Dea Loher MANHATTAN MEDEA Translated from the German by Petra Lammers and Aaron Leichter

Represented by: Verlag der Autoren Schleusenstrae 15 D-60327 Frankfurt am Main GERMANY

MANHATTAN MEDEA by Dea Loher translated by Petra Lammers & Aaron Leichter CHARACTERS MEDEA JASON SWEATSHOP-BOSS, in a wheelchair VELAZQUEZ, a doorman on 5th Avenue DEAF DAISY, a deaf transvestite A BOY, ca. 7 years old, a silent role Manhattan, present day

1 A rich building on 5th Avenue. Velazquez, the doorman, in the entrance. Medea, waiting. VELAZQUEZ MEDEA VELAZQUEZ MEDEA Im just doing my duty, maam. Am I stopping you. Youre watching me as if it was a crime. Im not looking at you.

VELAZQUEZ Youve been standing at this corner for how many hours. Yesterday evening, your shadow slowly appeared in the streetlight. All I saw was your dark shape, motionless, until late into the night. Until I fell asleep. I deserve to be punished for neglecting my duty. I should have reported you a while ago. Probably an investigator, a danger to this building. MEDEA A thief, a dealer. Maybe just a whore; harmless.

VELAZQUEZ At dawn, when I opened my eyes, I believed in ghosts. Your outline in the same spot. Is that flesh and blood. Am I allowed to touch you. MEDEA Dont come any closer. We arent familiar with each other. And Im not one you would choose to get to know, quickly. VELAZQUEZ But what do you want from me. Or is it these walls you want to penetrate with your stare, so sharp and shining from lack of sleep. MEDEA Is that gold real. That marble real. Is that real velvet behind the windows, which the light gets caught in and which veils the room from strange gazes. VELAZQUEZ As real as the gold and marble on dozens of towers on either end of the avenue, thirty blocks to the north and twelve blocks south of here. MEDEA That is the home of the Sweatshop-Boss.

VELASQUES Oh yes, maam, it sure is. But its better if you dont say that name when hes around. Dont think he likes to hear it. To us he is Mr. Sawyer, Mr. Sawyer sir. MEDEA place. The dark velvet looks like grief. Are they grieving for someone in this

VELAZQUEZ Grief on the contrary. Youre from the press, maam. Im not allowed to say anything. My duty. Where is your camera. MEDEA VELAZQUEZ How much do you make for your duty. She gives him a bill. My livery cost more than the value of my duty to sir, monthly.

Medea gives him another bill. VELAZQUEZ I have to save a long time for canvas. Colors. Brushes. My name is Velazquez. The last great court painter before the Revolution. I am Velazquez. When Im not standing here doing my duty, I paint; at home, in my hole in Harlem, 147th street near Malcolm X Boulevard. Thats a higher duty. It cant be bought. I learn by imitation. Im still imitating him, the other Velazquez. I still follow every detail in his paintings, in meticulous studies, but my imitation is already its own creation that, upon careful examination, surpasses my ancestors. I am a master of duplication. And yet by signing it I make it into an original. A duplicate that isnt one. A fake Velazquez, and yet a real one. But on that day when everything is at stake, I will be the only Velazquez. The only one. MEDEA When will that day come, and how will you recognize it.

VELAZQUEZ Dont worry, maam, it waits for me, just as you waited for me under the streetlight, and Ill recognize it right away, man, Ill recognize that great goddamned day, as soon as it pushes a single pale fingertip over the horizon. Ill recognize it without it even winking at me, maam, dont worry. And then nothing can stop me. MEDEA Does he live alone here, Mr. Sawyer.

VELAZQUEZ Of course not. Mr. Sawyer is a happy man. A happy man, which means a big family, you know. You could say he had a streak of bad luck when he was younger. But a bold man. That pays off. Right. Yeah, he has four daughters, all married, except one. He wants me to paint his portrait. But he says I should paint not his appearance but the truth. I thought about that. Then I say Mr. Sawyer, sir, I say, I dont think Im there yet. MEDEA So he married all of them off except one.

VELAZQUEZ Yeah, the youngest. I wouldnt want to paint that one. Oh, a pain in the ass. A litter of mice would fidget less. Listen, maam, youre not from the press, like otherwise youd know your way around. Silence. MEDEA Im not from around here.

VELAZQUEZ MEDEA

But everybody talks about it. The whole town. What do they talk about.

VELAZQUEZ The girl picked up some guy; nobody knows him, nobodys ever heard of him. Not around here, you know. Who knows what hole he crawled out of. Hes always hanging around the Lower East Side and stuff. She thinks its chic. She calls it avoiding her destiny. She passes me, late at night, and says Hey painter, Im avoiding my destiny today and shes gone. So she meets this guy about three weeks ago, and since then, theyre inseparable. And they go all day long like two lovebirds MEDEA Two lovebirds Id like to see that for myself.

