DADDY'S LITTLE GIRL
The basic action of the play takes
place in the bedroom of ALICE
Quinn, about to turn thirty, very
attractive, if a bit weathered.
At times, when Alice's imagination
takes over, we flashback to
various times and places in her
life. The bedroom area should be
complemented, then, with space to
accommodate these settings very
simply, instantly, utilizing stage
areas, pieces of furniture and
lighting effects.
Regarding Alice’s, Evelyn’s and
Jim’s costumes: Every effort
should be made to keep the flow of
the scenes fluid. The characters
leap, moment to moment, from the
present to the past and back
again. The basic costumes, then,
should easily accommodate these
leaps by assuming a neutrality
which can, whenever possible,
allow for slight adjustments and
additions. Alice’s flashbacks
happen in her head. With that in
mind, she should never change
costumes.
AT RISE, it is about 10:30 p.m. on
Christmas Eve. ALICE's bedroom is
on the second floor of an old
family house in a New England mill
town. The room is presently
empty, and lit only through the
windows by the street lamps
outside. In a moment, the bedroom
door opens, and a shaft of light
from the hallway spills across the
room, revealing very little.
Ultimately, we’ll find that the
room is neatly kept, with a bed, a
desk, some bookshelves, and a2.
2.
large leather chair perched in the
corner. Alice stands a moment in
the doorway. She is holding a
paper bag with an object clearly
visible inside. She closes the
door. We hear her rumbling around
a second, putting the paper bag
down on the bed. She closes the
door, then she strikes a match and
lights a candle sitting on top of
her desk. She then proceeds to
light four or five other candles
in various areas of the room,
creating an increasingly stronger
illumination. As each candle is
lit, we see more clearly a figure
sitting in the large leather chair
in the corner of the room. When
the last candle is lit, we are
fully aware of the figure, who is
dressed in a mailman's uniform
from an era thirty years earlier.
This is TEDDY Quinn, and though he
is only in his forties as we see
him, he is Alice's father. Alice
opens the paper bag, removes an
unopened bottle of Scotch, and
places it on her bedside table.
Alice then sits on the bed, and
looks directly at Teddy.
ALICE
(sings; with jaunty
defiance)
Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy
birthday, dear Alice. Happy birthday to me.
(beat; still singing)
And Jesus.
TEDDY
This is supposed to be funny, right?
ALICE
Tonight's the night, Teddy. I got 89 minutes till I'm
thirty. You have 89 minutes to tell me why you did
what you did.3.
3.
TEDDY
Or else, what?
ALICE
Or else you know what.
TEDDY
(rises; indicates bottle)
Oh, Jeez, here we go again. The Threat Of The
Crutch. Go ahead. Crack it open. Down it. Chug it.
See if I care.
ALICE
Oh, you care, Teddy. You absolutely care.
TEDDY
Every year, we do this. This is tiring. Why don't you
get another hobby, another cause? Go plant a tree,
buy a Tesla, change your pronouns, for Christ's sake.
Every year.
ALICE
No, no, Teddy. This year is different. drama is over...
This year the
(looks at bottle)
...one way or the other.
TEDDY
(indicates bottle)
You think I give a shit if you go back there?
ALICE
If you gave a shit, I’d be way over this by now.
TEDDY
Crutch. Blame me for you being a user. Crutch. Hey, I
don’t care who you blame. Just...for the luvva God,
let me be dead.
ALICE
Let's see, would he rather be dead, or would he
rather be Alice's father? It's the theme of my
birthday party!4.
4.
TEDDY
You know, it'd be one thing if I really had a say in
this process. But what exactly is it that you need me
for here?
ALICE
I need your face. I need to hear it from you.
TEDDY
You need to hear what from me?
ALICE
Why you did it.
TEDDY
You know why I did it. You got a shrink degree on
your wall tells you you know these things.
ALICE
It's not a shrink degree.
TEDDY
Psychological Social Worker. Shrink for the
destitute.
ALICE
It's more believable when I say it.
TEDDY
Anyway, you know why I did what I did.
ALICE
I like to hear it out loud. Tell me.
TEDDY
I did it because I didn't want you. I had three kids
already and not much money and a wife and a house and
I needed you like I needed a canker sore. I did it
because I didn't the Christ want to have to deal with
you. Now can I be dead?
ALICE
(lifts up photo)
Look! You in your mailman suit. Just like now.5.
5.
TEDDY
(sits again)
Find another picture. From summer, maybe. I look much
sexier in Bermuda shorts.
The bedroom door opens abruptly.
EVELYN Quinn, in her early
sixties, enters and flips on the
lights from the wall switch. As
the scene progresses, Evelyn
almost involuntarily finds things
to straighten up. She can’t just
stand and talk. Evelyn works very
hard to remain as cheery as she
can muster. It’s not easy. And
it’s not real.
