A Song for Asteria (A Musical) - Excerpt

ASTERIA runs offstage. PERCY follows.

PERCY

(OFF STAGE)

Asteria? Asteria!

Transition to: a flashback. The lights dim to blue. An ancient

Grecian party boat. The SOUND of a chatter and music inside.

Perhaps the STARS play music out of sight. ASTERIA walks

outside to the deck wearing the same cobalt dress as at the start

of the play, but in its undamaged form. SHE examines the stars.

ZEE walks out and joins her. HE wears a sharp navy suit. Offstage,

GUESTS can be heard chatting and making merry.

MUSIC continues.

ZEE

I love what you’ve done with them.

ASTERIA

With what?

ZEE

The stars!

HE gestures to the STARS. THEY look at EACH OTHER and roll THEIR eyes.

ASTERIA

Oh, Zee. They do what they want. I just look out for them from time to time...they’re not my children, after all.

ZEE

Their music enthralls me.

ASTERIA

Yes. It is exquisite. But I do not control them. Toy with them. They have written their own stories and project them in the heavens for all to see. It’s how we remember where we are.

ZEE

The great map of the cosmos. Of our histories.

ASTERIA

They remind us who we are...who we should be.

ZEE

And which is your favorite?

ASTERIA

All the constellations hold their own divine beauty. But I often favor Libra.

ALNITAK plays a solo. THEY listen.

ASTERIA (CONT'D)

There. Her scales of justice. They speak to me. A reminder of what is righteous looming above us as we move through life. Make decisions.

ZEE

Ah, yes. Reminds me of Themis. Always the fair one. The pragmatic one. Doesn’t like to play. A tightly-wound woman--

ASTERIA --She is a Titaness. And your ex-lover. And, she is older than the moon. Older than you, too!

ZEE

Age means little when you are ageless.

ASTERIA I think not. I think with the passing of time comes deeper wisdom...in those who seek to listen and learn, anyway.

ZEE

I see.

ASTERIA

I think...I think we should respect those who bless our lives with their character. Especially those we have loved. For better or worse.

ZEE

And do you think me wise?

ASTERIA

I think you experienced.

ZEE

That is not the answer I was looking for.

ASTERIA

I know.

ZEE

I appreciate your honesty. It refreshing. I like a woman with some grit.

ASTERIA

Does one need grit now to tell the truth? To own one’s expressions? Is being truthful and straight forward really that edgy?...Hm. Titaness. But you know that.

ZEE

Yes.

ZEE moves in closer.

ZEE (CONT'D)

I want you to think me wise, if you think wisdom is an attractive quality.

ASTERIA

Then perhaps show more learning from your experiences. 

ZEE puts his hand on ASTERIA’s shoulder. HE leans into her.

ZEE

I will try, if it pleases you.

SONG - “STARLIGHT - REPRISE”

ZEE (CONT'D)

YOUR SKIN, IT IS ETHEREAL IN THIS LIGHT

PART GODDESS, PART CELESTIAL SPRITE

AND THE SCENT OF YOUR SHIMMERING HAIR--

ASTERIA

--You’re making me uncomfortable.

​

ZEE

Your starlight intoxicates me. Your skin glimmers with the dew of daybreak; your breath the sweet breeze at midnight; your eyes hold the flicker of the Aroura Borealis. And your hair is scented by the honey of the gods--

ASTERIA

--Please! I do not wish for you to get any closer. Kindly give me space...Hera is inside. I know of your wife’s wrath and I do not wish to needlessly incur it.

ZEE backs away.

ZEE

I see. I am mistaken! All that talk of wisdom and truth and those we have loved...you tease. I thought you enjoyed my company.

ASTERIA

I do. I don’t mean to offend you. Maybe I gave you the wrong signals; I like to converse deeply...but perhaps you should not assume so much.