VELAZQUEZ Yeah, and Ill tell you something else, maam: its good for her. Its good for her. See, Im watching her, and of course Im not positive, but I think she never had a real boyfriend, not really, you know. Hes her first guy, if thats not enough of a reason to crack open a bottle. Well, shes so young. Just leaving the nest. And sweet, the little bird, what am I saying, an angel. Clever and sweet. MEDEA Smart, huh.

VELAZQUEZ If I do say so myself, maam. Shes got her head on straight. She isnt one of these fucked-up Park Avenue chicks, if you know what I mean. Shes at Julliard, studying the violin. And on top of that, a real beauty. MEDEA the velvet. Really. Shining like the gold. Valuable like the marble. Smooth like

VELAZQUEZ Yes maam. Pause. With that kind of luck, most men would get nightmares. Id better get back to my duty, huh. Hey, if you ever want your portrait done, Im one of the best. Recommended by Mr. Sawyer. Your very own portrait, how about that. Think about it, a real Velazquez; this opportunity doesnt come around every day MEDEA If I ever get some money Pause. What do you think; as a painter you can tell what people are like. Isnt he untrustworthy. VELAZQUEZ tomorrow. MEDEA VELAZQUEZ Who, the new guy. Pause. Its too late for that. The weddings The weddings tomorrow. Whats wrong with you. You really dont read the paper.

MEDEA

No. I just got a letter that said that this is all too fast

VELAZQUEZ An invitation; then well see each other again tomorrow. Its going to be a huge affair. The mayor, the governor. The Philharmonic is playing. MEDEA VELAZQUEZ Pause. MEDEA VELAZQUEZ MEDEA VELAZQUEZ MEDEA And If you ask me Yes. At first glance a mutt. A mutt Youve seen the the groom. Of course.

VELAZQUEZ But the longer you look at him, the more beautiful he gets. A handsome man. Without a doubt. Maybe I should paint his portrait MEDEA Describe him to me.

VELAZQUEZ Well hes not exactly a giant. But not a dwarf either. Hes, you know, medium. Medium height. Thin. But muscles. Pale. Hasnt seen the sun in a while. And he has a couple of gray hairs, which is rare for his age. And then sometimes he hunches over when he walks. MEDEA That doesnt sound like a very beautiful man.

VELAZQUEZ Beautiful Im talking about painting, not advertising. Not the surface, but how the surface is composed. You see, that which contradicts the first impression, or opposes the facade, produces beauty. And so it hits me that he hunches over. That his suit wrinkles, here, at the shoulder. Difficult to paint. In the beginning, he didnt have a blazer. He came with a stained leather covering, which he pretended was a jacket. Now he has a tailored suit, and yet it doesnt fit. And I noticed that its because of his shoulders. Sometimes, when he thinks hes alone, he stands and moves like an old man. But still, theres strength in him. MEDEA Do you think he isnt happy.

VELAZQUEZ Dont ask me about happiness, maam. Theres a rumor about him. A rumor that he left his wife for the daughter of Mr. Sawyer-Boss. Theres probably something to it. After all, he brought this kid with him, and it has to have a mother. MEDEA Do they treat it well.

VELAZQUEZ It runs all over the house. Its excited. Everything is new. Children. Still, I feel sorry for the woman. But what do I know. Maybe she posed a danger to him. MEDEA Thief. Dealer. Whore.

VELAZQUEZ Maybe worse. A shadow hangs over his eyes. Its probably grief. Maybe longing. But hell have to forget his old life. And overall, the alternative doesnt seem too bad. Silence. VELAZQUEZ I have to get back. My duty.

MEDEA Wait. She gives him another bill. Go and get him. Please. Tell him Tell Jason Im here. His wife is here. Pause. VELAZQUEZ Oh yes, maam. He gives the bill back to her. The things we say

2 Enter JASON. JASON You came.

MEDEA I got your message. A good catch. A very good catch. JASON Yes Medea. What a chance. We wont let this one go. A golden bird finally flew into our sights, and it leads us directly to its nest. MEDEA How long will it take you.

JASON She trusts me. She trusts me already. Not even three weeks and she would let my name be branded on her. MEDEA Dont overestimate yourself. Tell me what I should prepare. How much will you be able to squeeze out of the little dove, and when are we going to take off. JASON Take off.

MEDEA That was a clever move, to take the kid with you. That way, they dont suspect as much, and feel pity instead of distrust. JASON Distrust I wasnt thinking about distrust. You misunderstood the message. MEDEA I understand that you can get money, and thats how youre thinking about our future. The two of us, Jason Pause. JASON We didnt work well, Medea, together. And its better that we see that with a cool eye and a heart

that doesnt tremble when it hears the truth. MEDEA How often did you leave, and how often return, and how many times did I leave, and you wait for me. Because they were just games, like flying a kite and cheering at the flight and knowing all the time, the string that hums as it twists in the hand, brings it back safely. And then you yourself rise and enjoy the strange cool wind and know that the hand of the other will bring you back to earth. JASON This time is different.

MEDEA How many times was it different. With words. Thats part of the game. JASON That we cannot live together, Medea, you know.

