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Sunset Baby
Dominique Morisseau
WORKING DRAFT / NOT A FINAL VERSION
SAMUELFRENCH.COM
SAMUELFRENCH-LONDON.CO.UK
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Sunset p
Baby
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P Dominique
Morisseau
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WORKING DRAFT / NOT A FINAL VERSION
United States & Canada
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1-866-598-8449
United Kingdom & Europe
[email protected]
020-7255-4302
Copyright © 2014 by Dominique Morisseau
All Rights Reserved
SUNSET BABY is fully protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America, the
British Commonwealth, including Canada, and all other countries of the Copyright Union. All
rights, including professional and amateur stage productions, recitation, lecturing, public reading, motion picture, radio broadcasting, television and the rights of translation into foreign
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Sunset Baby
Character Description
Black woman. Late 20’s. Hard, quiet power, deeply guarded, and
nonetheless brilliant. Has a lifetime of walls up and will fight you
before letting them down. Were she an animal, she’d be a
dangerous panther. A robber and drug dealer, but in another life
could lead a righteous revolution.
KENYATTA -
Black man. 50’s . Strong, quiet power, also deeply
guarded. Almost a duplicate of Nina, except he has lost the
hardness and is now navigating a softer version of himself.
Riddled with guilt and desperate to break through Nina’s
walls…and his own. A former political prisoner and Black
revolutionary. Nina’s estranged father.
DAMON -
man, 30’s. Broad, street smart, intelligent, and a
Black or Latino man,
drug dealer and robber. Has lost his hardness and is on the brink
of retiring from the game. Nina’s partner-crime and boyfriend.
partner-in-crime
Not a stereotype. A true, genuine soon-be o-g. In another life,
soon-to-be
could be a helluva scholar…
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NINA -
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For my father --- who dreams of revolution…
1
Sunset Baby
By Dominique Morisseau
Scene One.
Lights rise on a handsome man, Kenyatta,
who stares into the eye of a camera. Just
him and the camera. Intimate.
IC
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Blackout.
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KENYATTA
Fatherhood. Complex. Complicated. An abstract concept. Not clearly definable.
Stages. For sure there are stages. Levels of its affectiveness. Affectionless. Manhood.
Confusion. Preparedness. Lack of preparation. Funding. Resources. Instructions. No
instructions. Child support. Life being run by child support. Drama. Suffocation. Lots
of suffocation. Guilt. Lots of guilt. Incompetency. Freedom. Freedom lost. Freedom
never acquired. Fear. Lots of fear. Decades and decades of fear. Lifetime of fear. Fear.
2
Scene Two.
Lights up on Nina. She is at her apartment.
She dolls up – gaudy makeup. Big hair.
Thigh-high hooker boots. Looks over her
attire.
Nina Simone, “Feeling Good” plays on her
ipod speakers.
Buzzer rings.
NINA
LY
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NINA
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KENYATTA
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Fuck.
D
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You stood me up.
E
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NINA
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What the?
She pushes up her bra. Applies hairspray.
Grabs her purse. Heads to the door. Opens
ees Kenyatta. Not who she was
and sees
expecting.
AT
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LY
Hol’ up Damon. I’m coming!
O
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KENYATTA
I went to the hotel you suggested. Rooftop. Times Square. I waited for two hours.
Gotdamn.
D
NINA
KENYATTA
Never even called.
NINA
I text.
KENYATTA
Short text. Two words. “Not coming”.
NINA
3
I don’t have/time for this.
KENYATTA
After two hours.
NINA
I gotta get goin’, so….
KENYATTA
You don’t have a minute?
NINA
I got work.
LY
KENYATTA
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NINA
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KENYATTA
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No.
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NINA
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You got a problem with that?
Would it matter?
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KENYATTA
(hmph)
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Work…
Kenyatta eyes Nina. Scans her attire. Her
full get-up. It dawns on him.
AT
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Work?
I just need a minute.
