this is the first page of a musical i am writing for my dining room June 2007

April 2008

Carloaf, a man sitting in a chair

Carloaf: Ron Holmes

Helga: Jenna Curtis

Vietnamese woman: Milena Muzquiz

Guitar: Ben Kishaba

 

25 people are in the audience they are looking into the dining room which is lit by a chandelier that hangs over the dining room table the doors are open to the outside which is lit by a laser giving it a galactic atmosphere, the dining room table is covered by a large white bed sheet as the sound of rain fills the room the sheet is lifted and unveils a man (Carloaf) who is sitting staring at an empty plate. The table top is covered in ceramic objects holding tea cups, plates , fruit , flowers, papers and books

+sketches for table

 

 

Carloaf grabs a fork and eats out of the empty plate.

The voice over: I should have added more salt to the water if I add salt now I will ruin it..

A crashing sound is heard as a woman (Helga) steps into the room.

(Carloaf does not notice her , she starts to pick up rocks that are on the floor and puts them on a tray, she places them on the table )

The voice over: It seems as though the walls have fallen that’s a good reason to put on a hat and have a glass of wine.

Close up of Carloaf yawning…

The sound of pre-recorded laughter fills the room the woman starts the gesture of laughter that is now filled with her own laughter the pre-recorded laughter fades as her voice takes over she is hysterical and suddenly stops, the room is silent .

Close ups off Helga cleaning the broom on the floor , her hands arranging the bricks and plates, her mouth laughing

Helga (sits on the table, she is a slob she picks her feet and does this sort of thing ) : I am here for the job interview here is my resume, I worked at a supermarket for a month and have organizational skills, I am extremely reliable but have a problem with balance, I tend to fall.

Tight frame of C and H talking to each other at the table just profiles

Carloaf: Can I trust you ?
Helga : I don’t know . I am faithful.
Carloaf : well, I fell four years ago myself and find it difficult to get out of this chair, I have not eaten in a couple of days but on the sunny side I am not hungry, yesterday I had a bagel with cream cheese and coffee but the coffee was too hot after that I realized that the cat is getting fat…
Helga: sounds easy
Carloaf: easy for you
Helga: no, easier for you
Carloaf: well, you do have a sense of humor .
Helga : am I hired?
Carloaf: yes , I have five children that need feeding, otherwise I need someone to keep things in order , for example the doors are falling apart ,

Shot of the door he points to
I have to prepare for a trade show in London and forgot all the materials in the park . Can you call up my assistant and organize it?

Phone rings
Pre-recorded sound of phones ring

Helga: can I answer that?
Carloaf: Let it ring

Phone rings..

Helga: Last night I found myself floating at the end of another bottle of wine but the phone rang and I ended up here as usual ..Not really prepared for the situation ….

Helga: Are you done with all this talk ?

Helga goes to look n the mirror confused and asks herself “are you finished?”

( sits on the table )
Carloaf: Of all of the forms of impoverishment that can be seen or felt in America, loss of self or death in life is surely the most devastating. It is even more than the draft and the Vietnam war the source of discontent and rage in the new generation. Now I think I should write some of this down before I forget .
Helga: you stoned ?
Carloaf: no sister !
Helga: Ohh memories.. memories, I wish Al was here tonight . I have so many things to thank him for.. ohhhh, those glorious years.
Carloaf: have you brushed your teeth?
Helga: …those glorious years….
( Helga gets off the table and falls to the floor)
Helga yells: What did I tell you! One of the first things I said when I walked into this meeting was that something similar to this could happen and you just sat there quietly looking at my every move and let me fall , now look at this ! Get up from that chair and help!
Helga is rolling around the floor it is musical
Carloaf: I can’t
Helga: oh yes… you can
Carloaf: one of the first things I told you was that I can’t get out of this chair you idiot!
Helga: to hell with that
(she stands up and pulls him off the chair he falls to the floor)

Close up of helgas hand grabbing carloafs arm, his hand slipping off the table his leg hitting the floor ..