MEDEA No, I dont know. Its been Jason and Medea for how many years. JASON Not because we wanted it. Not because it was our decision. MEDEA you and me. JASON MEDEA JASON Silence. MEDEA I still remember the day when I saw you for the first time. You came walking along the road; Whose decision then and whose will. Who wouldve decided that for The circumstances forced us together. The circumstances. The needs.

the sun was shining behind you. From your outline sparks were flaring; your face was dark. You were the first, the first of many, who came fleeing from the war into our village, before the war came to us. But nobody wouldve called you a fugitive. Your hand already waved a dollar bill, just play-money from a childs board game, but even so, it wasnt a game. You werent despondent; while others were burying themselves in cellars to survive the war, you wanted to conquer the New World. DIESES SPIEL KANN ICH AUCH SPIELEN I CAN PLAY THAT GAME TOO. YOU CAN CALL ME JASON.1 The only words you know. She laughs. --No, you havent been despondent. You havent been a lot of things. -Have you ever been a friend. JASON JASON. JASON. The name, that she gave me, thats all, that remained, of my mother. JASON, she said, American, And with it she became the joke of the neighborhood. I should have become a doctor, according to her. What a laugh. Your skillful hands, she said. Yes. Good enough for a gambler, for a cook, for a waiter -The town I came from already lay in ruins; I fled south with my mother, toward the sea. We didnt turn around, thunder at our back. She was weak; I lifted her, though she resisted, onto my shoulders. Rain, when we hurried down to the river, rain. The woman on my shoulders drives her wooden weight into my flesh; she sits on my sore bones.
1

These three lines are taken directly from the original German script; that is, Medea speaks the first line is in German, and the second two in English.

When we reached the river, the water is high, too high for a man with a burden; the current rips the bank away. The woman takes her arm from my neck, lets herself slip from my shoulders, she briefly leans herself upon my hand, then she lets go Im still standing shes now going towards the water kneels down fills the pockets of her coat with two stones left and right kneels at the edge smiles up at me and says help me son I take her head in both hands tender like she had with me when I was young and kiss her eyes and hold the head fast under the water --Her dead body with the stones sinks down in the stream and in the same water I let myself float downriver for how long I dont know -your village nearby there was nobody anymore who was closer to me than myself and nobody who was stranger to me than myself. Silence. MEDEA Even then you had nothing except a beautiful mouth, that you could speak well with. JASON You were the only one who I spoke to that way. The only one who I told my story to. MEDEA Yes, you made me your accomplice, very clever; it was as if I had helped to drown her. I thought that then. And what courage, I thought, to do the worst almost like a duty, as if it was unavoidable. And fell in love with you. Because you shared your pain with me. JASON And what do you think today.

MEDEA Today I think you bought my sympathy, very clever, with words; whether theyre true or not, I have no proof. You shared your guilt with me, very clever, and even left a little for your mother, because she urged you to, because she took a burden from you, because it was she who wanted to sacrifice herself selflessly, so that the river could give birth to you anew. Today I think: drowns his mother like a cat Today I think, how did you know you could win me that way. Today I think, you didnt want me, you only wanted the money; the money that I stole from my father, so that we could leave, the two of us and my brother, for a different future. So that you could leave. And already my brother was too much company, too much of a burden. Maybe I was also inconvenient to you, from the very beginning. Today I think, my crimes began with you. JASON not me. You deceived your father,

MEDEA My father, who took you into his home, a stranger, and to whom nothing remained and nobody, once we had crept away: his children with his money. JASON I wouldve made it without you. You. Your money. There wasnt much anyway. MEDEA Even my brother believed in you, usually mistrustful, and I thought, my father will understand. Did you ever bother thinking about what became of him.

JASON Did you bother thinking about it. You never questioned it. So dont blame me. For your fear and your cowardice. Silence. JASON I never wanted to stay with you. Never. Fire and water dont belong together. MEDEA Silence. JASON How many years have we been here, Medea. And we havent made any progress. Our life forbidden still. Our child illegal, without a name. Weve just changed the streets not the neighborhoods. And the names of the motels, theyre indistinguishable, Astor, Blue, Star, Caesar, China Inn, where nobody asks for i.d., the rent payable in advance by the week, acrid air of disinfectant cutting apart your lungs, Champion Exterminator against cockroaches dripping from the pipes, on the walls, running yellow, the synthetic carpeting sweating its pattern, streams of beer and sperm dried in layers, in layers dried out again; and bars over the windows, so you dont leap for freedom in an fit of courage and crack your head on a rough-cornered dumpster infested with rats. Just tell me, is that better than war. Pause. A chair under the doorknob every night, so you wake up when somebody breaks into your sleep, and the child, who never fully awakens in the humidity of pot and mushrooms. MEDEA For seven years we have Back then your words were different.

shared a bed and a life. And had the same rights. We were equal. JASON Yes, equal. Equal among equals. Waiters, cooks, janitors. MEDEA Whatever it takes to survive. That is going to change. Someday. JASON That has to change. Now. We wont find a cheaper life anymore. Medea. Where else can we go Silence. MEDEA Why havent I met a rich man. Why. Because I didnt want to. Yes. Sometimes I went with one just because of his wallet. For us. JASON Why are you still clinging to me.

