Faust~How IRose(1996)

FAUST/HOW I ROSE- OCTOBER 2004

TEXT, SET AND VIDEO DESIGN BY JOHN JESURUN

DIRECTED BY MARTIN ACOSTA. SPANISH+ENGLISH

FESTIVAL CERVANTINO, GUANAJUATO MEXICO, OCT.2004

NEXT WAVE FESTIVAL, BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC -

NOV.2004

TEXT PUBLISHED BY PERFORMING ARTS JOURNAL-

OTHER VERSIONS:

"Faust - Imperial Motel" OR "Jump-Cut Faust" written by John Jesurun

Commissioned by Theater Neumarkt/Builders AssociationDirected by Marianne Weems/Builders Association, Theater Neumarkt Zurich, Switzerland 1996

Thread Waxing Space, NYC, 1997

FAUST/HOW I ROSE -Reading Directed by John Jesurun, P.S. 122, NYC 1998

Cast: Jeff Weiss, Larry Fessenden, Anna Kohler, Black-Eyed Susan, Rebecca Moore

Faust/How I Rose written, directed, and designed by John Jesurun (GERMAN)

Mousonturm, Frankfurt, Germany 1999

Spanish version - directed by Martin Acosta, National Company of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico 1998

TEXT EXCERPT-FAUST/HOW I ROSE

SCENE 10. HOW I ROSE

(Faust and Mephistopheles PLAYING GOLF DURING A THUNDERSTORM)

THE POPE HAS BEEN MURDERED. I SUPPOSE THAT'S A GOOD THING.

I COULD NEVER FIGURE OUT WHOSE SIDE HE WAS ON.

EVEN GOD COULDN'T FIGURE IT OUT. MORE CHOCOLATE?

NO THANKS.

ONE NIGHT I'LL TAKE YOUR SOUL.

WE'LL FLY AWAY ,AWAY ,AWAY FROM OF ALL OF THIS, MY LOVE.

YOU SEE YOUR HOPE GROW, WE'LL SEE HOW IT DIES.

AND DROWN IN THE BLACK MILK OF THE DEVIL'S KINDNESS?

MY DEAR FAUST, ALL YOUR BEAUTY, WHAT HAS BECOME OF IT?

LOOK AT YOU. DEFLATED CASTRATED

WILD THING.

ALL THIS SHIT ON YOUR TONGUE,

SURELY YOU WEREN'T BORN WITH IT.

MY DEAR LUCIFER,ALL YOUR PRECIOUS BEAUTY, WHAT HAS BECOME OF IT?

SCATTERED ACROSS THE HEAVENS.

THE MILKY WAY?

A GUTTERFULL OF VOMIT.

YOUR CURIOSITY, YOUR DELIGHT, YOUR WONDER. THE SPLENDID, SPLENDOUR OF YOUR REASON.

NO REASON FOR IT.

YOUR NEED FOR NEED,WHERE IS IT NOW?

I DON'T NEED IT.

IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN HELP YOU WITH?

(TOUCHES HER ARM)

THE AGONY OF HUMAN TOUCH, LEAVE IT BEHIND.

LET IT GO.

(HOLDS HER HANDS UP TO HIS FACE AND LOOKS AT THEM)

YOUR HANDS ARE EMPTY .YOU'RE GOING UNDER.

WILL OUR PATHS CROSS AGAIN ?

I DON'T THINK SO.

DONT YOU UNDERSTAND?

YOU LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE EVERYTHING GOES WRONG.

THE CORE OF YOUR LEARNING, YOUR YEARNING IS A POISONED CLAM HARVEST.

A TUMBLING CREATION ENGULFED IN A KITSCH -DARKNESS

WE CAN'T SEE OUR WAY OUT OF .

WE'VE CONFUSED YOU.

A FIRE THAT WILL NEVER LIGHT

A THOUGHT THAT WILL NEVER IGNITE

YOUR ENDLESS LOVE IS AT AN END.

WHO ARE YOU ?WHAT ARE YOU ? SOME KIND OF SUPERHUMAN CRUD?

CAN I HELP YOU ?

HOW DID YOU RISE SO HIGH, TO FALL SO LOW?

HOW DID YOU FALL SO LOW TO WANT TO RISE SO HIGH?

HOW THOU ART FALLEN FROM HEAVEN ,FAUST, SON OF THE MORNING .