EVELYN, of course, does not see
Teddy.
EVELYN
Merry Christmas!
TEDDY
She’s gonna LOVE the candles.
EVELYN
How was work?
ALICE
Um... okay.
Okay okay or just okay?
Okay okay... Just okay.
EVELYN
ALICE
EVELYN
Any trouble?
ALICE
Trouble?
EVELYN
You know... trouble people... like you have
sometimes. With the vets, you know...6.
6.
ALICE
No trouble people.
EVELYN
With the... PBS that they have... whatever it is.
When the... things come back into their head.
ALICE
PTSD.
EVELYN
Yes. I supposed with the holidays that... whatever
that is, it.... acts up.
ALICE
Um... maybe...
EVELYN
With Christmas, you know, like all over the place
with the singing and the... the jolliness
everywhere...
ALICE
I suppose, maybe, that could maybe trigger...
EVELYN
Must make ‘em sad. Sadder than usual, you know and...
ALICE
Maybe. I guess...
EVELYN
And you know like if somebody makes a big noise or a
car backfires or, like, there’s thunder or
something...
ALICE
Well...
EVELYN
Don’t they... you know... don’t they think that
they’re in the war again... if they’re sad... in Iraq
or wherever, they think... and start... you know...
having war dreams in their head or something?
ALICE
Because of all the jolliness?7.
7.
TEDDY
Jesus, she’s a piece of work, isn’t she?
EVELYN
(she’s ignored them as long
as possible)
All these candles, you know. It's an old house. I
don't like all these candles.
(tries to blow one out)
ALICE
(stops her)
Wait... wait...
EVELYN
Huh?
ALICE
Don’t... please?
EVELYN
What? Don’t blow out the candles?
ALICE
Yeah. I like ‘em. They make me... calm.
EVELYN
You’re not calm?
Not really.
ALICE
Why?
EVELYN
Why?
ALICE
Why aren’t you calm?
EVELYN
Now?
ALICE
Yes.
EVELYN8.
8.
ALICE
You mean right now, at this moment, why aren’t I
calm?
EVELYN
Yes.
ALICE
Because you’re about to blow out the candles that
make me calm.
EVELYN
It’s Christmas.
ALICE
So?
EVELYN
Christmas makes you calm.
ALICE
Ma...
EVELYN
All is calm. All is bright.
TEDDY
“Round yon virgins!”
ALICE
The candles... make me calm.
EVELYN
I don’t like them. Google says they’re bad.
ALICE
You’ve been on Google?
EVELYN
Yes. It’s very educational. And it says candles are
dangerous and bad for your health. Some...
respiratory thing.
ALICE
I’ll take the chance. Just tonight.9.
9.
EVELYN
And if one of them falls over and starts a fire...
ALICE
I promise no candle will fall down. I’ll be here. I
will watch them intensely. If one even teeters just a
little bit, I’ll make sure it stops teetering.
EVELYN
(steps away from candle)
Well, it’s against my better judgement.
TEDDY
And Google’s.
ALICE
Thank you.
EVELYN
So... are you ready?
ALICE
For what?
EVELYN
Midnight Mass. We’re going.
ALICE
We are?
EVELYN
Well, aren’t we?
ALICE
Haven’t given it much thought.
EVELYN
Oh.
TEDDY
Oh, there is so much in that “Oh.
ALICE
Gimme... lemme think about it.
”10.
10.
EVELYN
I'll be leaving at quarter past eleven to get a good
seat.
ALICE
We'll see.
EVELYN
If you're late, you have to sit in the back under the
loft. The choir gets muffled.
ALICE
We'll see, I said.
EVELYN
Sometimes when it’s muffled,
kinda... Protestant.
“Oh, Holy Night” sounds
ALICE
What?
EVELYN
And some of the people in the back smell, you know,
with the... well, you know... The ones who... you
know...
ALICE
The drunks. Yes, I know. I am one.
EVELYN
You are not a drunk.
(goes to door)
TEDDY
Well, you don’t smell like one, anyway.
EVELYN
It'd be nice if you'd come. It's Christmas.
ALICE
Maybe.
EVELYN
Christmas Eve. There'll be a lot of people like you
there.11.
11.
ALICE
Like me?
EVELYN
Lapsed people.
Teddy laughs loudly. Alice looks
towards him. Evelyn, of course,
hears nothing.
ALICE
I'm tired. If I don't go tonight, I'll go tomorrow.
EVELYN
You don't think that's hypocritical?
ALICE
Ma...
