Juniper Tree Script

Operation Juniper Tree

Rectangular space marked out in masking tape, smaller rectangle marked out upstage left. Inside smaller space there is a small stack of red apples. To the right side of the space there is a chair facing left and on the left of the chair there is a box of tissues.

I’m going to be weeping in this performance – but it’s alright.

Take tissue out of the box, with slight flourish. Look at the tissue, fold it in half, blow into the tissue, look at the tissue, fold over again, blow again, look again, fold once more and wipe eyes with it. (WEEPING MOMENT)

Stand up and start dabbing at chest with fingers.

Breathe heavily.

Walk centre and face audience, put arms out like tree branches. Become the Juniper Tree.

Once upon a time, there lived a rich man and his wife in a big beautiful house with a large courtyard and in the centre of the courtyard, I grew.

The husband and the wife were very happy together apart from they couldn’t have a child. They prayed day and night for a child but no child came.

One winter’s day, the wife stood beneath me peeling an apple and as she did so she cut her finger, and a drop of blood fell into the snow and she sighed, if only she could have a child as red as blood and as white as snow. Suddenly she felt happy and went back inside the house.

One month went by, and the snow had vanished.
Two months, and the world turned green.
Three months, and flowers bloomed out of the earth.
Four months, and all my twigs on my branches grew stronger and pressed themselves together, and the birds sang so loud that the woods resounded and the blossom fell from the trees.
Five months went by, and the woman stood beneath me. I smelled so sweet that her heart leaped in her chest, and she fell to her knees with joy.
Clap hands together
Six months went by, the fruit grew firm and heavy, and the woman fell still.
Bring arms down.
When seven months had gone by, she plucked my berries and ate so much of me she fell sick and sorrowful.
After the eighth month had gone by, and she called her husband, and said to him, weeping,
Take a tissue – weeping moment
"If I die, then bury me beneath the juniper tree."
She felt comforted by his promise, and then one more month went by, and she had a child as red as blood and as white as snow; when she saw the baby her heart could not contain her joy, and she died.

Her husband buried her under me, weeping bitterly.

Progression into the mother becoming the tree
And he wept and he wept and he wept and he wept and I began to worry because he was weeping so much and he had our boy to look after. After a while, he wept but less bitterly and presently, he married again. Which was fine, my little boy would have a mother and soon they had a daughter. Marleenken. Her choice of name, and she was… well she was a playmate for my little boy and they would play together beneath me and they were happy in the beautiful house.

Change of tone.

But that wasn’t enough for her. She was certain that my boy would inherit everything and her Marleenken would get nothing. She began to hate my boy for it and she began to punish him for it. She lapped him, cuffed him, she shouted at him … If he had the smallest scuff on his shoe, she would make him stand in a corner and polish them so much that his hands were red raw. She once gave him a tent peg and asked him to dig up the dirt between every cobble in the courtyard and he wasn’t allowed any supper till he’d finished, and the courtyard is very large with a lot of very small cobbles. If he was a second longer brushing his teeth than Marleenken she would push his head hard under the tap. The worst thing she did was tell him that he couldn’t tell his father about it and even if he did, his father would not believe it.

I remember the last day I saw my little boy alive.
Start acting out the step mother, but continue the voice of the mother.
She was in the kitchen and Marleenken came in and asked for an apple. She said yes of course and she walked into the pantry, which had a large wooden chest with a heavy wooden lid with an iron lip (mime out the chest, opening the heavy lid, stand side on to the audience) and took and apple out for Marleenken she was about to hand it to her when Marleenken asked if her brother may have one as well. With that she snatched the apple away from Marleenken, sent her to her room, put the apple back into the chest and was about to slam the lid shut but she didn’t she left it open. When my little boy came home later that afternoon, she asked him whether he wanted an apple. He said yes he would but why were her eyes so fierce? She told him to get one from the chest and reach right to the back, as that was where the best apples were kept. As he crouched over the chest reaching far into the back, she slammed the lid down on his neck. His beautiful little head rolled among the apples and his precious body slumped to the floor.

I didn’t do it. I didn’t do it. I didn’t (Archers theme tune humming) I’ll just put him back together again, here I’ll get my scarf and put it on his body, there and then I’ll just attach his head and then there nothing different, arrh Marleenken there you are (Looking at audience) you still want that apple? Well your brother has it. What he didn’t respond, well ask him again and this time if he doesn’t say anything I want you to smack his face.