SHADOW OF NIGHT, THE DARKEST SHADOW OF THE DARKEST SHADOW OF NIGHT.

ITS VERY SAD.

LIGHT NO MORE,BEAUTY NO MORE , MORNING NO MORE, GOOD NEWS NO MORE. ENCOURAGING WORDS NO MORE.

ALL CIVILIZATIONS ORGANIZE BY THE STARS BUT WHEN THE STARS LEAD DOWNWARD THEY MUST FOLLOW.

SOMETIMES IT TAKES FOREVER.

TO THINK YOU COULD RISE SO HIGH.

AND WHEN THEY ASK ME HOW I TOOK YOUR SOUL, I CAN SAY I DIDN'T TAKE HIS SOUL. HE GAVE IT TO ME. GAVE IN .GAVE UP. AND GAVE IT TO ME.

HOW DID HE RISE SO HIGH TO FALL SO LOW?

HOW DID YOU RISE SO HIGH TO FALL SO LOW?

I WASN'T GOING TO STAY DOWN THERE LIVING LIKE A JUNKIE.

YOU THINK I'M AN IDIOT?

I ROSE AGAIN THE WAY I ROSE THE FIRST TIME. THE WAY I RISE EVERY DAY. EVERY SECOND, EVERY MINUTE, EVERY HOUR, MILLISECOND BY FUCKING MILLISECOND.

IF THAT MOTHERFUCKER WANTED TO KEEP ME DOWN

HE SURE MADE A MISTAKE.

HE CAN HAVE EAST BERLIN BACK IF HE WANTS

HE CAN TAKE HALF OF RUSSIA BACK. I DON'T CARE.

BUT I'LL NEVER GIVE HIM CHINA OR THE UNITED STATES.

NEVER, THEY'RE MINE .

HE CAN HAVE HEAVEN. BUT THE EARTH IS MINE.

I BROUGHT THEM FIRE.

I BROUGHT THEM LOVE AND INSTEAD OF TENDERNESS I FOUND DARKNESS INSTEAD.

I TAUGHT THEM HOW TO SURF FOR GOD'S SAKE.

I WAS THE ONE.

SO I SAID, OH ,FARE THEE WELL MY LORD.

AND HE SAID FARE THEE WELL MY MORNING STAR

IN MY HEART YOU'LL LIVE FOREVER .

I WAS HURLED, UNFURLED.

MY EARS BURNING.

BUT YOU HAD THE SEAL OF PERFECTION. FULL OF WISDOM AND PERFECT IN BEAUTY.

YOU WERE THE ANOINTED CHERUB WHO COVERS, AND I PLACED YOU THERE.

YOU WERE ON THE HOLY MOUNTAIN OF GOD.

YEAH RIGHT.

YOU WALKED IN THE MIDST OF STONES ON FIRE.

YEAH RIGHT.

YOU WERE BLAMELESS IN YOUR WAYS FROM THE DAY YOU WERE CREATED UNTIL UNRIGHTOUSNESS WAS FOUND IN YOU.

YEAH RIGHT.

YOUR HEART WAS LIFTED UP BECAUSE OF YOUR BEAUTY. YOU CORRUPTED YOUR WISDOM BY REASON OF YOUR SPLENDOUR.

ON THE CONTRARY . MY HEART WAS LIFTED UP BY THE SPLENDOUR OF MY REASON.

I WILL ASCEND TO HEAVEN,

I WILL EXALT MY THRONE ABOVE THE STARS OF GOD.,

I WILL SIT ALSO UPON THE MOUNT OF OF THE CONGREGATION.

I WILL ASCEND ABOVE THE HEIGHTS OF THE CLOUDS.

I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH.

AND I ROSE AND I ROSE AND I ROSE. NOT TOWARDS THE LIGHT BUT INTO DARKNESS BY THE

SPLENDOUR OF MY REASON.

GET IT?

THE SPLENDOR OF MY REASON LIFTED ME UP.

HOW DARK WAS THE DARK ?

AN ETERNAL COMA.

FOREVER ON THE EDGE OF WAKING BUT NEVER TO WAKE.

YOU WOKE YOURSELF UP BY THE SPLENDOUR OF YOUR RESENTMENT.

AND I COULD HEAR MUSIC.

WHEN I WOKE UP I THOUGHT GOD WOULD BE WAITING. BUT WHAT DO I GET ? PEOPLE LIKE THAT PINHEADED JUDGE TO BABYSIT CENTURY AFTER CENTURY.

