Act 2

ACT 2

SCENE 1 - DISCO - BLUES

Where do I belong? Anthony seeks consolation through music

Interior Disco. City Nightclub

Anthony is dancing with his girlfriend, Jane, in a choreographed disco dance routine with the other people on the dance floor. Anthony stops dancing and wants to leave to go down to the blues club. Jane leaves with him.

Interior Blues. Night

Anthony and Jane arrive at the blues during a reggae toasting session. Two rival D.J.s are competing for the approval of the crowd. Jane then sings “Lovers Rock” with images of arguments and fights, and other human feelings, (jealousy, envy etc.) taken of those present mainly dancing to the song. ship she took to come to England.

SONG: 'Lovers Rock'

SONG: 'Lovers Rock Dub'

SONG: 'Not Only On Saturday Night'

SCENE 2 - JOINING THE RANKS

Street-scene / Cafe scene

Exterior Street Corner. Day

Elroy, Blackboy and Bongo are playing their cassette player (ghetto-blaster) at the street corner. Elroy stands singing – “Oh What A Life”. Blackboy picks up where Elroy ends and sings ”Sing my Song”. Anthony and Jane arrive and argue with the others about what they should be doing – and laugh about the idea of retraining. Anthony says he will see Jane later and she leaves. Two white guys, one an old schoolfriend of Anthony’s come looking for a “smoke” and they all go off to the cafe together.

Interior Cafe. Day

The cafe is busy. Around a few scattered tables, on stools or benches, people are playing dominoes, ludo or cards for money. Others are preoccupied by the space-invaders and pinball machines. A fight breaks out between Elroy and Smokey arguing about the nuclear bomb and an old dispute about a girlfriend. The cafe owner breaks it up and Anthony sings “Ghetto Dub”.

SONG: 'Hard Times'

SONG: 'Me Own Rhythm'

SONG: 'Woe Woe Dub'

SONG: 'Ghetto Dub'

Exterior wharfside England

On landing in England she is set by the Welcomers dressed in medieval gowns and carrying sceptres of peace against a futuristic landscape. The Welcomers Song: “Touch The Dove Of Love”. They greet her with musical instruments and sing “Blake’s Jerusalem”. The chief Welcomer extends a warm welcome and Mrs. Bailey cannot believe her luck (“My children can go to Oxford or Cambridge?“ and the answer is positive – “It is an open land – according to your energies you are rewarded”). Mrs. Bailey is suddenly overwhelmed by the thoughts of great material wealth and sees images (with the help of video special effects) millions of sewing machines, thousands of vacuum cleaners, stores, houses, fashions, food, world holidays, aeroplanes and even spaceships. All these with pound bills hanging from them as though leaves on a tree. The Welcomers eventually find out she is from the 20^th century and is before the time, and send her back like an illegal immigrant. She protests that she has a child born in England (introducing her real situation into the imaginary one).

SONG: 'Give Me Back Me Shilling'

SONG: Blake's 'Jerusalem'

SONG: Welcomer's Song 'Dove Of Peace'

SCENE 4 - FROM DREAM TO REALITY

Mildred's neighbour wakes her up and she faces reality with the news of rioting in the streets outside - "Oh lawd! Me children, Anthony! Florence!"

She is abruptly awoken by the pounding on her door. A neighbour is screaming her name. She opens the door and is confronted by rioting out in the streets. She stands in the balcony, frantically calling for her children – Anthony and Florence.

Interior Cafe. Day

Anthony and his friends are involved in cafe going-ons. A Police Officer enters with two back-up cars and dogs outside, to say they have to close the cafe. Anthony confronts the cafe crowd, wanting to know if it is because it is a black cafe. The Police Officer threatens to come back in force and leaves. More rioting ensues. More Police arrive and more bricks and petrol bombs become missiles in two fierce assaults between the rioters and the Police. Anthony cries out – “Take that for no-hope school”, (hurls another missile) “and that for my prostitute sister”.

SONG: 'Riot Dub'