(smack apple off hand)

PANTO GASP

Marleneken. YOU BAD GIRL. Look what you’ve done! Oh now Marleenken don’t cry, don’t cry here, here’s that apple and have a tissue. Dry your eyes there’s no use crying. Mummy will make it better, we will get rid of him before daddy comes home and then you won’t get into trouble. We’ll hide him from daddy. I know we’ll put him in a stew, we will make a delicious stew for daddy and then he won’t be angry. Shh shh Marleenken shh shh look I’m going to cut off his arms and legs there now, he’s smaller already, drop those into the pot, that’s it and then I’ll slice open his chest and pass me that spoon, oh Marleenken please don’t cry look mummy’s got everything under control, getting all his insides and throwing them into the pot mmm smells delicious already. Right and now I’ll just break this side of the chest and put that into the pot and the other. Look Marleenken all that’s left is the head, errm don’t look sweetheart one moment, that’s it dry your eyes. That’s it all gone, mummys made it disappear. Mmmm yes this looks delicious. Look Marleenken if you’re going to cry please do it into the pot it needs a little more salt, I forgot the stock after all this hoo har cleaning up your mess.

Hello, darling good day at work. Look me and Marleenken have made you a delicious stew. We made it together didn’t we Marleenken. Oh shes just upset because her brothers not here. Not for long. Anyway have some of this stew we’ve made you, we’ve been cooking all evening. What’s in it? Well we just made it up as we went along didn’t we, we added something extra special didn’t we Marleenken? To make it extra tasty! Of course you can have some more. Oh no it’s a secret ingredient only me and Marleenken can know, can’t we darling. You’ve eaten nearly all of it, you were hungry. Oh look silly daddy throwing all the bones under the table. Marleenken what are you doing under the table?

WEEPING MOMENT

Kneel under the table, collect the bones and put them into the tissue, fold the tissue up place it look up at the ‘tree’.

Stand up and look down at feet.

Marleenken collected the bones from under the table and wrapped them in the scarf. She went outside into the courtyard and placed them at my roots. She gave my son back to me.

Raise arms up and clap hands together. Slowly.

For a moment I held him

Release arms.

And then I let him go.
Go tell your story. Go tell the world.

Singing
My mother killed
My father ate me
My sister buried my bones
Under the juniper tree
Do you believe me
Do you believe me

I was working on a golden chain when I heard the bird song, it came from outside. It was so beautiful I stopped what I was doing and I had to see what sort of bird could produce such a wonderful son. I ran outside to find out, I was in such a rush that one of my slippers fell off and I stood in the middle of the street in my apron, one slipper on, pincers in one hand and the chain in the other. I asked to hear the song again, I just had to hear it agin. The bird agreed to sing again. All he asked in return was the golden chain. I gave it willingly and he flew down and grabbed the chain in his left claw before singing his song once again.

Singing
My mother killed
My father ate me
My sister buried my bones
Under the juniper tree
Do you believe me
Do you believe me

I was in my workshop, making a pain of red slippers when suddenly the most beautiful song I ever heard filtered through the window. My hammer stopped still when I heard it. I ran outside and called up to him. Bird you are such a wonderful singer! I’ve never heard a song like it. I ran back inside and called for my wife, my daughter and her children and my apprentices and the maid and told them to come and listen to the marvellous bird. We all stood in the street in amazement, I asked him to sing the song again for them all to hear. He said he wouldn’t sing twice for nothing so I traded him the red slippers I’d been working on, a small price to pay for such a beautiful song.

Singing
My mother killed
My father ate me
My sister buried my bones
Under the juniper tree
Do you believe me
Do you believe me

I was working at the mill, one of twenty apprentices working on a millstone. The bird came flying down and watched us work. Then he sang and under the noise of the wheel and our chiselling his beautiful song fed through to us one by one until before long we all paused and listened to it. I only caught the last line,but it was the best song I’d ever heard, I had to hear it again and I begged the bird to start again.It asked for the millstone in return, it wasn’t ours to give but he was welcome to have it so long as we cold hear the song once again. All twenty of us heaved the millstone onto its side and the bird flew down and puts its neck through the centre of the stone, wearing it like a collar it flew high into the sky and sang his song for us.

Singing
My mother killed
My father ate me
My sister buried my bones
Under the juniper tree
Do you believe me
Do you believe me