A Comedy in Three Acts

by
Zora Hurston

Cast

Jim Weston, a young man and the town bully (A Methodist)
Dave Carter, the town’s best hunter and fisherman (Baptist)
Joe Clarke, the Mayor, Postmaster, storekeeper
Daisy Blunt, the town vamp
Lum Boger, the Marshall
Walter Thomas, a villager (Methodist)
Lige Moseley, a villager (Methodist)
Joe Lindsay, a villager (Baptist)
Della Lewis, a villager (Baptist)
Tod Hambo, a villager (Baptist)
Lucy Taylor, a villager (Methodist)
Rev. Singletary (Baptist)
Rev. Simms (Methodist)
Villagers, children, dogs.

Act I

SETTING: A Negro village in Florida in our own time. All action from viewpoint of an actor facing audience.

PLACE: Joe Clarke’s store porch in the village. A frame building with a false front. A low porch with two steps up. Door in center of porch. A window on each side of the door. A bench on each side of the porch. Axhandles, hoes and shovels, etc. are displayed leaning against the wall. Exits right and left. Street is unpaved. Grass and weeds growing all over.

TIME: It is late afternoon on a Saturday in summer.

Before the curtain rises the voices of children are heard, boisterous at play. Shouts and laughter.

VOICE OF ONE BOY
Naw, I don’t want to play wringing no dish rag! We gointer play chick mah chick mah craney crow.

GIRL’S VOICE
Yeah, less play dat, and I’m gointer to be de hen.

BOY’S VOICE
And I’m gointer be de hawk. Lemme git myself a stick to mark wid. (The curtain rises slowly. As it goes up the game is being organized. The boy who is the hawk is squatting center stage in the street before the store with a short twig in his hand. The largest girl is lining up the other children behind her.)

THE MOTHER HEN
(looking back over her flock) Y’all ketch holt of one ‘nother’s clothes so de hauk can’t git yuh. (They do.) Y’all straight now?

CHORUS
Yeah. (The march around the hawk commences.)

HEN AND CHICKS
Chick mah chick mah craney crow
Went to de well to wash my toe
When I come back my chick was gone.
What time ole witch?

HAWK (making a tally on the ground)
One!

HEN AND CHICKS
Chick mah chick etc. — (While this is going on Walter Thomas from the store door eating peanuts from a bag appears and seats himself on the porch beside the steps.)

HAWK
(Scoring again) Two!

(Enter a little girl right. She trots up to the big girl.)

LITTLE GIRL (officiously)
Titter, mama say if you don’t come on wid dat soap she gointer wear you out.

HEN AND CHICKS
Chick mah chick etc. (While this is being sung, enter Joe Lindsay and seats himself on right bench. He lights his pipe. The little girl stands b by the fence rubbing her leg with her foot.)

HAWK (scoring)
Three!

LITTLE GIRL (insistent)
Titter, titter! Mama say to tell you to come on home wid dat soap and rake up dat yard. I bet she gointer beat you good.

BIG GIRL (angrily)
Aw naw, mama ain’t sent you after me, nothin’ of de kind! Gwan home and leave me alone.

LITTLE GIRL
You better come on! I’m gointer tell mama how ‘omanish you actin cause you in front of dese boys.

BIG GIRL (makes a threatenin’ gesture)
Aw don’t be so fast and showin’ off in company. Ack lak you ain’t got no sense!

LITTLE GIRL (starts to cry)
Dat’s all right. I’m going home and tell mama you down here playing wid boys and she sho gointer whup you good, too. I’m gointer tell her you called me a fool too, now. (She walks off, wiping her eyes and nose with the back of her hand) Yeah, I’m goin’ tell her! Jus’ showin’ off in front of ole John Wesley Taylor. I’m going to tell her too, now.

BIG GIRL (flounces her skirt)
Tell her! Tell her! Turn her up and smell her! (Game resumed) Chick mah chick etc.

HAWK
Four! (He arises and imitates a hawk flying and trying to catch a chicken. Calling in a high voice.) Chickie!!

HEN (Flapping her wings to protect her young)
My chickens’ sleep.

HAWK
Chickie!!

HEN
My chickens’ sleep.

HAWK
I shall have a chick.

HEN
You shan’t have a chick.

HAWK
I’m going home. (flies off)

HEN
There’s de road.

HAWK
I’m comin’ back.

(During this dialog the hawk is feinting and darting in his efforts to catch a chicken and the chickens are dancing defensively.)

HEN
Don’t keer if you do.

HAWK
My pot’s a boiling.

HEN
Let it boil.

HAWK
My guts a growling.

HEN
Let ‘em growl.

HAWK
I must have a chick.

HEN
You shan’t have nairn.

HAWK
My mama’s sick.

HEN
Let her die.

HAWK
Chickie!!

HEN
My chicken’s sleep.

(Hawk darts quickly around the hen and grabs a chicken and leads him off and places the captive on his knees at the store porch. After a brief bit of dancing he catches another, then a third who is a chubby little boy. The little boy begins to cry.)

LITTLE BOY
I ain’t gointer play cause you hurt me.

HAWK
Aw, naw, I din’t hurt you.

LITTLE BOY
Yeah you did too. You pecked me right here. (points to top of his head)

HAWK
Well if you so touchous you got to cry every time anybody look at you, you can’t play wid us.

LITTLE BOY
(smothering sobs) I ain’t cryin’. (He is placed with the other captives. Hawk returns to game.)

HAWK
Chickie.