SPIRITED, Scene II

And here we go, the second scene! Not much to say, just a shortened version of her meet-up with Kamaji and Rin.

P.S. sorry for the spacing. Still not used to Blogger tabbing.

Scene 2 – Under the Bathhouse

[Kamaji the old man is working in front of a boiler, his back to the audience. Chihiro walks in nervously.]

Chihiro         : [nervous] Um… Excuse me? [Louder] Sir? I’m looking for work. [long pause] Excuse me, Mister? I’m looking for work…

Kamaji        : [mumbles] Three pinches. What? Out already? Geez… Blast this rain, people are having cramps.

Chihiro            : Um… Kamaji?            Could I have a job here? Please?

Kamaji             : No, no, no, watch out, watch out! I’m still workin’ me back off here…

[A loud steam whistle sounds. Rin, a young woman, enters with a bowl of fish.]

Rin                   : Alright, you old geezer, food’s here.

Kamaji            : About time ye showed up, Rin. How many times I’ve told ye not to call your old man that? [picks up fish]

Rin                   : [glances around at dirty drawers] You seriously need to clean up. See: spider webs and dragon spit. Why is there dragon spit here? And a human.

Chihiro            : Uh… hi? I’m looking for work here.

Rin                   : [recoils and screams] Kamaji—why, why is there a human here?

Kamaji             : A human. A human? Seems I heard a lass screamin’… oh! A human.

Rin                   : [Tries to shoo away] Get out here! Geez, if the Witch finds out…

Chihiro            : Haku says I should get a job here. Could I? Please?

Kamaji             : Did he, now? Interestin’, interestin’.

Rin                   : It’s always him. It must be him. Didn’t he appear right here not that long ago?

Chihiro            : Wait, Haku wasn’t always here?

Kamaji            : [mumbles] Yes... yes… righ’. Perhaps I could smuggle ye in. If it’s Young Master that wants it, eh.

Rin                   : You can’t be serious—not the second time.

Kamaji            : Look, Rin, I would rather not disagree with Young Master, not now. Get her whatever work ye can. Lass, ye could follow me daughter.

Rin                   : Seems it’s better when there’s only the Witch around. We’d just get in trouble again! We don’t have use for a useless brat! That Haku—

Chihiro            : [confused, small voice] Haku? Trouble?

Kamaji            :  Come on, not even for a roasted newt found in the boiler? [holds up a charred lizard]

Rin                   : [thinks, then submits.] Fine. But you still owe me. Geezer. Come on, girl.

[Rin exits, Kamaji goes back to work. Chihiro is still nervous.]

Rin                   : Are you coming, or what?

Chihiro            : O…okay!

[Blackout, exeunt.]

SPIRITED, Scene I

Let me present, SPIRITED. As my final project for my school's drama class, we have been tasked to create our own drama based on a theme we picked together: Disney. Now, I did not really know a real good Disney movie to my liking, but I recently finished Spirited away, so...

Hey, technically it was a Disney Production. In the US. Anyway people don't care in class.

Here we go with the first scene. Notes in the end for sake of spoiler freedom.

SPIRITED

An adaptation of Hayao Miyazaki’s Spirited Away

by Nathan Hartanto

Scene 1 – Abandoned Amusement Park, near sunset

[Chihiro the young girl wakes up on a dry riverbed.]

Chihiro          : Ugh, my head… Mom? Dad? [Stumbles to her feet. After hesitating for a while, she crosses the riverbed to the amusement park.] Mom…? Dad…? Where am I? [Starts panicking as she moves through empty stalls. Finally, collapses in front of a large building, the Bathhouse, where she stops.] A… Bathhouse?

[Enter Haku the young boy.]

Haku              : [approaches, eyes widening] What are you doing here? [approaches closer] You must return!

Chihiro            : I’m lost, please, Sir, you must—

Haku                : There’s no time—look! They’re opening, they will be here soon!

[Sounds of opening doors, soft murmurs of people]

Chihiro            : [increasingly confused] Who—who are they… what is this place?

Haku             : No time to explain. Cross the river before the sun sets. I’ll hold them off for a little while.

Chihiro            : Hold who… why? Please, I’m—

Haku                : Just go before it’s too late! Now!

[Haku rushes out to exit. Chihiro runs back, past several spirits in black robes, to find the river is already filling up.]

Chihiro            : [Screams] The water! No, no! No… This must be a dream. A dream. [Pinches and slaps her face] Just a dream… come on, wake up. Wake up! [slumps down, defeated, sobbing] Wake… up…

[Re-enter Haku, who suddenly grabs Chihiro’s shoulder, embracing her]

Haku             : Shh… It’s okay. It’s okay. We’ll try again tomorrow. But now, come, follow me, before the witch finds out! Come on!

