Danny Boy (and his dead mother)

Synopsis: A man has a conversation with his dead mother. They begin with a few sentimental memories, quickly transitioning to weightier topics like parenting, sex, politics, religion and racism. While the mother passed away only a few years ago, from old age and stroke, her death is never directly acknowledged, although the conversation occasionally references experiences and revelations she is confronting in the after life.

The mother was trained as an operatic mezzo-soprano but never pursued singing professionally. The son is a composer. Throughout the production there will be many styles of music introduced, revealing the son’s cultural and ideological preferences as well as the mother’s. Her singing will reflect a more classical bent, occasionally employing brief musical quotations from famous operas, but with original lyrics expressing her own thoughts and feelings. 

The son will rely on a combination of jazz, hip-hop and spoken word over original music. Both characters will occasionally utilize the common technique employed in opera known as “recitative” (a form of talking/singing with slight melodic variation and little or no musical accompaniment).

The set consists of simple kitchen furniture and appliances: esp. Two chairs, a table, and a refrigerator.

• The son is seated at the table and finishes his evening meal. He is listening to a scratchy recording of his mother singing Danny Boy. 
• Part way through the song another voice emerges offstage, blending with the recorded voice. It gradually takes over from the recording, the scratchy sounds disappearing as the singing and piano accompaniment become clear and pristine. 
• The mother enters the room and sits down at the table as she finishes singing the verse.
• The conversation begins… 

The following is a rough work sample from the first four minutes of the production. The scratchy recording at the beginning is from an actual recording of my mother done direct to vinyl more than 75 years ago (before she knew she would have a son named Daniel). The recording morphs into a version which I created by extracting her voice from the original recording, cleaning it up and then composing and recording a brand new piano arrangement of my own. I am performing all the remaining voices – including the parts “spoken and sung by my mother”. I replaced my performances of her parts with her voice that I cloned – which I hope to continue to improve… Ultimately, I will hire a professional female vocalist to perform her parts – which I will subsequently replace with her cloned speaking and singing voices. Live performances will be done with, well… live people. 🙂

The Script:

Danny Boy
(Mother – sung)
Oh Danny Boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling
From glen to glen and down the mountainside
The Summer’s gone and all the roses falling
It’s you, it’s you must go and I must bide

But come ye back when Summer’s in the meadow
Or when the valley’s hushed and white with snow
It’s I’ll be there in sunshine or in shadow
Oh Danny Boy, oh Danny Boy, I love you so.

Let’s Share a Beer
(Daniel – sung)
Oh life flies by in stages
We’re young and cool, then suddenly we’re old    
I know I played some cards more cocky than courageous
And threw away a lot I was told 
But mama, since you’re here, let’s share a beer
I think you hid your drinks behind the bagels and schmeer
And if you’re worried the alcohol might go to your head
It can’t because you’re…your devout nature would not allow it.

(Mother)
Please. Sit down and tell me what’s on your mind.

South Beach
(Daniel)

I was remembering…
We were at South Beach, I was four years old 
The sun and a stiff sea breeze on my knees
Make it one of the earliest memories I hold
Our family was there with a picnic lunch
In a basket you packed and you asked if I wanted 
A “riverswurst” sandwich and strawberry punch
My little heart took in all that I saw
The tidepools down by the long jetty wall
And hungry looks from that old seagull
White caps sprayin’, shore pines swayin’ 
And in my head, clear as a bell, I was sayin’,
“I’m gonna look back one day and remember it all”

(uncomfortable silence)

Mother (recitative)

I remember that day.
I had an argument with your father
He worked such long hours at the church 
And was hardly ever at home. 
I talked him into taking some time to be with the children…
With you and your sisters…and me.