I'M ONLY TRYING TO GO BACK TO GOD.

GO BACK TO SLEEP.

YOU DONT KNOW WHAT SLEEP IS.

ANY GRIEF?

THE GRIEF?

A THOUSAND PUSHPINS PIERCE MY BREAST.

CATASTROPHE,CATASTROPHE,GRANDE CATASTROPHE.

PENNY LANE IS IN MY EARS AND IN MY EYES.

YOU'RE TRYING TO PERSUADE ME INTO THE DELUDING COMFORTS OF SIN AND MUSIC. THE SOUND OF YOUNG AMERICA.

I'M TRYING TO COMFORT YOU

COMFORT, COMFORT.

YOU WOULD UNDERSTAND .

ITS THE PROGRESS OF A BROKEN HEART.

I'M THE DEVIL .I KNOW NOTHING ABOUT MATTERS OF THE HEART. MY HEART WAS SHREDDED AGES AGO.

I CAN'T REMEMBER .I DON'T UNDERSTAND.

YES YOU DO.

THOSE DROPS FALLING FROM YOUR EYES.....

TASTE THEM.

SNAKE VENOM.

I THOUGHT SO. DO YOU HAVE THE STRENGTH TO HURL ME OUT OF YOUR ORBIT?

YES

YES.

THIS DAILY CONVERSATION WE HAVE

YOU WANT ME TO SUFFER TOO.

ITS YOUR TURN.

THIS DAILY CONVERSATION WE HAVE.

ITS BEAUTIFUL BUT I DONT GET IT.

HOW THOU ART FALLEN FROM HEAVEN, O LUCIFER , SON OF THE MORNING STAR.

SHADOW OF NIGHT. THE DARKEST SHADOW

OF THE DARKEST SHADOW OF NIGHT.

HOW THOU ART FALLEN.

NO MORE LIGHT, NO MORE BEAUTY, NO MORE MORNING DEFLATED, CASTRATED.

AND MY ANGER ,MY DISBELIEF. I CAN'T FIND IT .WHERE DID YOU PUT IT? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH IT?

YOU'LL FIND IT IN THE STINGING, STINKING VAPORS OF GRIEF YOU'LL INHALE.

INSTEAD OF BELIEF YOU'LL FIND CHERNOBLISM. CATASTROPHE, CATASTROPHE, GRAND CATASTROPHE. YOU'RE INHALING IT RIGHT NOW AND YOU DONT EVEN KNOW IT.

POOR YOU ,LIVING IN SOME FROZEN NORTH COUNTRY

AFTER THE AFTERMATH.

MIDGET PROPHET ,CUPID REBUKED.

RUINED BY YOUR OWN PERSISTENT MEMORY.

HUNKERED DOWN IN THE ACID HOUSE.

RE-INHALING WHOLE MOUNTAINS OF IT.

CHEWING AND RECHEWING THE MARROW.

SUCKING YOUR ATOMIC BONG.

CATASTOPHE,GRAND CATASTROPHE.

A LITTLE WHITE PETAL HAS FALLEN AND PIERCED ITSELF ON A CACTUS SPINE.

THE DAY WILL COME WHEN YOU'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS PURE METICULOUS REALITY YOU'VE INVENTED.

THE DAY WILL COME WHEN YOU'LL WAKE UP FROM THIS PURE METICULOUS REALITY YOU'VE INVENTED

ITS A HEARTACHE I KNOW.

THERE I AM A NOT A MAN AND DARE NOT BE ONE.

ITS AN INCREDIBLE EXERTION.

YOUR SOUL WILL BE SHAKEN BUT NOT TO WORRY

YOUR FINGERS WILL SHAKE

YOUR HEARTSICK HEART WILL QUAKE.

YOUR LIPS WILL SHIVER

YOUR EYELASHES WILL SHUDDER.

THEN YOUR HEART WILL BE FULL.

THEN YOU'LL KNOW WHAT YOU'VE INHALED

THERE I AM A MAN AND DARE NOT BE ONE.

THERE YOU ARE A MAN AND DARE BE ONE?

ITS A HEARTACHE, I KNOW.

YOU COULD TALK THE BONES OUT OF A LIVING CHICKEN BUT WHAT GOOD DOES IT DO ?

AND YOU DIDN'T EVEN SIGN A CONTRACT.