SETTING: The cave of Polyphemos, the Cyclops. He is dressed
neo-retro-post-modern which means he is wearing only a diaper. His nipples
are pierced and he has a tattoo of Margaret Thatcher on his chest. He is
listening to Michael Nyman on his headphones with the volume turned all the
way up as he dances clumsily to the sequenced sounds.
In Chicago, an audience stares at a light cone that occasional moves and
flickers. For a moment they think they are in a disco where all the lights
but one have burned out.
In Buenos Aires, there is a net lag and on the screens are images of the
ocean and/or visual noise accompanied by the choros. The audience stares
at the screens and seems content.
Odysseus enters the cave. He is wearing a swim suit and a feather boa,
across his chest is a banner that says ODYSSEUS, SACKER OF CITIES. He is
followed by his companions played by the Spice Girls. They are completely
naked and singing their hit single WANNABE.
In Perth an actor playing Odysseus walks out on the stage. He looks at the
light cone in front of him and says,
"Hey, you one-eyed geek! How about showing some hospitality?"
In Vienna, the audience hears "hey...garbled...how...garbled...some."
In Chicago, there are now two light cones that occasional move and flicker.
The audience is excited by this new development.
In Buenos Aires, the net lag remains.
Polyphemos does not respond so Odysseus again addresses him,
"Hey Freak! I'm talking to you."
Polyphemos takes off his headphones and hears the Spice Girls He places
his hands over his ears and stomps around the room in pain.
In Chicago, the audience hears "Hey...garbled...you." The light cones do
not move because of the asynchronous nature of the Internet.
However, in Perth, the light cone representing Polyphemos moves
asynchronously into the path of the actor playing Odysseus. The actor is
temporarily blinded and falls into the audience where he fortunately lands
in the lap of a beautiful woman named Lucille (Footnote: Several months
after the performance they marry and have eight children. The youngest is
a boy named Calvin. He grows up to be a powerful dictator and starts a
nuclear war that plunges the world into chaos. The remaining survivors are
reduced into living in a primitive society where there is no Internet and
no email. Computers, now useless, are stacked into giant pyramids where
human sacrifices take place).
In Buenos Aires, the net lag remains. The audience is surprisingly subdued.
Polyphemos screams out,
"Stop that horrible noise. My ears are bleeding and my brain is aching
with pain."
Odysseus responds,
"Polyphemos, I would do anything to cease their screaming but for some
reason I am being punished and cannot stop them."
In Vienna, the audience hears,
"...do...garbled...screaming...garbled...them."
In Chicago, the asynchronous movement of Polyphemos's light cone causes it
to merge with the light cone of Odysseus (uh oh, a collision of heavenly
bodies).
In Perth, The actor playing Odysseus crawls back on stage. However, he is
still blind from the light and he stumbles into one of the screens. The
screen falls and lands on the foot of one of the technicians who yells in
agony. Fortunately, this fits into the performance because at the same
moment the asynchronous sound of Polyphemos screaming earlier is heard by
the audience.
Polyphemos says,
"I can't stand it any longer. That wretched noise is driving me crazy."
The Cyclops then reaches out and grabs the Spice Girls with one hand. He
dashes their heads on the ground spilling their brains and then eats them.
In Chicago, the two light cones flicker though they remain merged.
In Perth, an ambulance is called to remove the injured technician.
In Buenos Aires, the net lag remains. The audience appears mesmerized by
the choros and images on the screens.
Odysseus, having seen his companions, the Spice Girls, cruelly murdered and
eaten says to the Cyclops,
"Polyphemos, at long last, you have shown me some hospitality. I thought I
was fated to hear their horrible music for eternity."
Odysseus reaches out to shake the Cyclops's hand in gratitude but because
of the asynchronous movement he accidentally pokes his eye out instead.
Polyphemos roars in pain,
"First you subject me to the music of the underworld and now you blind me
as well. You shall suffer for this crime."
In Vienna, they hear "...music...garbled...blind...garbled...well."
In Chicago, the audience hears nothing but the light cones separate and
flicker.
In Perth, the ambulance arrives and removes the injured technician.
In Buenos Aires, the net lag remains.
Odysseus says,
"Polyphemos, if anyone should ask you how you came to your blindness, say
that it was noman who caused it."
To which Polyphemos responded,
"No wonder you are called the man of many resources, but you can not fool
me. Before you took out my eye, I saw your name clearly written across
your chest."
To which Odysseus said,
"Oh shit!"
In Vienna, the audience hears "...shit."
In Chicago, the lights flicker but do not move.
In Perth, a drunken brawl erupts and the theatre is destroyed.
In Buenos Aires, the net lag remains. The audience is now completely
hypnotized and under the control of a young Argentinean composer.
END OF SCENE 1
more adventures to follow...