Toronto, Mississippi
Page 1
Toronto, Mississippi premiered at Tarragon Theatre in Toronto on October 6, 1987, with the following cast:
JHANA: Brooke Johnson
BILL: Jim Warren
MADDIE: Marlane O’Brien
KING: Bruce McFee
Directed by Andy McKim
Set and Costume design by Sue LePage
Lighting Design by Louise Guinand
Characters
KING, forty, Elvis impersonator, Jhana’s father
JHANA, eighteen, moderately mentally handicapped, hyperactive with symptoms of autism, employed at a sheltered workshop
BILL, thirty, poet, part-time college instructor, boarding with Jhana and Maddie
MADDIE, forty, high school English teacher, Jhana’s mother
Setting
A middle-class living room in Toronto.
Author’s Note
In Jhana’s first scene she is slightly “rocking back and forth.” It is something she does to comfort herself, and a signal to Bill that she’s phasing out a little. This is what Maddie refers to later as “stimming out” and considers inappropriate.
Later in this scene Jhana (pronounced Jah–nah) says, “We’ll all be at workshop. We’ll all be at drop-in.” The social circle mentally handicapped people move in is often quite small. The same people Jhana went to school with she now works with, bowls with, and goes to drop-in with. Drop-in is a Friday night event for handicapped people at the local community centre.
Jhana later says, “I am mentally handicapped.” This is something she does not like having to say. In this case she becomes angry with her mother for making her say it and she yells, “Close the patio door!” Jhana is imitating something her mother said earlier but it’s the emotion behind the phrase she’s imitating rather than the meaning – something she does often.
Jhana whines off-stage about finding her clothes, vacuuming, etc. She is being very lazy about the way she speaks – partly because she finds the tasks at hand uninteresting but also because her mother understands her even when she’s talking “silly.” If you had to say all your sentences backwards for the next half hour it would be very difficult and concentrated work; in a way this is what Jhana has to do all the time. The way she talks naturally is very jumbled but when she is interested in communicating well she can do it; at the very end of the play when she dials 911 she speaks in perfect sentences.
Jhana is obsessed about her father visiting because she loves him and hasn’t seen him for a while. But carrying one thought at a time rather than a half dozen at once is also part of her mental handicap and comes up often. Jhana also often repeats the last line of what her father is saying; she does this to show she is interested but doesn’t have a clue what is being talked about. She’ll repeat, she’ll agree, she’ll imitate the emotion she picks up from that person. Her father often talks over her head because he doesn’t live with her.
When Jhana says “Betty died,” she refers to the fact that some of the people she went to school with and worked with also have physical handicaps and sometimes a shorter life span. Jhana doesn’t have this problem but she is much more accustomed to death than the average eighteen-year-old.
The best way to approach Jhana is to find the Jhana within – she’s just like any eighteen-year-old but not as slick, and once that discovery’s happened there are some mentally handicapped traits that can be added. There is sometimes a flatness to a mentally handicapped person’s speech or inappropriate emphasis because what’s being said isn’t always understood – statements become questions and vice versa. Physically there’s “stimming out” and inappropriate physical behaviour. Mentally handicapped people also often have high anxiety rates and low self-esteem; think of a job interview you don’t feel qualified for but you fake your way through.
Jhana is hyper-active, her energy is nearly always unrelenting. She is mentally handicapped with only some symptoms of autism – so don’t think of Jhana as autistic.
Jhana is based partly on a friend of mine who is a very lovely woman who is also mentally handicapped. The most important think I can tell you about playing Jhana is that a mental handicap or any handicap is a sad thing but this life, this particular person, is also a joy.
PROLOGUE
Black on set, spot on KING at microphone, costumed like early Elvis, with a Memphis accent.
KING:
Mrs. Priscilla Presley has just left the building and believe you me folks, that is something we can all be grateful for. So now we can kick our heels up, have a good time. I thank you all for coming out tonight but before I begin a big hello to a special someone who’s sitting out there front row centre. I mean, friends and women – they come and go. They certainly have been marching away from me at a steady rate these days. But children … well it’s just a very precious thing to have a child. Ladies and gentlemen, my daughter, my little girl – Lisa Marie Presley. Stand up honey, don’t be scared. She’s still real little so let’s treat her nice, let’s make her feel right at home.
Blackout.
ACT ONE
Scene One
Lights up on set.
JHANA is dancing full out to loud, early Elvis music. Eventually she sits and begins rocking back and forth in a trance-like manner. BILL enters and stops her rocking and turns off the music.
BILL:
You be Priscilla and I’ll be Elvis.
JHANA:
I’m Elvis Presley!
BILL:
Five minutes on nine one one and then it’s bed. Deal?
JHANA:
I’m Elvis Presley!
BILL:
You’re always Elvis. How about being Lisa Marie?