[Chihiro, still sobbing, nods, and they run back near the front of the bathhouse.]

Haku                : Now, look at me. Chihiro.

Chihiro            : Yes, Sir?

Haku                : Do I really look that old? Call me Haku.

Chihiro            : Haku. Okay…

Haku                : Chihiro, listen. Go under this bathhouse and look for Kamaji. He’s a friend of mine. Go there and ask for work.

Chihiro            : Work?

Haku              : You must, so that the Witch can’t touch you. She doesn’t like people from the Outside.

[Chihiro nods. Rain starts softly.]

Haku                : Get it? If he doesn’t listen, ask and ask again. Now, you really should go. It’s raining. Quick, quick, before the Witch finds out!

[someone off-set calls for Master Haku and he turns around.]

Haku             : Yes! I’m here. Look, I’ve never met someone from the Outside before, and… [sighs] it would be a pleasure to work with you, even for a day.

Chihiro            : [grabs Haku’s shirt] Wait, before you go, how did you know my name?

Haku                : I… don’t know, actually.

Chihiro            : Oh well. But I’ve never met anyone here… could you be my friend here? I have no one else I could trust.

Haku               : [looks as if thinking hard] I… I will. But really, you must go. Be brave. You could do it.

[Chihiro runs off, calmer and even smiling. Blackout, Haku exits.]

___

So, there you go. I thought to remove Chihiro's parents from the story as I only got to write a 30-40 minute show, and I just thought I would better develop other parts of the story. Does feel rushed, though.

By the way, I have no use for this script--no one would perform it, in the end, as it would only be made as a compilation book. So, if anyone wants to use this for their school drama, or any drama with consent from Ghibli, go ahead.

Spirited Away © Hayao Miyazaki / Studio Ghibli

Drama Review: Shakespeare's Love's Labour's Lost

For my English assignment, we were told to watch Love's Labour's Lost--yes, an impossibly high level of language, which rings music to my ears. And thus, here is the review.

The hilarious performances of Longaville, Dumain, Ferdinand, and Biron

The play Love’s Labour’s Lost is an earlier work of historical comedy by the celebrated William Shakespeare, performed on stage by Shakespeare’s Globe. I saw its recording by Opus Arte, and I quite enjoyed the play for the great acting that brought out the humor, and also for the complex story of romance. The story began when the Ferdinand, the King of Navarre, made a vow with his three lords Biron, Dumain, and Longaville to study for three years, and for the time they cannot meet a woman. However, when the Princess of France arrives with her three ladies, they fall in love. The arrival of the Spaniard, Don Armado, who was also in love with another maid, caused letters to be delivered to the wrong people, thus people learned that the vows have been broken.

            A most commendable performance was done by Trystan Gravelle, who played Lord Biron. As a main character, Gravelle presented Biron in a way that made him more unique than the two other lords, and even the King himself, by speaking at a faster pace. It is said that Biron is the character who has the most wits and control over words, and Gravelle’s impeccable pacing made him more believable than others, which spoke rather dramatically, as he fits those wits better. In addition to his pacing, he also tended to put more emotion in some moments, particularly in the lines where he disagreed with Ferdinand about the oath or when arguing for his love, making him more memorable than the other lords, and perhaps overshadowing Ferdinand.

            Another great character in the play was Costard, played by Fergal McElherron. Most, if not all Shakespearean drama have a fool who keeps the play funny, and in this comedy, Costard was hilarious. McElherron was perhaps nearly shameless, where he even ‘accidentally’ kissed Constable Dull once. He tended to move more than the other players, always leaping around and performing dramatic actions like flapping his hands and pointing around like how a fool in a drama usually does, which, together with his high-pitched intonation, also made him more memorable than most other characters, perhaps being a comedic relief in an already hilarious play.

            It was not only the characters that made the play great. While the play had no directed lighting in the form of spotlights, nor background music to emphasize action, they made use of a unique feature of the theatre, the shape of the stage. It was a zig-zag to the seats which presented an interesting setting, which the actors used to the fullest, drawing people’s attention to the center, or the extremities of the stage. Meanwhile, the clothing also did well to emphasize a character when they wanted to, such as giving the King a golden cloak and making Biron looking more disheveled compared to the other lords, or actually giving them similar clothing so as to equally draw attention, like the lords at the start of the show, or them and the ladies during the party.

            In short, Love’s Labour’s Lost by Shakespeare’s Globe was presented in a very witty and hilarious manner by the actors. I have nothing but praise for this classic comedy of Shakespeare, with its magnificent wordplay and acting. I recommend this to anyone who wishes to see a light-hearted romance, while also wishing for a more complex work of literature.