Carloaf: Ahh my leg , my arm , my knee , my head,..ahhhh,my nose , my hair…my eyesssss ahhh,my eyesss…ahhhhh
(Carloaf puts his hands over his eyes)
Carloaf: I can’t see, I can’t see ..ohhhhhh meeeeee.. can’t seeee

Song 2: Carloaf and Helga sing the light in the room fade out and a spot light on the womans bust is turned on as the tea cup floats off her head this light is turned off and the dining room table is moved to the back, four people are sitting and having spaghetti and whispering in Italian “que skiffoso” a sofa is facing the audience . Carloaf sits but the lights are out …

Shot of the scene with the sculpture in the back then a close up of just the statue with the elevating tea cup.

Voice over: they came and knocked my door down (the sound of knocking fills the room), nobody really cares about this little town, the people are bored and tired they can’t think of anything to do but scratch balls and pick noses. (sound of Helga hitting pots and pans)

The light turns on

Carloaf : (in a whisper)….she says things to me like: your hair smells, your nose is about to fall of f your face things of this nature its truly unbelievable, yesterday she said that my father looked like a fart, imagine, if someone so ignorant says things like this what must everybody else think. I once walked through the super market without a care in the world , I even spent time at the beach in a swim suit no one ever mentioned this to me before it never occurred to me.
Helga: (voice comes from the kitchen) who are you talking to?

Carloaf: nobody.
Helga: what a bunch of birds !
Carloaf: birds, what is she talking about?
(Helga walks into the room and sits on the sofa.)
.
Helga: I am done with the letter typing it was very strenuous work and my hands are about to fall from the sockets. Now I have to visit my friend she called me yesterday and since you are almost done with your novel I should leave you alone to your work.
Carloaf: aren’t you going to watch flavor flav with me ?
Helga: who are you talking to?
Carloaf: Ok wait …this is what is going to happen at the end of chapter 5 , it just came to me ,
(a voice over with piano) : the man is running into an office building he runs through a long corridor and finally ends up in a small room shaped like a triangle he realizes that his brother has just left , he sees him from the back but smoke fills up the space. His nerves become more and more tense he begins to cry and think that he will never be able to tell his brother Henry what has just happened with Edgar but at the same time he is relieved that he can save him the embarrassment. Everything ends in this little room a triangle. Then Lucy walks into the room with the Wallstreet Journal she reads him the news about the stock market and he flies to New York.
(the fog machine turns on and the room slowly fills up with smoke)
Helga: to silly for my taste I would eliminate the running and crying and actually the wall street journal part too, that’s all for cloud –floaters .
Carloaf: but that leaves almost nothing and what about the tension.
Helga: put hot sauce on the paper . Did you hear that?
Carloaf : what
Helga: shhhhh…
Carloaf:shhh…
Helga: stop walking, listen.
Carloaf: shhhhhh…..be quiet
Helga: silent
(the sound of a semi-truck parking is heard with some men speaking)
Carloaf: go down to the floor
Helga: well up in the sky
(the fog begins to fill the room as the two actors disappear)
Carloaf: dying to find out what sort of a town you came from is it really as empty as that?
Helga : no , that’s just something to entertain you.
Carloaf: no! it must be, otherwise this would be to easy
Helga : are you serious
Carloaf: ah ha yes I am…..

Helga puts a bunch of flowers on top of his head and a shoe she walks away.

Camera zooms quickly into a close frame of carloaf’s head and zooms out quickly to a frame of carloaf , helga , and milena

Milena( walks in from the back room the fog is heavy in the dining room and she is coughing , she is dressed like a Vietnamese peasent ) in a thick accent Nothing left o Carloaf and Helga no mo after earthquake in 1909 , the private investigators found destroy diary they believe once Helgas the only part says this
In perfect English: “ May 15 …This morning I woke up at 9:30 and had some scrambled eggs with cheese and slighty toasted bread . The bread was similar to the one I had at the beach when I was a kid . It reminded me of the sand and the waves it was the voice of the pacific.

this is the first page of a musical i am writing for my dining room