JHANA:
No. Bill’s Priscilla. It’s funny. Right?
BILL:
Why can’t we both be Elvis? I hate being her.
JHANA:
She isn’t dead.
BILL:
Good Point. So you be Priscilla –
JHANA:
You’re hating nine one one, right?
BILL:
Five minutes. When your mum gives us shit for staying up half the night, you can amaze her with nine one one. (role playing Elvis) I smell something burning, Cilla. If Graceland burnt …? Lawdy, lawdy … C’mon Jhana.
JHANA:
I’m Elvis Presley!
BILL:
Alright. You win. (role playing Priscilla) Elvis? How many of those pills did you take? You hear me? Are you sick honey? Eh?
JHANA:
(role playing Elvis) Hi, Priscilla. You’re funny, right?
BILL:
I’m perfectly fine but you look a little rough. Half dead if you want to know the truth. I don’t care if you are Elvis Presley or the President of the United States. I’m gonna call you an ambulance. Now how on earth do you suppose I do that?
JHANA:
Nine one one.
BILL:
Show me.
JHANA:
Nine one one. On her telephone. Pick it up.
BILL:
The whole phone?
JHANA:
Bill! (picks up receiver and offers it to BILL)
BILL:
Dial it.
JHANA:
Why?
BILL:
Look Jhana. This isn’t my idea of a great time either. But you were the one that was all keen on doing this course.
JHANA:
She hates it.
BILL:
It’s only one night a week. You get to hang out at a college, meet guys, learn all kinds of stuff that –
JHANA:
It’s hard.
BILL:
C’mon. You’re meeting some new people there, right?
JHANA:
We’ll
all be at the workshop.
BILL:
No new faces?
JHANA:
We’ll all be at drop-in.
BILL:
So it’s the same old crowd. Lots of old friends there. Right? And life skills is valuable stuff …
JHANA:
(pointing to television) The Love Boat’s inside.
BILL:
It’s not on. You were about to call an ambulance before the King of Rock n’ Roll blew up or passed out … Ssssshhh! That’s her.
JHANA:
That’s her.
JHANA dives onto the couch, covers herself with the blanket and pretends to be asleep. MADDIE enters.
BILL:
How was it?
MADDIE:
Lousy. Why’s she down here? It’s past midnight, Bill.
BILL:
She fell asleep.
MADDIE:
Faker.
BILL:
We were watching The Love Boat. I didn’t like him much when he picked you up. Where’d he take you?
MADDIE:
Downtown. Why’s she breathing heavy?
BILL:
Filthy dreams.
MADDIE:
She’s faking. Jhana?
BILL:
Didn’t you ever pretend you were sleeping when you were little?
MADDIE:
She’s eighteen years old –
BILL:
So that someone would carry you up to bed? Or better yet, you’d be visiting somewhere and get carried out to the car.
MADDIE:
This guy tonight. He wasn’t one hundred percent horrible. You two have something in common.
BILL:
That’s impossible.
MADDIE:
He writes poetry.
BILL:
Everyone’s a poet. We’d be visiting my grandfather’s place. He wore this black patch on his eye and I used to think this tunnel of air went right through his head.
MADDIE:
C’mon Jhana.
BILL:
He’d carry me outside to my dad’s truck. The yard smelled like hay and I don’t know – toilets.
JHANA:
(sits up suddenly) Toilets!
MADDIE:
Faking all along.
JHANA:
Princie’s gone Mum, right? (runs to door) Bye-bye!
MADDIE:
It’s October, Jhana. Close the patio door!
JHANA:
Close patio door!
MADDIE:
Up to bed now, okay?
JHANA:
Okay?
MADDIE:
Did you clean your room?
JHANA:
Did you clean your room?
MADDIE:
DID YOU CLEAN YOUR ROOM?
JHANA:
Yes.
MADDIE:
And brush your teeth?
JHANA:
Yes. And brushed your teeth. Princie’s dead now, Mum.
MADDIE:
We’re all aware of that.
JHANA:
Elvis Presley was on the bus?
MADDIE:
No more nonsense.
JHANA:
Not Daddy.
MADDIE:
Good night, Jhana.
JHANA:
The man on the bus is gone?
MADDIE:
Who is the man on the bus?
JHANA:
Who is the man on the bus?
MADDIE:
And quit the copying. Did you meet someone on the bus today?
JHANA:
Yes.
MADDIE:
Who?
JHANA:
Princie.
MADDIE:
I’m not kidding around here, Jhana. Who did you meet?
JHANA:
Elvis Presley.
BILL:
Elvis Presley on the Woodbine Bus? Quick call the National Enquirer.
MADDIE:
Bill, just let me handle this, right?
JHANA:
Number nine. Number two. The Woodbine Bus!
MADDIE:
Did you talk to someone on the bus today?
JHANA:
Yes I did!
