Bokoro: Loss of self
By Joe Berridge Beale
Tue, 24 Sep 2013
- 512 reads
Genre: Theatre of the Strange
Setting: 1984 USA, Miami, Summertime.
MAJOR CHARACTERS
MAVVY: Pronounced Mav, (like Gav) -ee. Full title ,Detective Maverick Flaw. Male. 'A man of startling intuition and disastrous luck' German-American. 6 ft 1, slicked back black hair, black eyes, coat hangar shoulders. Wears a brown long coat, bags under his eyes. Age 32
NEON: Pronounced Nee-on: Full title, Detective Neonila Folly. Female 'A rebellion, through and through' Irish-American 5 ft 8. Long red hair, jade eyes. Slight frame. Wears a black trench coat. Occasional cough from smoking. Age 28
MR HAYLER: Pronounced Mister Hay-ler: Full name, Mr. Luad Hayler. Male 'More pious than the pope'. African-American. 5 ft 9. Receding white hair. Silver eyes. Heavy set. Wears a gold and black fur night gown. Very loud. Age 47.
FIGITY SID: Pronounced Fij-et-ee Sid. Full title: Mr. Sid Arthur, Jr. 'The Mafia's running joke, who outlived them all' Male. Dutch-American. 6 ft. Messy blond hair, blue eyes. Lanky and thin. Wears red and white running gear. Always figiting. Age 25
BOKORO: Pronounced Bow (as in with arrows) -ko (sounds like slow)-row. Basically they all rhyme, Full name: Bonny Kozweller Ronalds. Hermaphrodite, but should be played by a girl. 'A sucker punch to the universe'. English-American 5 ft 5. Pink and light blue, curling long hair. One light blue eye, one pink. Wears a purple and silver Japanese Kimono, fake hermaphrodite genitalia underneath, and roller-skates. Petite. Movement should be likened to that of a cat. Age 14.
Amount of Actors: 5. All of which must be trained in stage fighting, areal movement and acrobatics.
MINOR CHARACTERS
OTHER DETECTIVES
HAPPY FUN TIME SUNSHINE CREW- THUGS
VOICE ON THE PHONE
RUSSIAN, JAPANESE AND SWEDISH NARRATORS
GOD
ANGELS
BANANA PAIR
Tagline 'Guilty and loving it!'
Required music listening: Kavinsky: Nightcall (Drive Original Movie Soundtrack), Hotline Miami OST 'Miami'. Both found on Youtube.
Scene 1: A living room with a large Sofa in the middle of it, BOKORO is sitting on the sofa watching tv, which is in the direction of the audience. It's a news report of recent murders, the news anchor can be slightly heard. Warm lighting. There is a phone on the table beside the Sofa. BOKORO is eating popcorn, with her legs on a table in front of her. Lights Up
(For 15 seconds BOKORO just sits, eating. Then the phone ring. BOKORO slinks over to the table and picks up the phone. Before she can say hello the VOICE ON the PHONE talks)
VOICE ON THE PHONE: (Jolly) Ho ho ho, this is Father Christmas! I have some very naughty children that I need your help taking care of!
BOKORO: (Turning on her back) Can I bring the cookies?
VOICE ON THE PHONE: (Suddenly gruff and irritable) 'Fine, but hurry your pixy ass up' (Hangs up)
(BOKORO puts the phone down and recomposes herself in a sitting position, her left hand still picking out popcorn from the box, the other ruffling underneath the pillows of the sofa. After 7 seconds she produces a machete. She finishes off her popcorn and steps to the front of the stage)
BOKORO: (Lifting up her Kimono at audience to reveal her hermaphrodite genitalia with her machete free hand) What's up? I'm Bokoro, I'll be you're protagonist for the evening.
(She then skips off stage. Exit BOKORO. Once she has left the news report describing the recent murders gets louder, more static ridden and more frantic as multicoloured LED lights blind the audience)
NEWS REPORT: Once again Miami has been witness to a series of brutal public murders by a group calling themselves The Happy Funtime Sunshine Crew!