MEDEA So youre looking for a future without me. JASON Youll look for your future yourself and better alone. MEDEA Shall I tell you that you used me. Until I taught you the strange language of this strange country. My money used To bribe the captain of the freighter. My strength broken, until you find someone better, who is of more use to you. So that it was worthwhile finally that you killed your mother

Silence. JASON You know me well. Yes, I would betray you repeatedly, with every promising woman, until it pays out. This life. Pause. Very calm, slowly, cold, almost threatening. I let my mother die, because it was her will, and reasonable. MEDEA And will your latest promising little dove also be able to bear it JASON She wont know it. Pause. That is pointless, Medea. As you said yourself, you have no proof. Do you want everyone to laugh, thinking youre a liar; youre hysterical already. Pause. MEDEA And her, will you also try to replace her, after a while, when more alluring prey tempts. JASON MEDEA JASON Why think about that now. And on the night when shes unfaithful. Do you think I wont be enough for her.

MEDEA Maybe for now. Shes young. JASON MEDEA JASON She wont want to know anyone but me. You make sure of that. The first night was a promise.

MEDEA How many more will she be able to exact, until you are fed up with her.

And what does she know. She, who was a virgin until two weeks ago. JASON Three weeks. Im teaching her. MEDEA And what can she teach you, that you didnt know already. JASON Silence. MEDEA How long have you known her. And how long were we close. Silence. JASON Silence. MEDEA Jason. Stay with me Pause. Jason. Can you forget the fight for a life together. Can you forget that we swore: Everything for each other. JASON MEDEA I JASON That is over. Jason It is over. If I could live with two women, I would be happy. Dont worry about my boredom.

MEDEA There is blood on this path. Jason. That will never be over. Silence. MEDEA Dont you think about it

anymore. JASON MEDEA JASON MEDEA JASON MEDEA No. What I did for you. No. With these hands. No, I dont think about it. Jason.

JASON For you, for you. I A Murderer I A Murderer You Witch. MEDEA Yes. Witch. Perhaps. Perhaps I am a witch. But then what are you, who made me into one. For whom I did what I did. With these hands. And you saw it. JASON MEDEA JASON I didnt force you. Remember. Dont.

MEDEA And I didnt do, what I did, for you, so you could curse me. Now. JASON Dont.

MEDEA And why. Why did I do it. JASON Did you think you owed me something. Thats your problem.

MEDEA JASON

Why. There are many reasons.

MEDEA There is one you dont want to remember. JASON Pause. MEDEA Say it. Get it out. Did you forget. Pause. JASON Did you. This word. Long pause. MEDEA Pause. JASON You never heard me say it. Did you. I never said that word. Not that I could. Pause. Am I wrong. Am I wrong. Medea. Did I ever once tell you that I Pause. MEDEA Pause. JASON from me. So what else do you want Not with words. Love. You never heard me say it. Be quiet witch.

MEDEA And this other one, you say it for her. JASON Do you want me to torture you. Shall I teach you to hate me. MEDEA I want to know it. Truth. If you are strong enough to stand it then so am I. Pause. Do you love her. JASON I love her. Silence. MEDEA Can you have one true feeling. Liar. Silence. JASON Medea. The wedding is tomorrow. MEDEA Its not real. JASON Never. Pause. MEDEA I still have the knife. Time has not dulled it. She pulls a knife from her pocket, and cuts her palm. JASON What do you want to prove to me. What do you call this game, Jason. I never lied to you. Yes.

MEDEA slices her cheek Dont you care

how I look anymore. JASON for you. There will be other men

MEDEA slices the other cheek You dont care who looks at me anymore. Silence. MEDEA JASON Its the same knife. Why are you talking about that.

MEDEA It connects. That night. And all the nights that followed, in which we lay in this guilt, that we share. Forever. Silence. JASON Sometimes I believe I see your brothers eyes in the child. The dying, who in the moment of death, takes the unfinished body as a new home and for revenge. And in it, he will forever stand between us. Silence. Dont look at me. Medea. Pause. Yes. That knife still cuts. Pause. Nothing has changed. You want to know the truth. Every second that I spend with that one, I think of you. Pause. What is she doing, with me gone, in the poor hotel in Chinatown. The drag queens in the room next door,

the only friends that remain. Fear of raids that can chase her out of the country. And what do I do behind these walls, gold and marble surrounding me, a tomb for the living without you. Silence. Yes. That knife still cuts. MEDEA quietly That will never be over. JASON Thats why, Medea There would always be strife between us. There would always be death between us. We created Hell for ourselves, and I have to leave you or this fire will devour me. MEDEA You still love me

JASON What should I do Brand a sign on my forehead Yes Yes MEDEA JASON Pause. JASON I curse you, and I want you to stay with me. MEDEA Determination was never your strength. You still love me And I curse you