ZEE

Usually women are dying for my attention. Liberated women, anyway. Not rigid splints like you--

ASTERIA

--I am not rigid--

ZEE

--You are a powerful Titaness of the night. An oracle; stargazer; dream-raiser. I thought you would be more daring...but you’re just like Themis... Judgy. That’s it. You’re judgy!

ASTERIA

Believing in a moral code is not being judgmental. You’re trying to goad me into breaking my own rules. It’s not going to work.

SONG - “YOU THINK”

ASTERIA (CONT'D)

YOU MIGHT THINK YOU CAN SAY WHAT YOU WANT TO ME BECAUSE YOU WON,

YOU WON IN YOUR WORLD THE STARS LIVE AND BREATHE JUST FOR YOU

BECAUSE YOU OWN THE SUN,

YOU OWN THE SUN BUT YOU DON’T KNOW EVERY WAR THERE IS TO WIN

YOU ONLY KNOW THE ONE THAT YOU ARE IN, THE ONE YOU’RE IN

YOU THINK THE SEA BENDS WAVES OUT OF FEAR FOR YOU BECAUSE YOU WON,

BECAUSE YOU WON,

YOU BEAT THE TITANS AND STOLE THEIR LAND IT’S TRUE

YOU EVEN STOLE THEIR SONS AND DAUGHTERS TOO

BUT YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO HARNESS ORIGINAL SIN

YOU ONLY UNDERSTAND THE WORLD YOU’RE IN THE WORLD YOU’RE IN

ZEE

YOU THINK YOU UNDERSTAND WAR

BUT YOU HAVEN’T BEEN ON THE EDGE OF A SWORD, JUST LIKE YOUR KIN

BUT YOU’RE MORE INNOCENT THAN YOU THINK,

MY DEAR WITHOUT YOUR FAMILY,

WITHOUT THEIR CHEER YOU BELIEVE THAT STARLIGHT CAN SAVE YOU FROM YOUR SKIN

BUT YOU ONLY UNDERSTAND THE ONE YOU’RE IN, THE ONE YOU’RE IN

ASTERIA

I WILL NOT ABIDE A MAN WHO’S ENTITLED TO A GALAXY,

WHEN HE CAN’T EVEN LEAD WITH HONESTY

ZEE

THAT’S RICH COMING FROM YOU,

I’VE HEARD THOSE DREAMS REALLY MAKE YOU LOSE YOUR MIND

ASTERIA YOU ARE UNKIND, YOU THINK I’M BLIND BUT I SEE YOU, YES I SEE YOU

MUSIC continues.

ZEE

You know your mad father is locked in Tartarus for a reason.

ASTERIA

DON’T YOU DARE SPEAK ABOUT HIM THAT WAY!

HE DID NOT DESERVE TO BE IMPRISONED

AND HE IS NOT MAD LIKE YOU SAY YOU ARE SICK WITH POWER;

YOU TAKE WHAT YOU WISH

WITHOUT CONSIDERING WHO MIGHT HAVE TO PAY

IT DOESN’T MATTER HOW MUCH GOOD YOU TRY TO DO;

YOU CANNOT REVERSE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO HARM OTHERS THAT GET IN YOUR WAY

ZEE

LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER, YOU KNOW HOW IT GOES LIKE

BRIDGES OVER WATER ONLY FLOWING ONE WAY

I MIGHT HAVE POWER BUT IT’S ONLY SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST,

SOME MIGHT SAY SOME ARE STRONG, SOME ARE WEAK, AND SOME ARE MAD,

SOME HAVE TO PAY THE PRICE FOR OTHERS’ FREEDOM,

FOR OTHERS’ POWER, IT’S ALWAYS BEEN THAT WAY!

ASTERIA

You’ll never hold that kind of power with me--

ZEE

--As I said. I like a woman with grit. Maybe I’ll have you anyway. I’ll show you my power.