MADDIE:
Someone from the workshop? You talked to a man? A man you didn’t know?
JHANA:
Yes.
MADDIE:
Did he touch you?
BILL:
A new record –
JHANA:
Oh Yes.
BILL:
For jumping the gun
BILL arranges two chairs, one behind the other.
MADDIE:
Show me where he touched you.
JHANA:
Black Hair.
MADDIE:
He touched your hair? Bloody social workers. I know you weren’t ready for bus training …
BILL:
Okay. I’m the man on the bus.
JHANA:
Hi, Billy.
BILL:
No. I’m the man on the bus.
JHANA:
Hi.
BILL:
Hello there.
JHANA:
Hello there black hair.
BILL:
I’m the man on the bus with black hair. You just get off work honey?
JHANA:
Elvis Presley.
BILL:
I’m the man on the bus and I look like Elvis Presley?
JHANA:
Yes!
BILL:
And you like me?
JHANA:
(touching his hair) Black hair.
BILL:
You touch my nice black hair –
JHANA:
Yes!
BILL:
Do I touch you?
JHANA:
No!
BILL:
I don’t like it when you touch me. (pause) SHE molested him, Maddie.
MADDIE:
How many times have I told you? What is the only thing we can say on the bus? What do we know from memory?
JHANA:
From memory … January 8, 1935. Tupelo, Mississippi!
MADDIE:
Great. My daughter is going to go bussing off to Niagara Falls by mistake one day, chanting Elvis Presley’s birthday. Damn your father.
JHANA:
Elvis Presley’s birthday!
MADDIE:
What have we gone over six hundred times in the past three months. Jhana? C’mon … I am …
JHANA and MADDIE:
I am Jhana Kelly.
JHANA:
I live at three nine two Chisholm Avenue.
MADDIE:
Three two nine.
JHANA:
Three two nine.
MADDIE:
I am …
JHANA:
I am lost.
MADDIE:
I am …
JHANA:
I am lost.
MADDIE:
And? I am …
JHANA:
I am mentally handicapped.
MADDIE:
Please help –
JHANA:
Please help me find my way home! (rocks back and forth)
MADDIE:
Now show me the paper. Where’s your purse?
BILL:
Lighten up, Maddie.
JHANA dumps out the contents of her purse; she finds some lipstick and applies it meticulously.
MADDIE:
Quit stalling Jhana.
BILL:
She’s been working at getting that on straight for weeks.
MADDIE:
And we’ve been working at bussing since March.
BILL:
Goodnight.
BILL exits.
MADDIE:
The address, Jhana. It should be written down on the yellow paper in your purse. I’m very upset with –
JHANA:
Close the p
atio door!
Scene Two
The next morning. BILL and MADDIE are having coffee.
BILL:
There is no way you slept through last night.
MADDIE:
Good morning to you too Bill.
BILL:
We were all assaulted by Donovan at three o’clock this morning. I mean he was terrible twenty years ago. What if he’s having a comeback? (places a finger on his Adam’s apple) “Hurdy Gurdy Man.” The volume made my teeth vibrate. Donovan.
JHANA:
(off ) Mum? The socks are dead. Princie took a new house. Where’s the drawer?
MADDIE:
In my room. I just folded everything. Wear some socks the same colour as your t-shirt.
BILL:
Then at about five they were all out on the front porch throwing up and yelling in this made-up language … like tongues. Have you ever noticed that a lot of cabs come and go from there? Maybe it’s an after hours place or a whorehouse.
MADDIE:
We were always the noisy neighbours – for years. You can imagine living next door to someone like King.
JHANA:
(off ) Mum? The socks are laundried too. Where?
MADDIE:
In the clothes basket Jhana. All paired up.
JHANA:
All paired up. Who’s vacuuming there now?
MADDIE:
You are. The whole upstairs.
JHANA:
Why?
MADDIE:
Because I said so. We all pitch in.
JHANA:
We all pitch in Bill!
BILL:
He called last night.
MADDIE:
Who?
BILL:
The King of Rock n’ Roll. He called last night between sets.
MADDIE:
He’s in town?
BILL:
Buffalo. At the Holiday Inn.
MADDIE:
The Holiday Inn? You’re joking.
BILL:
He wants Jhana to come down for the show tonight.
MADDIE:
Just like that.
BILL:
He didn’t talk to her; he wanted to check it out with you first.
MADDIE:
She’s supposed to get there all on her own?
BILL:
She can bribe the driver on the Woodbine Bus.
MADDIE:
Did he sound all right?
JHANA enters.
BILL:
King said to remind you that he is her father and hasn’t seen her since June.
JHANA:
Her father. Where’s Daddy on?
MADDIE:
He’s in Buffalo.
JHANA:
On Buffalo. Where’s Daddy on coming here?
BILL:
He wants you to go see him. He’s not here. He’s in another city called Buffalo.