JASON I am determined. My brides name is Claire. But when she becomes my wife, you will also be taken care of. Thats my plan. She knows about you. And nothing stands in the way of you coming into this house,

and us caring for the child together. MEDEA Repeat that She doesnt object to taking me in Shall I have the room next to yours, so I can hear your tender favors, night after night; her delighted shrieks when you act out your trifling affections in front of her. Shall I hear when you fuck her night after night her lust the weapon you conquer her with, and hold her docile, slave to you. Shall I hear how my child calls a stranger his mother. Do you want to give me my punishment already and for the rest of my life. Pause. How cruel you can be, Jason JASON Why not. Why not. Your life would be taken care of in my house. We can stay together and the child with us. MEDEA Pause. JASON Claire will be a friend to you. You dont know what love is, Jason

MEDEA Claire and Jason. That is a knifes point. JASON Shes young. Curious. Shell want to learn from you. MEDEA Yes. She is young. She is beautiful. Her skin is white. JASON Yes. Her skin is white and

MEDEA

And

JASON And She is innocence. Silence. MEDEA Go Jason And celebrate your wedding. Pause. MEDEA Go. Before this knife kills once more. JASON MEDEA I dont understand you anymore. Ill wait for the child.

JASON You wont share in his future if you dont come with me. Silence. JASON How much longer do you want to stand here. Until youre chased off like a rat. MEDEA Here and now I still have the right to be right before you chase me off or I mix wine under the poison to take the bitterness away And when it forces my blood out of the burned pores I will say Lick it, doesnt it taste like wine Sweetheart JASON Your threat a false promise never would you deal death to yourself. Pause. MEDEA Jason My Husband Who are you

JASON exits.

3 MEDEA Not for Jason Not for me Not for the child Not because the knife was in my hand For a law The hawk Lily in his beak flies over snow That was my law, Jason to follow you and my voice And it was one for a long time to follow my voice and you Now there is no law anymore Besides me

4 Enter DEAF DAISY DEAF DAISY sings When I came into the strange land, looking for you, love, looking for you, I stood before your door for a long time, my dove, my dove, and shed tears She and MEDEA look at each other silently for a while. DEAF DAISY MEDEA Speak more clearly, I read lips. What would I want to talk to you about.

DEAF DAISY Everybody wants to talk everybody into something in this town. Continuously. Why should you be an exception. Words fly all over. Sometimes they fall to the ground immediately, dead, butterflies, slid from the cocoon too early. But many keep soaring and lead a weightless life in the air. The music of the streets do you hear MEDEA DEAF DAISY MEDEA No. Turn your lips towards me. No.

DEAF DAISY You are mourning. Tears of blood. Why. To be and be here is a joy. Even in Alphabet City life finds a rare beauty. There, where the avenues dont carry numbers, but letters instead, A B C. Because when they mapped the city, they didnt think that human beings lived on those streets; they only resembled them, a whim of nature. Later then, when it occurred to them to call it a whim of God, they counted the streets in with the avenues, but the numbers had already been given away. MEDEA I know the area.

DEAF DAISY I was born there, between an empty barrel and a fender. That describes the poetry of the place. My father was a rust-brown fitted jacket with velvet collar, fake, and a cufflink on the left sleeve of his shirt. My mother mainly a mauve-colored flowered sarong with skulls on the seam. She went topless. I trained my sense of beauty, slowly, in the streets. Dont tell on me. These days people think wanting to walk in stilettos is genetic. If you only knew how much your feet hurt until you learn how. Pause.

You didnt see any interesting clothes around here, by any chance: hats shoes bags. Youd think the people on this street would at least be generous, if not wasteful in throwing away their wardrobes. Its a disappointing paradox that they arent. I should avoid these houses, but a mad impulse for optimism forces me to offset the law of experience with the law of chance. And then, rumors bring me here, rumors How about you MEDEA Wanting to find something valuable, in among the splinters no. Pause. Dont we know each other from somewhere. Whats your name. DEAF DAISY MEDEA Me, Im Deaf Daisy. Death Daisy. Daisy the Death or

DEAF DAISY No no, the Dove, Daisy the Dove. Yes. I am Deaf Daisy. I am the shell of soundlessness that is not. Merely the absence of audible tones. I dont know my own voice. But I feel it pulsing. Just as all sounds oscillate and vibrate silently within me. I carry the silence of space inside me: the sharp one that precedes death. Just listen Silence. MEDEA How did you go deaf.

DEAF DAISY The jacket shot the sarong the brain out of the socket. It flew right and left, past me, a part got stuck in my hair. I, a child, experienced a loss of hearing. The first song that I learned to read was Accidents Will Happen. Thats what I follow. Silence. MEDEA I hear the Lower East Side only has one woman who dances with Death, without growing silent. Theres only one woman who sings at funerals. DEAF DAISY MEDEA DEAF DAISY Thats what they say. Flattering. I need a favor. What kind.

MEDEA I need a dress in red. It has to be tight, a second skin, from neck to ankles and wrists. DEAF DAISY Red for mourning. I call that joy in despair.

MEDEA Silence. DEAF DAISY Silence. MEDEA

Red for the wedding.

For the wedding. Pause. Whos getting married. Who are you.