(Sudden stop of sound and black out. Scene 3. Switch scene to dimly white lit street with lamp where BOKORO and two THUGS are slowly approaching a WOMAN. BOKORO is wearing cat ears, and a tail. THUGS are wearing a chicken mask and a pig mask. BOKORO is armed with her machete, THUGS are armed with a tire iron and a bat. They walk toward the woman and then proceed to savagely murder her in rhythm to the music: Kavinsky-Nightcall. Music starts at 00.11 and begins to fade at 1.15. Woman will have blood packs under her clothes to make it convincing. After the attack BOKORO and THUGS run off, in time with the music fade. Exit BOKORO and THUGS. WOMAN remains on floor as a corpse. Blackout)
(Enter MAVVY and two DETECTIVES. The DETECTIVES Inspecting the Corpse in the background while MAVVY is in the forefront stage left)
(Lights Up. Enter NEON)
MAVVY: Hell of a way to start a morning, how ya doing Neon?
NEON: (Very Happy) Well, the latest in a long line of girlfriends just dumped me for a guy I'm pretty sure I busted for dealing coke awhile ago. So I was considering suicide, but then I came up with the bright idea of shooting them both in their shitty little faces before doing meself in. Not sure if I'm going to go through with it, I'll see how I feel by the end of the day... So in other words: fine my wayward son, you?
MAVVY: (Facing Audience, very happy) I haven't seen my children in months, my slut of a wife has custody. It wouldn't be so bad if they didn't refer to me as UNCLE MAVVY every time I came around ..So same as always (Serious now. He points at WOMAN'S CORPSE) They did a real number on her, huh?
NEON: (Kneeling down, examining with him) Deep cuts, fatal bruising...looks like from every angle. No doubt about it. This is the work of- what are the mafoirs called again?
MAVVY: The Happy Funtime Sunshine Crew...
(A very loud Russian voiced audio que echoes 'JACK-POT!' across the stage, while confetti explodes down from the ceiling and sparkly star sound effect is heard. The actors seem not to notice).
MAVVY (Continued) Kind of a stupid name for a band of Mafia, Yakuza and Cartel exiles don't you think?
NEON: Mmm. We know it's them, but how do we get to them. Fuck, we don't even know what they really look like with them always wearing those masks. We got any eye witnesses?
MAVVY: (Reading from notes) Just the one, a Mr Hayler, apparently saw the whole thing from his apartment window and called 911 straight away. (Detectives being the pair behind them start dancing)
NEON: (Rising) Fine, we'll go see him. Not like I had anything planned today anyway. Just lemmie have a smoke first 'kay?
MAVVY: A bene placito (To audience, smugly) That was Latin for “Sure”, we're a high culture play.
(Rising, they stand together in front of the body. NEON starts to smoke but after a few puffs stops. Looking balefully at MAVVY)
MAVVY (Continued) What?
NEON (Annoyed) You're ruining it, nobber, standing their with your perfect lungs, not a cough to be heard. Making me feel like shit, y'know what? You should start smoking (She gestures him to take a cigarette)
MAVVY: (Bemused) You're serious? (NEON nods) You want me to start smoking so that you can feel better about yourself?
NEON: (Rolling her eyes) No, I want you to start smoking for the benefit of our working relationship. So that we are more compatible as a police unit. (Nods to cigarette) So make like Thomas the Tank Engine.
MAVVY:(Face Palm) Fuck me.
NEON: (Snickering) Fuck that.
MAVVY: (Pointing) Fuck off.
NEON: (Amused) Fuck you.
MAVVY: (Walking away) Fuck this.(Exit MAVVY)
NEON: (Still smoking) Fuck him....
(After a few seconds she sighs, stamps out her cigarette and follows him off stage. Blackout. WOMAN and DETECTIVES exit, confetti and lamp are cleared off. Scene 3. Scene change to MR HAYLER'S apartment, which is a mirror image of 'a living room' from scene 1, with the exception of a door frame stage right, which has a chain lock. MR HAYLER is present, reading the bible and making 'MMM!' noises.)
(Lights Up. MAVVY and NEON walk up to the door)
MAVVY: (Knocking on the door) Showtime.