EVELYN
If you go with me tonight, you're going with me, so
that makes some kind of sense. If you go alone
tomorrow after not going at all during the year,
that's hypocritical.
ALICE
Hey, Ma, you know how close I am at this very moment
to deciding not to go at all?
TEDDY
Aren't we mature?
EVELYN
You just have to be careful, is all I’m saying.
ALICE
Careful?
EVELYN
You don’t want to make God mad.
ALICE
(dismissing)
Ma...12.
12.
EVELYN
Oh, I know. You don’t think God is paying attention.
But he is.
ALICE
Not tonight. There’s a Christmas Eve Twilight Zone
marathon on Paramount Plus. God loves the Twilight
Zone.
EVELYN
Don’t be flip about God. He sees you...
ALICE
When I’m sleeping...
EVELYN
He knows...
ALICE
When I’m awake...
EVELYN
(catches on)
Come to Mass. You can’t miss Mass on Christmas. It’s
a sin...
TEDDY
Not a big one, though. Baby sin.
ALICE
Um, I don’t think...
EVELYN
I was taught what a sin is. I was taught what happens
when someone commits a sin. Especially a mortal sin.
ALICE
What happens, Ma?
EVELYN
What happens? You go to Hell is what happens. I
know you don't believe that. I know people like you
laugh at Hell. Hell is now hysterical. Ha Ha Hell.
But I know what happens when you sin.
ALICE
You burn in Hell.13.
13.
EVELYN
Yes.
ALICE
Like Hitler.
EVELYN
(beat)
Well... you know... yes! Like Hitler!
TEDDY
Stop, for Christ's...
ALICE
I'm gonna burn in Hell like Hitler 'cause I don't go
to Mass. He exterminates ten million people, minimum,
probably a lot more--we both end up in the same place
in the Afterlife.
EVELYN
A mortal sin is a mortal sin. There's no gray area.
ALICE
(beat)
Missing Mass is not a mortal sin.
EVELYN
Well... sins, then. Sins add up. You miss all the
time. And then, well... you know... your other stuff.
TEDDY
Ouch.
ALICE
My other stuff?
EVELYN
I don’t wanna talk about it.
ALICE
What other stuff?
EVELYN
Your... your boys... stuff. With the boys. What you
do.14.
14.
TEDDY
Ask her for details. Go ahead. I dare ya.
ALICE
My boys stuff???
EVELYN
I don’t want to talk about this. I was trying to be
happy...
ALICE
I contend that if there is an Afterlife I will not be
sent where Hitler was sent because of my boys stuff.
I contend this. I believe this.
EVELYN
All I want to do is to make sure that when it's all
over, you're sent where I am. I want to be with you
after death. Isn't that what you want, too?
(long, long pause response)
Oh, you're so funny.
ALICE
Lighten up, Ma!
EVELYN
This is not a joke to me. Not on Christmas.
ALICE
I know. We believe different things. You shouldn't
worry about where I end up after I'm dead. Worry
about where I end up tomorrow.
EVELYN
Oh, stop being silly. I want you to come to Mass with
me. I don't want you sitting up here all alone
thinking about Daddy again.
TEDDY
(to Alice)
She's right.
ALICE
Ma, as a Christmas gift to me... I want you to at
least try to stop telling me what I should or
shouldn't think about. Thinking about the things I15.
15.
ALICE (cont’d)
ALICE (cont’d)
want to think about is one of the few freedoms I have
left.
TEDDY
You're wasting your time.
EVELYN
(beat; points to bottle)
I thought you were through with that.
ALICE
I am. It's symbolic.
She goes to the bottle, puts it
back in the bag, places bag on
bedside table.
EVELYN
Symbolic of what?
ALICE
(looks at Teddy)
Of what I used to be and of what I could be again if
I'm not very, very careful.
(puts bottle back in bag)
EVELYN
(beat)
You know, a sip, maybe wouldn't hurt you. Christmas
Eve. You'll relax. Be happy. Get through the night.
There... ALICE
is... no such thing... as a sip... Ma.
EVELYN
Make you calm.
ALICE
Ma...
Safer than the candles.
EVELYN
ALICE
That’s not true.16.
16.
EVELYN
(beat)
You take a sip. You stop. People do it every day.
ALICE
Yes, Ma. People do.
EVELYN
Even me! Every once in a while, a little wine...
ALICE
No. Nope.
EVELYN
A sip...
ALICE
(beat)
No. Just... no.
EVELYN
Okay. Fine. Okay. I don’t want to argue on Christmas.
(beat)
I'll check with you before I go.
(beat)
You gonna wear that if you go to Mass?
(no response)
Okay. Fine. I'll check with you before I go.
EVELYN leaves the room, humming
some jolly Christmas song, and
closes the door.