Three Original Full-Length Plays on Regional and Religious Aspects of the American Scene PDF
Preview Three Original Full-Length Plays on Regional and Religious Aspects of the American Scene
THREE ORIGINAL FULL-LENGTH PLAYS ON - REGIONAL AND RELIGIOUS ASPECTS OF THE AMERICAN SCENE WITHIN THESE WALLS HAYM SALOMON CALVARIO VOLUME II "by Marcus L. Bach A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy, in the Department of Speech, in the Graduate College of the State University of Iowa February, 1942 ProQuest Number: 10984104 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10984104 Published by ProQuest LLC(2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106- 1346 rv»j-A-?s ^>\\ H A ™ SALOMON by- Marcus Bach State University of* Iowa Iowa City, Iowa CHARACTERS! HAYM SALOMON, a Jew RACHEL, his wife EZEKIEL, their son, a boy of six CAPTAIN CUNNINGHAM, keeper of the Provost CAPTAIN DEBUTE, assistant to Cunningham SAMUEL DEMEZES ) ) OWEN ROSS ) ) JOHN ATKINS ) Prisoners of the Provost ) ELIAS CORNELIUS ) ) JOHN OWENS ) ) ALEXANDER MACDOUGALL, leader of the Sons of Liberty JIM LEE } ) CYRUS LESLIE ) ) JEEVIE VAN DUSEN ) ) BERTHA GOULD ) Citizens of Philadelphia ) ALVINA SPARKS ) MR. PRANKS ) REBECCA PRANKS j IRVING LEVY ) ) Mi?. HOLKER ) ROBERT MORRIS, Secretary of Finance GOUVERNEUR MORRIS, his assistant ARTHUR LEE, a dyspeptic JAMES WILSON, a business man GENERAL ROBERT HOWE CAPTAIN LANDAIS GENERAL FRIEDEBICK WILHELM AUGUSTUS VON STEUBEN CARPENTER, an exchange prisoner LEADER of mutinous soldiers ACTS: ACT I* Scene One* The Provost Scene Two* Salomon’s office In Philadelphia ACT II* Scene One* Office of Robert Morris Scene Two. A room at Salomon's ACT III Salomon's office TIME: The American Revolution (1778-83) ACT I Scene One SCENE: August 1 7 7 8 . The curtain rises on a room in the Provost, a British military prison in New York* The place speaks of squalor and suffering* The room is small and cramped. Evening is falling and throughout the scene the light outside fades Into dusk and darkness* A narrow barred window permits the room to be illuminated with the glow of twilight and shadows. There are two cots or bunks. Upon one of them JOHN OWENS lies at the point of death* Other men, all showing evidences of torture and disease are captive in the room. As the scene opens we hear the sound of a drumhead courtmartial. There is a moment of stark silence among the men while the firing squad outsides does its work* SAMUEL DEME2ES, a Frenchman of about twenty, turns pleading and confused eyes to HAYM SALOMON, who stands stolidly,silent* SALOttfON is near thirty, sallow, strong in a thoughtful, deeply-a©arching way. His face shows the strain of imprisonment and suffering. DEMEZES Haym* (Haym Is silent) ELIAS CORNELIUS (an old man) It's war, Samuel Demeases. ROSS (demented) Still keeping your diary, Elias? Write that #ohn Banks died with the roll of drums* That's a privilege* (He approaches Haym) You think they'll have drums for Haym Salomon in the morning? (He cackles. The others are silent. Demezes struggles with his thoughts) Nathan Hale died by hanging and Robert Hunt by an iron in the hands of the keeper of this prison.... (He continues in a droning voice) I've seen them come and go ~ but the first death at night is John Banks, with the roll of drums..•• I'd want to die at night — though when a man's dead it's all one — it'a all on© — DEMEZES LIstenI HAYM SALOMON (quietly) It's the cart•* *• (The sound of a cart on cobblestones is heard) BOSS It's th© butcher's wagon ~ it's the butcher's wagon DEMEZES Stop I ROSS You can see — all you have to do Is look out* I've seen them come and go JQHN ATKINS (sharply to Ross) For Christ's sake, shut upl CORNELIUS (quie tly) It's war* OWENS (from his cot) Oh, God, look down into the Provost --- DEMEZES (to Haym) They can't do this to you I If you die HAYM (almost to himself) I only wish — ~ DEMEZES What? Tell me what you wish, HaymI Your wife and your s o n --- HAYM I wish a man could do th© things his spirit feels he could do* ROSS A spirit In a sick body! Last night you coughed out your lungs I CORNELIUS Yes, Hay#, the Provost gets ua all if the wall won't* - HAYM — — if a man had a chance to stand once more with th© Sons of Liberty! ATKINS (with enthusiasm and feeling) So you were with the Sons of LibertyI FIRST PRISONER (as above) Were you with them when they tried to burn New York rather than give It to the British? SECOND PRISONER when they dumped th© tea in Boston Harbor? ATKINS ---— did you ever meet General Putnam? THIRD PRISONER (to Demesses; eagerly) — and you were one, too? FIRST PRISONER Did you ever see their leader — Alexander MacDougall HAYM W© were with MacDougall.*.* But you are right, Mr. Ross, a sick man is a poor soldier. The war needs strong men* It needs Samuel Demezes. They cannot break you, Samuel* The Provost is a hell and Cunningham is its devil, but there Is a spirit a spirit, gentlemen, that Is America. If John Banks dies — if Haym Salomon dies DEMEZES (breaking) They can't I I'll die with you! We have stood together all these days, fought for freedom together HAYM No, Samuel, noI Gentlemen, I am a Jew. It may be that I was not intended for liberty. I seem to remember only one short hour. The air was sweet. There was no on© looked at me differently than they did at other men* There were no whispers when men looked at me* My wife set our son's feet on th© soil of this land. She let him stand for a moment and her face was bright* No one said, "What right have you to stand here? By what right are you happy?" There was no hand lifted against us! One man came to where we stood. He bent down and touched our son's head* He said to Rachel, "You have a nice boy there — a nice boy." ROBS (vehemently; touched by Haym'a words) Now a military prison in New York — and the butcher's
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