MR HAYLER: (Flustered. Walks over to to the door) Oh Jesus! I'ma comin'. I'ma comin' hold your holy horses. (Opens door, chain still holding it from completely opening) May I help you?
MAVVY: (Holding up badge) Miami P.D. I'm Detective Flaw and this is my partner Detective Folly. We'd like to ask you a few questions about the incident you witnessed yesterday.
NEON: (Winking) And if you play your cards right we might just set you up for the entire murder.
MR HAYLER: (Opening door) Alright alright. Good lord, ever since the abomination I witnessed you authority types have buzzing around the street like bees in a space station. Please sit yo pig tails down.
NEON: (Sitting with MAVVY, crossing her legs at the same time as him) Thank you, if it isn't too much trouble we'd like you to go through exactly what you saw. (Whispering) It would really help us out.
MR HAYLER: (Sitting) Sure thing sweetness. Well, there I was. Prayin' like I do every night. On this occasion I was pleadin' to the lord almighty about the poor condition the Tigers have been playing this season. I mean we was bad before, but this year we might have well just given the super bowl to the Sharks!
MAVVY: (Annoyed) Sir if you could please...
MR HAYLER: (Remembering) Oh right the murder. So there I was, praying away: when I heard a terrible walin' coming from out the window. So I went over there, and what do I see but a bunch of crazy ass mother fuckers beating the shit of this poor woman. (Hyperventilating) They was using swords and bats and she was a-screamin' with blood all over her and (getting out bible) Oh Saint Peter-Oh Saint Mary-Oh Saint Joseph-Oh Saint... um (Flicks through the bible pages to find a saint) Agapitus? Whoa, that's a funky ass name for a saint- whatever. Oh Saint Agapitus!
NEON: (Resentfully) I could be dead right now.
MAVVY: (Putting his hands together with NEON at the same time) I understand this is hard sir. Do you have any idea where they went afterwards?
MR HAYLER: (Suddenly calm) Oh that's easy. The little cat one went straight home.
NEON: (Interest peaked. Leaning forward with MAVVY) Home, and where's 'home'?
MR HAYLER: 9A Revenger Avenue? Across the road? Ya'll didn't know that?
NEON + MAVVY: (Rising simultaneously with smiles, and cocking 'chick chak!' shotguns that had been previously hidden within their chairs) Excuse us.
(Exit NEON and MAVVY. Running out the door)
MR HAYLER: (Standing annoyed) Hey, come back here! I want my witness allowance!
(Suddenly the voice of GOD echoes across the stage, and a white light fills MR HAYLER'S house)
GOD: (Grandly) LAUD HAYLER! YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN FOR SALVATION!
MR HAYLER: (Nodding) Damn straight, now stop dilly dallying and raise me up (A rope harness is attached by two ANGELS to enter both sides of the stage and MR HAYLER is raised up through a trap door in the roof) Yeaaaaaaaah booooooooy!
(ANGELS exit Blackout. Scene change. Scene 4. A bus. FIGITY SID is sitting at the back, nervously figiting. Strawberry fields by the Beatles is playing. BOKORO is in a hammock above him White spotlight on both, mist streaks from the back of the vehicle)
(Lights Up. BOKORO yawns and hangs upside down from the hammock)
BOKORO: (Very happy and friendly) Hi, how ya doing, chub-a-wub?
FIGITY SID: (Bewildered by the stranger's random affection) What, I-
BOKORO: (Slower, but no less friendly) How are you doing? You seem stressed.
FIGITY SID: Yeah I guess you could say that...I uh, I'm Sid Arthur (shakes her upside down hand)
BOKORO: Hi Sid. I'm a Bokoro. So why are you so stressed?
FIGITY SID: (Shaking his head) I uh, (He looks at her, she's leaning forward: upside down, her eyes very wide as she stairs at him point blank) I don't think you wanna know, girl.
BOKORO: (Getting back to normal sitting position on the hammock) I'm not a girl.
FIGITY SID: (Confused) What?
BOKORO: (dangles upside down on the other side of him) I'm not a girl, I look and sound and feel and taste like a girl. But I'm not.
FIGITY SID: (Confused) So you're a boy?