D
KENYATTA
NINA
That’s all I got. Somebody’s coming to pick me up, so….. just come and say what you
gotta say.
Nina lets Kenyatta in. He walks in and
slowly peruses her surroundings. Not much.
Meager.
NINA
How’d you find out where I live?
4
KENYATTA
Asked around. People know you around here…
Nina glares at Kenyatta. Then shrugs it off
and goes back to her makeup.
NINA
Right.
Beat.
KENYATTA
N
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You listen to Nina?
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NINA
I know the story. Don’t need a re-cap.
FO
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KENYATTA
That’s what…your mother and me….
AT
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Apparently.
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NINA
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KENYATTA
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NINA
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Doing what?
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I’m not doing this.
IC
KENYATTA
Just…haven’t heard it in a minute… (beat) reminds me of her….
NINA
This… dirge. Informal funeral. I’m not doing it.
KENYATTA
I’m not asking you toNINA
Should’ve come. We had one. Full of folks who gave a damn. They came. You didn’t.
It’s too late now…
KENYATTA
I gave a…. (beat) That’s not why I’m here.
5
NINA
Then you better get to the point. My ride comes- whether you’ve made your point or not,
it’s over.
KENYATTA
You look like her.
NINA
Fuck you.
KENYATTA
LY
I’m just… telling you-
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KENYATTA
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Under the makeup….all that paint-
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NINA
I know what I look like.
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NINA
I knew it.
KENYATTA
-she wrote.
NINA
Paper thin.
KENYATTA
You know what I’m saying?
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KENYATTA
There are these…letters-
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KENYATTA
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So? (pause) Spill it.
O
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I guess I’ll take it.
O
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NINA
Paint is my perrogative. Do not come here and tell me what I can or cannot put on my
face. I cover what I choose to cover. I govern myself. You’re a stranger that I’m
offering five minutes to. Take it or leave it.
6
NINA
Transparent as hell. That’s what you are. I don’t even know you and I can see through
you like x-ray vision.
KENYATTA
I’m trying to be upfront.
NINA
Upfront. (hmph)
KENYATTA
LY
You have them?
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KENYATTA
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KENYATTA
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Please, Nina.
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You have them?
I didn’t say that.
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I’d like to see them.
Fuck no.
AT
KENYATTA
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NINA
What if I do?
D
NINA
Don’t please Nina me. Do not say my name as if you’ve said it a hundred times. As if
we have this familiarity between us. We are not familiar. We are not close. We are not
in sync. You are a stranger that I let in and now that you’ve finally said what you
wanted, I’m letting you out.
KENYATTA
I know you don’t trust me.
NINA
You think?
KENYATTA
7
I know you don’t know me.
NINA
I don’t know anyone. But her. And she knew me. She’s the only person who knew me.
She’s dead, and I’m a mystery to everyone else. Got it? You and me…we don’t know
each other. She was the link and she’s dead. Let it go.
KENYATTA
I can’t just let it go.
NINA
You better.
KENYATTA
LY
I need them.
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KENYATTA
NINA
Act like you don’t know.
I don’t know.
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NINA
You and everybody else.
Who’s everybody else?
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I just…need them.
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NINA
For what?
Liar.
D
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KENYATTA
I don’t know.
NINA
How do you know there are letters?
Kenyatta is quiet.
NINA (cont’d)
Yep. Caught you. Damn liar.
8
KENYATTA
I’m not lying.
NINA
How do you know there are letters?
KENYATTA
I have heard.
NINA
From who?
KENYATTA
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Friends. Former….colleagues.
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(laughing)
Colleagues? That’s what you call them? Colleagues?
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That’s enough?
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KENYATTA
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Alright. That’s enough.
NINA
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Losers. Deadbeats. Fiends-
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KENYATTA
It’s been a long time. Not exactly sure what to call them now.
D
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KENYATTA
Yes. That’s enough.
NINA
You comin’ in my house telling me what’s enough?
KENYATTA
I’m coming in your house to try to….
