Sometimes words are just useful in the same everyday, take for granted way as knives, forks and spoons.
‘No, thank you.’
‘Fish and chips twice please.’
It’s raining again.’
At other times they hold the power to make spells, creating mood and magic.
As the one who makes the tea at rehearsals I have time to listen and watch as Hugh and David create a magic with the players, words, voices and movement and all in the setting of a chilly Church.
God starts to speak:
‘Welcome to my world,’
(’Wait a minute God, we need you placed higher, stand on this box.’)
We watch as God places constellations and planets to ceaselessly journey, the great leviathan slipped to cruise the oceans and birds tossed to fly high in forest trees. Then, from Adam’s rib, a woman is formed.
(Well done God. Adam and Eve, are you ready?)
They saunter through the Garden, entranced by all they see.
(‘How are we going to dress these two, any ideas?’
‘What if…….?’ ‘What about…..?’)
Enter the serpent and we all hiss.
She coils and twines round Eve hissing honeyed words to her, sugaring her conscience to sleep.
(Eve, try to show how tempted you are to pick that apple, it’s now or never.’)
Eve plucks the apple and in turn becomes the tempter.
(Adam arrives, all innocence. He has to dance round Eve and Hugh and David demonstrate a nifty soft shoe shuffle. By complete change of voice he has to show he is no longer the carefree innocent. This is the fall of Man!)
‘What have you done?’ demands God and banishes Adam and Eve. ‘Adam lay y-bounden’.
Adam ages and is dying and sends his son, Seth, at eight hundred years old a mere stripling, to the Garden. Angels bar the entrance.
(‘I’ll look on the web and see how to make wings.’
‘I’ve had a brilliant idea, instead of swords….’)
An angel gives Seth but ah… if you want to know what he is given you must buy a ticket and come to the plays.
Adam sprawls on the floor, dead.
(‘How do we bury him?’
‘And he’ll need to be watered. Make a note please to add a watering can to the props.’)
So ends the rehearsal. The Church door is locked and above us sail the stars, all placed in order by God as we have just seen.