My name is Medea.

DEAF DAISY whistles quietly When I came into the strange land, looking for you, love, looking for you Silence. Theres a cellar in Soho, used evening dresses. If you dont ask from where The price is almost nothing. MEDEA Ill tell you where youll find what Im looking for. The dress that Im thinking of is leather. The factories and the tannery are down by the river. DEAF DAISY Not too safe. The factories belong to the Sweatshop-Boss. A thief on his property could easily be found with broken fingers and missing ears Not that I necessarily care about the ears MEDEA I want you to get me a dress from the trash that waits for disposal; a dress that stayed in the acid baths too long DEAF DAISY The colors on the leather shine like the rainbows on Christopher Street Day. But where they are pumped from the dye-works into the river, they mix into sludge, so acidic that just breathing eats away your nose and shreds your lungs. Whoever wears a dress soaked in this lye wont see another morning. MEDEA Silence. DEAF DAISY MEDEA DEAF DAISY MEDEA DEAF DAISY That has its price. What do you charge. When Im back. Ill wait. while walking; comes back again The skin must be deadly.

Do you hear it Silence. Do you hear it now MEDEA DEAF DAISY What The silence.

5 Enter SWEATSHOP-BOSS. Hes sitting in a wheelchair. SWEATSHOP-BOSS Youre the stranger. MEDEA Medea.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Why are you lurking out here. Why dont you come into the house. Didnt the man invite you in, Jason. MEDEA Im the stranger. That isnt my house.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS That conclusions too easy. At least for me. Good. Your name is Medea. Does that mean something. MEDEA The name means what it means. Me. Nothing else.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS They call you witch. MEDEA Thats becoming fashionable. And its just convenience. The expression of a laziness that exclaims, The arbitrary cruelty of evil gods! when its forced to look at the consequences of its own actions. That easily avoids its responsibility. Pause. SWEATSHOP-BOSS Youre the wife of the man whos going to marry my daughter tomorrow. As I hear it, you call yourself his wife, and he speaks of you as his woman. I dont care what names you give your sexual intercourse. Tomorrow a new couple shall be begotten before the law. And the past, its as if it never happened. MEDEA Neither the letter nor a ceremony erases a life.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Youre still fighting for him. MEDEA Only for the child.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Look, Medea. Jason has asked me to take you in. What do I hear in his voice: empathy. A trace of guilt. Fatherly duty. He tries to hide his reasons behind one and calls on my humanity. That makes me laugh. Or should I say suspicious. What do I know. Maybe his motive is avarice. He still wants you on the side. My daughters a money marriage, and every dick in this city is hot for her. She knows that too. Theres something satisfying about taking in a stray mutt from Chinatown, and rejecting the tired panting decadent pedigreed dogs. Right. You feels the gratitude more easily, the devotion, and then his fur has the smell of the street;

that tickles her. But shell find out how these dogs bite. Thatll be a game. Im looking forward to it. The end is not yet clear. Pause. So Jason believes you could stay here in the house. I dont love gambling so much that Ill put the lover right at my daughters doorstep. And why should I want to be a benefactor to you. What kind of creature sneaks around my house. Medea. MEDEA Theres no reason to worry. Jason loves Claire. And Ill go back to where I came from. With my child. SWEATSHOP-BOSS Thats another point. This child. Why should I watch a bastard grow up in my house. MEDEA Thats not my wish.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS No, Jason asked me for that too. And hes got my daughter on his side. Speaking on behalf of the other mother. MEDEA Shes the last one to speak for me.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS I also find that strange. But eh, shes young, she wants to please Jason. Yes. I understand your view completely. On the other hand why should we deny the kid a chance that it wouldnt have otherwise. MEDEA I dont take handouts.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Not you, Medea. Your flesh. And not handouts. Education. MEDEA Money.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS A clever child. Says it doesnt have a name, and it was born from the water one night. MEDEA Fantasies.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS They call you witch, Medea from Manhattan. Tell me, where did you leave your brother. MEDEA I dont have a brother.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS One time, many years ago, a sailor came to me, from one of my freighters. Was biting his tongue, then he spit out, The Captain brought three blind passengers across the ocean. Which means three came on board, but only two landed. Can a person change into a cloud. Yes, I tell the sailor. Or he can die. From disease. And he must be buried at sea. Should his sister now be sent after him. MEDEA I dont want anything from you. What do you want from me.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Lets just say Im interested in the pain of truth that makes evil, especially inside oneself, but also in others. Lets just say, the old laws are still valid. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. And lets just say, I would like to keep a child. Something could happen to my daughter. MEDEA Living collateral.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Thats also just a word. Call it whatever you want. This city lives off transformation. Medea. How long have you been here. What have you made out of yourself. Did you change. MEDEA advance. I was looking for the truth in what endures. I wanted that to be my

