Emerald City by David Williamson Page A

you?
    KATE : [ guiltily ] Ah. No. It was all a bit frantic.
    COLIN : I thought we should go back to Melbourne.
    KATE : Melbourne? But Colin—
    COLIN : [ interrupting ] But then I changed my mind. Do you know what made me change my mind?
    KATE : What?
    COLIN : I was waiting for a taxi in the city and there were two derelicts asleep on benches. A City Mission van drove up and a young guy went across and talked to them without any hint of judgement, and took them somewhere safe and warm.
    KATE : How does that relate to Melbourne?
    COLIN : That young guy doesn’t dream of waterfront mansions. He gets a couple of hundred dollars a week, a handful of people know that he’s a good human being, and as far as he’s concerned, that’s enough.
    KATE : What are you telling me, Colin? You’re going to work for the City Mission.
    COLIN : No. I’m not as good a human being as he is, and after the film deal you did on Black Rage , neither are you. The incident reminded me of something Elaine said. Don’t blame the city. The demons are in us.
    KATE : So we’re going to stay in Sydney?
    COLIN : Yes.
    KATE : [ drily ] Good. Now that we’ve settled our future, and you’ve established that we’re both evil, do you think we could go to bed?
    KATE exits. COLIN stands by himself. Cocktail chatter is heard in the background. MIKE enters and walks up to him.
    MIKE : Finally got that film of yours up.
    COLIN : Yes, we did.
    MIKE : How were the reviews?
    COLIN : Very good. Excellent.
    MIKE : I only saw the one in the Herald .
    COLIN : That was the only bad one.
    MIKE : Pity. That would’ve been the most important one for you.
    COLIN : Not really.
    MIKE : Meant to catch it. Didn’t seem to be around long.
    COLIN : It did eight weeks.
    MIKE : Eight?
    COLIN : If I’d wanted to run for a year I’d’ve written ET .
    MIKE : Won’t be much return for the investors.
    COLIN : We’re hoping for an overseas sale.
    MIKE : Wish you luck.
    COLIN : The American reviewers seemed a bit cool to Sister Nun .
    MIKE : Crying all the way to the bank. Had a six-million US presale.
    COLIN : I read that you’re cutting back on production.
    MIKE : [ swallowing a tablet ] It’s been tougher than we expected, but we’re getting there.
    COLIN : No plans for Black Rage?
    MIKE : We’ve put that one on the back burner. Poor black kid making it is big news here, but it happens every day over there. Be hard for you to get a new movie up now, I suppose?
    COLIN : It’s always hard. Having problems with Equity I hear?
    MIKE : Storm in a teacup.
    COLIN : I heard they were axing your next movie unless at least one Australian got a lead role.
    MIKE : They’ve got their head in the sand. How can I pre-sell our movies to the States with unknown actors in the lead? [ To the audience ] Why does the Film Commission invite him? Everyone in the industry knows his last film was a disaster. Eleven thousand in its first week and it went down from there. He’ll be lucky if he ever gets another film up in his life, poor bastard. Can’t help feeling sorry for him. I just wish the papers would start employing critics who like what the public like for a change, instead of giving losers like that the good crits.
    COLIN : [ to the audience ] Why does the Commission keep inviting him? If he knew the contempt he was held in by all the people in this room, he’d never show his face around here again. I can’t bring myself to hate him anymore. He’s a figure of great pathos. The only thing that makes me angry is the money he makes. I don’t want to be rich, but it’s sad to see the dollars go to turds like that, while serious filmmakers beg and scrape.
    MIKE : Take care.
    COLIN : You too.
    MIKE and COLIN nod at each other and turn away to face the audience. They stand there shaking their heads, assuming with never a doubt that the audience is on their side. As they share this certainty