ZEE grabs ASTERIA and a struggle ensues. THEY carry on

the struggle behind a screen. In shadows, we see ASTERIA

turning into a quail and flying away. ZEE transforms into an eagle

and flies after her. THEY disappear across the sky. The SOUND

of an EAGLE screeching. The SOUND of flapping

wings around the theatre. HERA enters to look for ZEE.

HERA

My love? They need you...Zee?

HERA gives up and goes inside. The light changes.

PERCY and ASTERIA come back to the beach.

PERCY holds ASTERIA, who is still nervous, but calmer.

​

Present day, or thereabouts. There is an old oak tree with gnarled roots,

twisted trunk, and jagged branches in the middle of the stage. It sits in a

small clearing in a woodland thicket that is dimly lit. This is not the

wood in which Snow White found herself. It is eerie and isolating (without

being a horror story cliché). It is quiet for a wood. A small path runs through

the clearing, though it is wild and overgrown. It is evening, and throughout

the play the light wanes and the air becomes chillier. DARA, 18, is dressed

in a simple Victorian-style dress, and wears an emerald ribbon around

her neck. SHE blends in somewhat with the tree trunk. SHE has a glint

in her expression that implies the knowing of age, but looks more

youthful than 18. Perhaps SHE has a bob. SHE sits at the base

of the oak tree and plays with the dirt, humming a melody to herself.

DARA

I wonder if the worms can tell when it is day, and when it is night. They are blind, I know that. But perhaps they have a sense of when the earth is at its coolest, and when the sun warms the soil on a summer’s day. Ah, summer! I wonder if they get stuck when the ground freezes; oh, how horrible that must be. Stuck in the frozen, solid mud with no strength to escape. I imagine they probably perish. I suppose I should know about this. I really should know.

Light footsteps can be heard approaching from the nearby woods. DARA hides behind the tree but keeps an eye on the scene. MURIEL, late thirties, enters stage left. SHE wears a blue sleeveless dress. SHE proceeds to dart around the stage hurriedly looking for something.

MURIEL

Oh, I feel as if I am going mad. I know it’s here somewhere! Here. Here? Hmm. No, here. 2.

MURIEL starts to dig at the ground with HER hands. At this point DARA cannot keep quiet and lets out an inquisitive noise.

MURIEL

Is someone there? I...I have a...

SHE finds a feeble-looking stick.

MURIEL

I have a weapon!

DARA

I am terribly sorry. Are you alright? Are you lost? Sometimes people get lost out here.

MURIEL

I...no, not lost. I don’t think so, anyway. You startled me!

DARA

I know. What do you suppose you might have done with that twig in your hand? MURIEL Oh, yes, well I suppose I thought you might have been dangerous. Out in the woods here it can be, you know. You hear stories...I am looking for something. Something important. I left it here some time ago...What is your name?

DARA

Dara. Pleased to meet your acquaintance. What’s yours?

MURIEL

Muriel...Dara! That’s a pretty name. I don’t believe it’s common these days.

DARA

After my grandmother. She was an artist. They say she liked to paint trees.

MURIEL

Trees is it? How poetic. It’s lovely.

DARA

And Muriel? 

MURIEL

Ah, my mother was fond of the ocean. What are you doing out here? It’s a little off the beaten path, isn’t it?

DARA

I enjoy taking the evening air. The twilight soothes me. And I like the quiet.

MURIEL

All the way out in the middle of these dark and unappealing woods? You should be careful! You look young. Fifteen?

DARA

Eighteen.

MURIEL

Still! You know of the story? The girl killed by her false lover. Slit her thro--

DARA

--Throat so he could be free to court a more affluent lady. I know the story. It doesn’t frighten me.

MURIEL

Just a tale, I suppose. To keep the children from wandering. We must look after our children.

DARA

So, you are looking for something it seems?

