Anthony Calf
FERDINAND Peter Sullivan
MILAN/POLICEMAN 2/WAITER Martin Chamberlain
LENKA Nicole Ansari
CANDIDA Louise Bangay
Director Trevor Nunn
Designer Robert Jones
Costume Designer Emma Ryott
Lighting Designer Howard Harrison
Sound Designer Ian Dickinson
Associate Director Paul Robinson
Company Voice Work Patsy Rodenburg
CHARACTERS
in order of appearance
THE PIPER
ESME (younger)
JAN
MAX
ELEANOR
GILLIAN
INTERROGATOR
FERDINAND
MILAN
MAGDA
POLICEMAN 1
POLICEMAN 2
LENKA
NIGEL
ESME (older)
ALICE
STEPHEN
CANDIDA
DEIRDRE
WAITER
Esme in Act One and Alice are to be played by the same actress; similarly Eleanor and Esme in Act Two.
Further doubling (or tripling) is optional. The intention is that the twenty characters may be played by a company of twelve. The Royal Court used a company of eleven, with the result that Milan became Policeman 2; however, this is not the preferred option.
Rock ‘n’ Roll
ACT ONE
Blackout.
THE PIPER is heard.
Then, night in the garden. The Piper is squatting on his heels high up on the garden wall, his wild dark hair catching some light, as though giving off light. His pipe is a single reed like a penny whistle. He plays for ESME, who is sixteen, a flower child of the period: 1968.
Light from the interior catches Esme dimly, her flowing garment, her long golden hair.
The interior shows part of a dining room, lowly lit by a lamp. There is a walk-through frontier between the room and the ‘unlit’ garden, which is leafy with a stone-flagged part large enough for a garden table and two or three chairs.
The Piper pipes the tune and then sings.
THE PIPER
‘Lean out of your window,
Golden Hair,
I heard you singing
In the midnight air.
My book is closed,
I read no more …’
JAN enters the interior from within, going to the garden, into the spill of light. He is twenty-nine. His Czech accent is not strong.
The Piper laughs quietly to himself and vanishes, a spring-heeled jump into dark.
ESME Who’s that? Jan?
JAN (a greeting) Ahoj. What are you doing?
ESME Did you see him?
JAN Who?
ESME Pan!
JAN Pan. Where?
ESME There.
JAN No. Did he have goat’s feet?
ESME I couldn’t see. He played on his pipe and sang to me.
JAN Very nice. Have you got any left?
ESME Don’t believe me, then.
JAN Who said I don’t believe you? I came to say goodbye to Max.
ESME Where are you going?
JAN Prague.
ESME Why? Oh, yeah. What about the summer teach-in? Will you come back to Cambridge?
JAN (shrugs: don’t know) I’m leaving everything here.
ESME Your records?
JAN No. Everything else. But now I must go home.
ESME What, to help the Russians?
JAN No.
ESME Max thinks it’s great about the Russians.
JAN