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Duration. Laughs. Pause. Take my legs for example. My legs have changed into money. I was born in a neighborhood whose name I dont want to remember anymore. My mother from Peru, my father Russian. She was a washerwoman, he dressed dead swine. There was no money to put away. I started off as a worker on the docks at twelve. The work made me strong. I became foreman. Until the crane dropped a load of iron plate on the concrete. The iron caught my legs. They had to amputate them, first the right, then the left, to save the upper half of my body. I was fully conscious. I havent dreamed since then. I hired my own workers with borrowed money and started my own bizness in a basement in Chinatown. I have them sew dresses. Today they call me Sweatshop-Boss. Mention the name down there. They know what they owe to me. MEDEA But I. I owe you nothing. I just met you by chance.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Youre persistent. Stubborn. Medea. Pause. Youll have to leave this city. And this country, which you smuggled into with bloody hands. Youll have to leave it. Without your child. Without discussion. Because I want it that way. MEDEA Youre not the first to threaten me.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS A threat. Yes, Im not old enough to give advice. MEDEA I wont leave without my child. Yes, I snuck in with bloody hands. I took one life for another: my brother, who was like my second life. For a man who isnt worth a knife. Now only the child counts. And you wont take from me this life that I killed for. And nobody ever. SWEATSHOP-BOSS You fly straight, like an arrow. You have much to lose. But dont compete with me. Im flexible. The hard winds of my life taught me to be more supple than young bamboo. No knife that can cut me and no hand that can break me. Not me, and not what belongs to me.

MEDEA

Theres nowhere I could go anymore.

SWEATSHOP-BOSS Youll find one. MEDEA No No How could I be a danger to this house, even if I stayed. Just leaving the child with a strange woman is punishment enough. Yes. Im in your hands. With every false step that I take, the shadow of your power will close in on me. But dont send me away SWEATSHOP-BOSS Are you getting soft. It doesnt give me pleasure to see you beg. Despair and weakness are the privilege of the old. And of those who fear death. Youve proved it would be wrong to count you among the latter. I admire you for your hardness, not your tears. If she wasnt a danger to me, I could be tempted to hire her. That makes you one up on Jason. Hes just a lover. But since my daughter wants him Pause. And besides, you dont play weak well enough to convince me. MEDEA How much you must fear me. How much you must hate me. Silence. SWEATSHOP-BOSS I am just cautious. Silence. MEDEA Shall I pay for a strangers pleasure. How long will it take until Claire abandons the dog. Back onto the street with a kick. SWEATSHOP-BOSS That is not your concern anymore. Silence. MEDEA Pause. SWEATSHOP-BOSS Velazquez will be there with you. I trust your good sense. Exit. Can I see the child to say goodbye.

6 MEDEA For Jason For the child Because the knife was in my hand For which law The hawk Lily in his beak Flies over snow Hawk without lily Remains Red snow

7 DEAF DAISY sings When I came into the strange land, looking for you, love, looking for you She gives MEDEA a black trashbag. DEAF DAISY In this trashbag, sister, are the treasures of the East River. Handle it with care. It explodes easily. MEDEA What do you charge.

DEAF DAISY Some pleasures are cheap to come by: then nobody wants them; some are prohibitively expensive: that makes them desirable. A bill for the uptown clientele, who bow so low at the feet of the surplus value law that they would voluntarily bend their neck under its hard heel to fully enjoy the lust of submission, because after all its they who pay the markets dominatrix. So far, I havent hopped on that carousel I just hear the melody that warps and skips. Lets say Im donating this garbage bag for a play. Will it be a comedy, will it be a tragedy; doesnt matter as long as its a real play. MEDEA Ill set off fireworks for you to see. Innocence will burn.

DEAF DAISY Fireworks. Whats the date. Celebrating independence at the East River. Thatll make work for the sirens. Explosions everywhere, and a thousand times bigger in the sky, shining and fading, and shalt have no other comets before it, except those that are artificial. And we rejoice in them and gaze upon our own wonders. A life for a firework. MEDEA Can I do it. Can I do it. They say, she is young. Beautiful. Will I take pity on beauty. DEAF DAISY Beauty the lie in the eye of the beholder. Lets celebrate the imperfect as beautiful. MEDEA mourned. And her soul will be searched for. Something that can be buried and

DEAF DAISY Theyll be very sad when she cant be found. Where could we have forgotten her. Whatever shall we put in the urn. A tin can full of dust: senseless. Let them stuff their pet dog and put that on the tomb. That at least shows some class. MEDEA What a cruel death. And yet no more cruel than my suffering.

DEAF DAISY Fireworks that turn the angels of this city into ash. They lost their souls long ago. Their pale faces turn red, burn, and blow, gray dust, into oblivion.

Still heard, from far away perhaps, is the breath of a violin playing. Then theres silence. Silence. How poor we are. DEAF DAISY withdraws into a corner, and waits, observing.

