just by a couple of days a week.

  Eve A couple of days?

  Alan Just until things pick up. Just for a month or so.

  Eve No. No, let’s think about this.

  Alan I’ll be telling the same to the Aintree and Garston staff –

  Eve You know my mum hasn’t been well. She’s not working and –

  Alan We need to get more –

  Eve Don’t say the word ‘flexible’ again.

  Alan I just need time. I just need you to help me.

  Eve We’ll tell them to hold off. We’ll bring in some new lines. August bank holiday’s coming up –

  Alan It’s not enough. You think I haven’t tried –?

  Eve If the place wasn’t falling to bits more people might come in here.

  Alan That’s not going to wash. That’s not going to work for them.

  Eve It’s your name above the door.

  Alan And I take full responsibility. Not one person’s losing their job.

  Eve Everyone’s hours?

  Alan It’s the contract you all signed. Nothing was ever set in stone.

  The phone rings. She moves to leave. Alan slams the phone against the receiver to stop it.

  This isn’t me, Eve. You know that?

  Eve One month?

  Alan Eh?

  Eve You said a month?

  Alan This is my place. This is our place. I …

  She nods.

  First step’s getting the message out there.

  Eve No. Not me –

  Alan They like you. They trust you.

  Eve And I can’t tell them it’s a good thing that they’re losing hours.

  Alan You tell them it’s the best we’ve got. They’ll believe it from you.

  Eve This is shit, Alan.

  The phone rings again.

  Alan It is. But sometimes we have to swallow shit. With a little bit of sugar. (Picking up phone.) Alan McClasker? (Beat.) Yeah she’s … Okay. Okay.

  He hands the phone to Eve.

  Eve Hello? (Her face falls.) He’s what?

  Lights down on Eve and Alan, up on Theresa as she mops. The band plays. Gabi, Steph and Faisa enter and begin to help Theresa.

  Theresa (sung)

  Not wishing to be cruel, not wishing to be crass

  But I heard the news break like the tinkling of glass

  She closed the docks and kept the change

  And took her tea with Pinochet

  So forgive me if I smile …

  Gabi/Steph

  Forgive me if I smile …

  Theresa/Gabi/Steph

  Forgive me if I smiled the day that Maggie Thatcher died

  The rest of the staff enter.

  Theresa (sung)

  Not wanting to be maudlin

  Gabi/Steph

  Not wishing to offend

  Theresa

  But she crippled us with crafty tax

  She sold us runner, sleeper, track

  And that old train’s not coming back

  So f
orgive me if I smile …

  Gabi/Steph

  Forgive me if I smile …

  Theresa/Gabi/Steph

  Forgive me if I smiled the day that Maggie Thatcher died

  Chorus.

  Faisa

  Old noise, old news

  Steph

  Here we all are again

  Gabi

  You can’t wipe that slate clean

  Theresa

  New blood from old wounds

  Steph

  Here we all are again

  Gabi

  You can’t wipe that slate clean

  Theresa (sung)

  She took our wage and sent it south

  She took milk from our children’s mouths

  And made our streets a battleground

  So forgive me if I smile …

  Gabi/Steph

  Forgive me if I smile …

  Theresa/Gabi/Steph

  Forgive me if I smiled the day that Maggie Thatcher died

  Faisa

  There’s a hollow refrain

  To your victory tune

  Theresa/Gabi/Steph

  There’s a voice in your ear and it

  May be familiar to

  Theresa

  You …

  Faisa/Bryn/Paul/Ismael

  Old noise, old news

  Steph

  Here we all are again

  Gabi/Bryn/Paul/Ismael

  You can’t

  Wipe that slate clean

  Theresa/Bryn/Paul/Ismael

  New blood from old wounds

  Steph

  Here we all are again

  Gabi/Bryn/Paul/Ismael

  You can’t

  Wipe that slate clean

  Repeat chorus.

  Faisa/Bryn/Paul/Ismael

  New blood, old wounds

  Steph

  Here we all are again

  Theresa/Faisa

  Forgive me if I smile

  Repeat.

  All

  Here we all are again

  Lights cut.

  SCENE TWO