BOKORO: Matter of factly) Nope.
(For a moment the two just stare at each other)
FIGITY SID: So...
BOKORO: (Interrupting) I'm a Hermaphrodite. There aren't a lot of us though, so people think we're weird.
(Awkward silence. FIGITY SID is lost for words)
BOKORO: (Continued) So there you go, now you know something about me: why are you so stressed?
FIGITY SID: You wouldn't believe me if I told you.
BOKORO: (Holding up her pinky finger) I swear by the almighty ninja traffic-cone dolphin I will.
FIGITY SID: (Sighing at the absurdity of the situation) I'm being hunted by a group of wackos called the Happy Shunshine Funtime Crew. These guys, they're all the nutjobs the families decided to exclude for being too fuckin' violent, if you can believe it. Now they've taken out most of the Mimi families as well as a fuck load of civilians, and word was it I'm the last on their hit list. Christ, this is insane: I'm a nobody in the firm and they're still coming after me (Chuckling in a melancholy manner) So, yeah that's why I'm stressed sweetheart. I'm a wise guy with a hit on his head. What's up with you?
BOKORO: (Gesturing to herself) Oh me? I'm the assassin that's been sent to kill you.
FIGITY SID: (Blowing out) You have a warped sense of humour, kid.
BOKORO: (Shrugging) Could be, either that or a Beretta 92 in my pocket. 50/50 chance.
(For a moment FIGITY SID examines the girl, not believing what he's hearing. She puts on her pair of cat ears, FIGITY SID swipes out his pistol. BOKORO slashes the weapon out of his grasp with her machete and flashes forth her own gun: repeatedly shooting him. -Gunshot Sound Effects and flash of the barrel required-. After FIGITY SID falls dead, she hops of the hammock and a Japanese accented voice rings out across the stage 'SUPER SPECIAL EXECUTION KUN SAMA!' BOKORO jumps up and down in delight as golden stars reign down and trumpets sound. After which running off stage. Blackout)
(Scene Change. Scene 5. BOKORO'S house. MAVVY and NEON are hiding behind the couch with shotguns, kneeling, visible to the audience. Lights Up)
NEON: (Irked) I better get a promotion for this shit... No: fuck that, I better get a spiritual ascendancy to a ethereal state of transient godhood for this dragon drop bullshit.
(Enter BOKORO skipping through door)
MAVVY: (Seeing her) Okay now, just like we practised.
(Both put on sunglasses and jump up from behind the couch, shotguns pointing at BOKORO while dramatic trumpet sound plays)
MAVVY: (Shouting) MIAMI P.D!
NEON: (Also shouting) GET YOUR FREAKY ASS DOWN ON THE GROUND!
(Ignoring them completely, BOKORO sits down on the couch and turns on the TV sound effects ensue. A moment of silence between the two detectives ensures as they look at each other in disbelief. MAVVY takes off his sunglasses and snatches the remote control out of BOKORO'S hand)
MAVVY: (Tapping BOKORO'S head with his shotgun barrel) Excuse me: yeah? Hi um... we're arresting you for serial homicide you little psychopath.
BOKORO: (Groaning) Oh don't call me that.
NEON: What? 'Little'?
BOKORO: No, 'psychopath'. You might as well call me a lollipop for all the meaning it conveys. Can't you just say you don't like me because I kill people. Is that so hard?
MAVVY: (Grizzly voice) No can do lolipop, now are you going to be a helpful little candy cane and tell us where the other gang members are, or am I going to have to use Mr Pacifist here? (Gesturing to shotgun)
BOKORO: I think I'll take the second option, the Sun shiners were the only ones who ever accepted me as a human being. I'm not about to rat them out to a couple of rent-a-cops.