MURIEL

Oh, my fur coat. I hid it out here, you see. My husband doesn’t like me to have it. Says it’s too “lavish” for our way of life, makes me look “wild and hoity-toity” to others. He is not a kind man, especially when he grieves. He is grieving now...Our son. A relentless fever. He was only five. My husband blames me. I went away, you see; took our little one. That’s when he became ill. My husband was heartbroken. But I couldn’t stay. He was a hunter. I could not tolerate it.

DARA

A hunter? Of what?

MURIEL

Sometimes deer, sometimes birds. Or seals. He loved hunting seals.

DARA

Seals?

MURIEL

Yes. For the fat. And the pelt. And the bloodlust. Perhaps reven--

DARA

--But he opposes to you wearing fur?

MURIEL

Yes, that’s different. He is afraid I will become wild and leave. (beat) Was afraid. I did leave. The consequences were dire. The most tragic...But I came back and now I can’t find my coat and the cold winds are coming. I really must go home.

DARA

And you need it to stay warm. What does it look like?

MURIEL

It’s grey. Well, probably more brown with the dirt than grey now. The fur is short, not plush like mink or rabbit.

DARA

More like a deer or sea lion’s skin?

MURIEL

More like that. I thought I had buried it here, but I don’t feel anything beneath the surface. Have you seen it?

MURIEL looks in a place she has not yet explored.

MURIEL

--Oh, if I don’t find it someone else will, and if they do, they will own m--

DARA

--I could help you look! Did you say own you?--

MURIEL

--Own IT! I meant it.

DARA

That’s a relief! I thought--

MURIEL

--You must need to be on your way, too! It is getting darker and chillier. That dress looks thinner than mine!

DARA

Oh, no, I’m alright.

MURIEL

That dress, it’s beautiful. So different.

DARA

Oh, yes, my mother saved it for me. It was hers. My favorite. I wear it always it seems. Anyway...

MURIEL

Huh. Where do you live?

DARA

In a house...made of wood. Good, solid wood.

MURIEL

My house has many leaks. It is not good, solid wood like yours. I don’t mind, though, I like the feel of water. Especially the salty ocean rain. When it’s stormy I go outside.

DARA

What’s the point in being soaked through indoors, I suppose!

MURIEL

Exactly! My husband thinks I am crazy, but he knew me well enough before he o...before he married me. So he should know better.

DARA

Oh, I don’t think it’s strange to want to want to feel alive. I enjoy being out here in nature, listening to the birds and enjoying the breeze.

MURIEL

I suppose on a spring day I could picture that, the birdsong, the breeze. Now everything seems so silent...so finite.

DARA

Everything is dying; nature’s own malediction.

MURIEL

Oh, but I find that invigorating, too. The changing of the seasons, Earth’s demonstration of life and death; the cycle. It makes one feel less stagnant, no? Like there’s room to grow. Like there is hope in time passed.

DARA

Hope in time passed. I like that. I have always thought it softens the feelings of vengeance just a little bit. Yes, time can heal.

MURIEL

Did you say vengeance?

DARA

Maybe I mean resentment. Maybe not. Sometimes I mix my words. It’s been a while since I have had a good conversation. I don’t know.

MURIEL

Ah, yes, I can understand resentment. But vengeance? That is a strong word for an eighteen-year-old gir--

DARA

--Some young folks know what it is to be unjustly wronged, and retribution is a turning toward adulthood. I may seem young, but I do not feel it. I know that seems naïve, an obvious flaw of my age to say, but it’s true. The bite of false love is a bitter burn to childhood. Is vengeance not one of the ultimate rites of passage?

MURIEL

In a way, perhaps. I suppose it depends upon the wrongdoer and the wronged, and the weight of the crime.

DARA

How can one be a true and wise person without having felt the widest of the less desirable emotions and acting upon them? It is not only thoughts and words that make one older, it is one’s actions, too. It is the hunting of the deer, the bird, the seal, and the consequence that follows: the gutting of what one reaps. I may be young, but I have felt that sting. I wish to be free of it someday but for now it is too raw...Here is to hope in time passed.