8 MEDEA Sometimes I believe I see the eyes of my brother in yours. The dying, who in the moment of death takes the unborn body, as his new residence and for revenge. And in it, he will forever stand between us. On the ship that shelters us in its bowels, pounding pistons, sweating cylinder pipes and steam from open valves, my brother, me, and Jason. Nobody fluent in the strange language of the strange country, except me. Nobody in possession of enough cash to pay the captain the debt for our passage, except me. The second week. One night. I say Hunger. My brother says Your share of our provisions tomorrow morning. Jason says Eat. I go to the sack with bread. My brother says No. Jason says Eat. I soak the bread in the sweat that drips from the pipes. My brother says Why Is she different Thats already the fourth night Another night and the sack is empty. Jason says Well go hungry for her. My brother says I wont go hungry for nobody no more after I last saw the coast of my country That was my vow. He rips the bread from my hand. Jason says Bastard My brother Theres no reason Jason She eats for two My brother A fine pair You say that now Jason Its none of your business My brother We three boarded this ship Well leave this ship all three I say Bastard My brother We dont have the money for four I I have it My brother Thats not enough for a fourth Its hardly enough for us Youll kill it I say No My brother Youll have to Witch I say Even if I knew how I wouldnt do it My flesh My brother Then Ill do it Jason says No My flesh will see this new land Our future My brother Not mine I say Who are you My brother A stranger He says Then give me my share I say No Traitor Did I ever know you The brother grabs a pipe Ill kill your flesh Witch If you dont do it I reach into the sack of bread and feel the knife Jason attacks the man from behind and holds his arms My hand stabs Jason We wrapped the mans body in scraps of plastic tied it up so its limbs stay together and brought it on deck at night making sure that theres no drop of blood on the planks to betray us and rolled it under the rail and it disappeared into the dark it was simple no trace remained hardly the distant slap of waves when the water swallowed it up we listened into the black room of the ocean of the night far around us the ship traveled on and I was without tears Silence. Enter Jason. JASON MEDEA You give up. Everything.

The master of this house leaves me no choice. JASON I asked him so delicately. He wont let me talk about it anymore. If it were my decision MEDEA JASON MEDEA Silence. JASON I had a dream. The day of my wedding. Three hundred invited guests; among them the Mayor, the Governor. The orchestra plays the opening waltz; the guests dance. The king prepares the ceremony. He dresses me, puts a white coat on me; a chain of gold and diamonds; slides rings with gemstones on. There are two brides at the wedding: you and Claire. You wear a white dress. Claire is in black. The king begins the ceremony. The guests are still speaking and laughing, ceremonious and quiet. The king asks me: And which shall be your wife. I cannot tell. It is silent. They wait for my answer. I say: Thatll be a surprise. Later. And I turn around. The guests have disappeared. You are gone. And Claire. I call Medea. No answer. I call Claire. It echoes back Claire. I am alone. Silence. JASON Medea. Help me. Too late. He has different plans. Where will you go. Nowhere.

MEDEA Yes Jason. Ill help you. Youve made your choice. Now theres no going back. I give up. Does the I do come more easily then. JASON I cant lose you.

MEDEA Or Claire either. Heres my present. It shall be her wedding dress. Not black. Fine red leather. There shall be only one bride. JASON I dont expect anything anymore.

MEDEA Go. Put it on her. And be gentle. This skin is valuable.

JASON

Well be friends.

MEDEA Go, Jason. Go and dance. JASON exits.

9 VELAZQUEZ, an object in a trashbag under his arm. VELAZQUEZ I was told to be there while you talked to the child. As if I didnt have anything better to do than watch other peoples misfortune. Pause. Here, I copied this for you. Not meant as a comfort. But just so you know: as long as Im doorman in this house, nobody will lay a hand on the child. And this will always remind you of that. He unwraps the picture.2 The child comes out of the building. VELAZQUEZ Dont say anything. No thanks. I just did my best. Think of me. And now Ill leave. I cant watch goodbyes. Exit.

Diego Velazquez: The Infant Philip Prosper. 1659

10 MEDEA embraces the child. My brother. You were right. Its not enough for four. Its not even enough for three. I give you back. And then there will be peace. And I will finally be alone with me. Just for me. For me. For me. Silence. I love you. She suffocates the child with the garbage bag. Silence. From now on, I will be the living dead. In the door of the building, a torch appears, human-sized, blazing. Apart from that, no sound is heard. No scream. Just silence. The fire spreads to Velazquez painting. As long as the torch burns, DEAF DAISY sings. The fire dies together with her voice. In place of the original picture, Picassos Las Menias can now be seen. DEAF DAISY sings When I came into the strange land, looking for you, love, looking for you, I stood before your door for a long time, my dove, my dove, and shed tears Do you renounce, love, do you renounce, Our fidelity, our love, Remember our promises, My dove, my dove, and come back to me. What you own, love, I want to see in flames, Your house shall burn, And your angelic face My dove, my dove, in my open palms shall it fall.3
3

text of a very old Macedonian folksong. The original reads: koga si pojdov v tugjina, dafino mome, dafino,

kraj vaste porti pomaniv, moj galabe, i solzi poronav. Otkazuvas libe, otaazuvas, od nasta verna si ljubov dumite da si gi prispomnis moj galabe, i nazad da se vratis vasiot imot, da plamne, i vasta kuca da izgori, i tvoijto angelsko lice, moj galabe, na moite race da padne.