NEON: (Intensely) Then it begins
(For a moment the group are stoically still, the tension rising. Then MAVVY and NEON simultaneously drop their shotguns and try to grab BOKORO who somersaults out of the way. What follows is a choreographed fight scene lasting three minutes. BOKORO and will use her acrobatics, ceiling ropes and roller-skates to weave, dodge and jump around the detectives grapples. Midway through the fight MR HAYLER descends from ceiling trap door via rope to combat a lizard mask wearing THUG with a hockey stick. Lighting will be a rainbow variety expect when the most devastating blows are given, then it will flash to deep crimson. Entire scene is accompanied by the song 'Holy Diver' by Dio, and the punches and kicks have corresponding sound effects along with a swedish narrator who says things like 'POWER STRIKE!' Eventually the detectives subdue BOKORO, MR HAYLER waltzes off stage with the THUG body in his grasp, and the music fades)
MAVVY: (Lifting struggling BOKORO off her feet) Come on killer, off to prison we go!
BOKORO: (Thrashing and shouting) Let go of me you fish monger!
NEON: (Holding BOKORO'S legs) Hey, my pa was a fish monger!
BOKORO: (Spits in NEON'S face) Well I guess that's why you STINK LIKE MACEREL!
(The detectives haul BOKORO off stage. Blackout. Scene 5: Police Car, with the detectives in front and BOKORO in the back. Strawberry fields is playing lightly on the car radio, with sounds of traffic all around. Slow flashing orange lights on either side of the car. Lights up)
NEON: (Sighing) Shite: traffic, just my luck.
BOKORO: (Venomously) Oh you think you're having a bad day?
MAVVY: (Caressing his temple) Shut the fudge up, you're giving me a headache.
(For a moment the trio are silent, a pair in banana costumes run past the car. NEON takes a long hard look at BOKORO in the mirror)
NEON: (Empathising) So why'd you do it lass? Why'd you get mixed up in all this nightmarish malarkey?
BOKORO: (Snapping her a look) What's the use in explaining, it won't change a thing.
NEON: (Shrugging) Might make the judge go a little easier on you.
MAVVY: (Waggling his finger) Unless if it's Judge Piss-taker
NEON: (Nodding) Unless if it's Judge Piss-taker.
BOKORO: (Grits her teeth. Music fades) What does the word 'Hermaphrodite' mean to you? (NEON and MAVVY remain silent, bewildered) No clue? I'll tell you what it means to me. It means... getting the worst hand from birth. It means your dad will walk out on you at the age of two, leaving your resentful mom to raise you like an animal. It means the school girls will exclude and pick on you, and the school boys will outright beat the shit out of you. It means you'll be labelled a freak by everyone who finds out what you are, with not one soul to fight your side. And it means that you have to live that life, day in, day out, day in, day out...until one day you wake up with a funny little thought in your head “There's no justice in this world, but if that's true: then it can work both ways' And you role with it. That's when you grab one of your absent dad's old hunting rifles... and kill everyone who's ever wronged you. (Pause with BOKORO staring into space) Of course that attracts the attention of just about everybody, including a start up group of murderers. They approach you in that filthy shack you've been hiding in for the last 3 weeks, and make you an offer. They like your style, and want you to join them in their little crusade against humanity at large, and you join them, because fuck knows you hate humans. (She blinks and cocks her head) So yeah, that's why I did it.
(Long pause as traffic clears, both detectives look downtrodden, they open their mouths to speak but find nothing to say. NEON drives the car forward).
BOKORO: (Continued) Oh fuck this dragon drop shit, I broke these cuffs five minutes ago. (She darts out of the right car door).
NEON: (Stops car, gets out, runs after her) Aw fuckin' pang!
MAVVY: (Grabs hand gun. Gets out of car) Dammit, Bokoro!
(The next scene is done in slow motion. Pink Floyd's 'Wish you were here' is playing. Red LED Lighting with slow flash) Two other civilian cars approach from stage left, BOKORO jumps on the bonnet of the first, leaving NEON to smash her head against the car trying to grab her. BOKORO uses ceiling rope harness to slow motion jump to the second as it moves to the centre of the stage while the first moves beyond it so it takes its place at at stage left. MAVVY raises his gun in slow mo and in normal speed shouts 'Freeze!' BOKORO jumps off the second car and twisting around mid jump to the first raises two middle fingers to MAVVY with a smile on her face. After a pause MAVVY shoots BOKORO, and she drops dead on the first car like a rock in real time. Pause as detectives pant and look over to her sadly. Fade to black)
END
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