Kenyatta falls silent again. Words escape
him. Nina glares at him.
NINA
You can’t even admit it. Hunh? Can you? You can’t even be straight up.
9
KENYATTA
It’s not what you think.
NINA
You don’t know what I think.
KENYATTA
Nina, do youNINA
Do not fucking call me Nina!
KENYATTA
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That’s your name-
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NINA
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KENYATTA
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Yes, I know!
N
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NINA
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You know?
KENYATTA
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I know that.
R
We named you.
IC
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NINA
I hate the way it sounds when you say it. Like you know me. Like you own my name.
You do not own shit around here. Got it?
D
O
The buzzer rings. Pause.
Nina walks over to the buzzer to speak.
NINA
I’m coming down in one sec Damon.
Pause.
NINA
I gotta bounce.
KENYATTA
I need to know about the letters. Are they here?
10
NINA
I’m not telling you.
KENYATTA
They belong to me.
NINA
No. That’s where you’re way the hell off. They belong to me.
KENYATTA
She wrote them to me.
LY
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KENYATTA
You’ve read them?
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NINA
She left them to me. It’s in her will. “So that you will understand what we do for love,
Nina.” That’s her statement. To me. They’re mine.
N
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Kenyatta falls silent. Buzzer sounds again.
Nina walks over and presses the button to
talk.
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NINA
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KENYATTA
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No.
O
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I just need to read-
D
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NINA
It doesn’t matter to you. You’re not putting your hands on them.
NINA
(into the speaker)
Two minutes.
She looks at Kenyatta.
NINA
You know how many people want these letters?
KENYATTA
How many?
11
NINA
Hundreds. Folks from all over. Stupid college robots writing their dissertations.
Professors at universities. Publishing companies. The press. Everybody wants them.
Long lost love letters to a political prisoner. Notes on the revolution. Ashanti X writes to
Kenyatta Shakur while he serves time for… what was it again?
KENYATTA
NinaNINA
Oh right… robbing an armored truck. Nice.
KENYATTA
N
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Okay now.
LY
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KENYATTA
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Wasn’t bullshit-
PL
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KENYA
TTA
KENYATTA
D
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That’s not how it-
NINA
Bastard being moi.
KENYATTA
You’re not beingNINA
So fucking romantic.
KENYATTA
Okay now.
IC
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NINA
While she’s raising his bastard child.
AT
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KENYATTA
N
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That’s an understatement-
O
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NINA
To steal capitalist dollars in the name of third world democracy-
E
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In the name of some bullshit cause-
E
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NINA
12
NINA
And who would’ve known? They’re worth a fortune! These bullshit letters to a bullshit
nigga in jail. Worth tens of thousands.
Kenyatta falls silent. This surprises him.
NINA (cont’d)
Oh. Wait. Tell me you didn’t know that.
Kenyatta remains silent. A little shocked.
KENYATTA
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Worth what?
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KENYATTA
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I didn’t know.
NINA
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Bullshit.
FO
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No.
KENYATTA
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NINA (cont’d)
You didn’t know these letters were the hot shit? You didn’t know that every asshole
from left to right has been calling me trying to get their hands on this treasure? My
mama not six feet in the ground before I’m getting calls and emails on how amazing
Ashanti X was and how this one is such a huge fan of her work in the Black Liberation
Movement and that one has been studying her since she instituted the Free Lunch
Programs for inner city kids and this and this and that and that…. You didn’t know? You
didn’t come here cuz you want a piece of that Ashanti X sweet potato pie? Wanna put
your hands on them tens of thousands that my mama’s worth now that she’s dead?
NINA
Bullshit. Even the blogs are talkin’. Ashanti X passes away. She leaves behind a stash
of un-mailed letters. To you. (pause) But left-in-writing- to moi.
KENYATTA
I didn’t know they were worth…. (beat) I just need to see them….
Nina looks at Kenyatta. The desperation in
his eyes.
Buzzer rings again. And again. And again
and again and again.
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