Mother Mary (2026)

[bunniefuu]

(HEART THUMPING)

(THUMPING STOPS)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

SAM: "You are a carcinogen,"

I would say to her.

"You are a tumor,

"whose malignancy has defined

"the ebb and flow

of all I've done,

"of all I've tried to do.

"And yet, in spite of that,

"do you know how much space

you occupy

"in the entirety of me?

"This much.

"You define my life,

"and yet, this is how much

you matter to me.

"If you hadn't shown up

on my door this morning,

"I'd have gladly gone

the rest of my days

"thinking of you regularly,

"but from a distance,

"flung from your orbit.

"But now...

"you are here

"and the bile is rising

and taking the form of words.

"And what these words mean is,

"never have I known

"how closely love

and hate are bound

"than when I think of you

and realize

"you deserve neither."

(HEART BEATING)

(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYING)

I'll k*ll you softly

So sweetly, kindly

I'm mesmerizing

It's terrifying

-(HEART BEATING)

-(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

This black suit fits

like a glove

I was born to be

the widow of love

Won't lose myself

to a touch

I was born to be

the widow of love

This black suit fits

like a glove

I was born to be

the widow of love

My red heart freed

like a dove

But you tell me

that it's never enough

This is your burial

(BACKUP SINGER VOCALIZING)

This is your burial

This is your burial

(VOCALIZING)

(CONTINUES VOCALIZING)

(VOCALIZING INTENSIFIES)

This black suit fits

like a glove

I was born to be

the widow of love

Won't lose myself

to a touch

I was born to be

the widow of love

This black suit

fits like a glove

But your teeth

tell me I'm not enough

This is your burial

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

SAM: I hadn't seen her

in over 10 years.

But I could tell she was

coming from a mile away.

More than a mile.

A thousand miles.

I woke up that morning

with a taste in my mouth

I hadn't felt in years.

(WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

(WOMAN SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

Is it... Is it a bit too rigid

here at the waist?

WOMAN 2: How do you feel?

You feel okay?

Yeah. I just... It's...

-I do love how bold it is.

-Yeah.

A whole new you.

SAM: I cast it

out of my mind,

but as the day went on,

the taste left my mouth

and traveled

to that space behind my eyes

where it settled

and turned thick.

By the time the late flights

from LAX to Heathrow

were coming in

for their landing,

I felt as if a secret twin

had grown in my skull.

(SPEAKING INDISTINCTLY)

WOMAN 3: What's wrong?

Are you okay?

(BREATH TREMBLING)

(DISTANT SCREAMING)

-(SCREAMING STOPS)

-(WHIMPERS)

(SHRIEKS)

SAM: It was calling,

shouting,

screaming,

telling me

it was coming.

She was coming.

She was here.

(RAIN PATTERING)

(MUFFLED DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER

IN BACKGROUND)

(DANCE MUSIC PLAYING)

Uh, hi. Excuse me.

Hi. Can I help you?

I'm looking for Sam.

Oh, I'm afraid

Sam isn't available right now.

Are you...

Does Sam know you were coming?

No, no.

Okay, uh...

Well, then could I just

ask you to just wait, uh...

MARY: Sam?

(PANTING) Sam?

HILDA: Um...

-Sam?

-Sorry, you really can't...

-Uh...

-MARY: (PANTING) Sam?

HILDA: Sam's not

seeing anybody

-right now.

-Sam?

Sam, I'm so sorry.

I didn't see her coming,

she just came in. (PANTING)

Sam, I need a dress.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

SAM: Just landed?

MARY: Yes.

SAM: From LA?

Yes, I just came from...

Would you like

something to eat?

-Uh... No, I...

-Hilda,

do we... do we have anything

to eat here?

Um, not really, no.

Okay. (CHUCKLING)

Well, there you go.

Does anyone know you're here?

-No.

-SAM: I... I...

I must say,

I wish you had called.

You might have noticed

we're a little underwater

-at the moment.

-Would you have answered?

(CHUCKLING) No,

but somebody would have.

And they could have told you

we're very busy.

Sam has her show coming up.

MARY: Oh.

Sorry.

For not calling

or for just showing up?

In general.

Wouldn't you rather get

more specific?

I just never had the chance

to say it before,

-so...

-So the onus is on me then,

to list off your offenses

one by one

and cross-check them

against the totality

of your "I'm sorry"?

Oh, well.

That hardly seems worth it,

does it?

Making me do all the work,

-just like you always do.

-I can go

if you want.

If you want to go, go.

If you want to stay, stay.

If you want to apologize,

you go for it.

But if you stay,

please stop doing

that hovering thing

you always do,

because it makes me

very nervous.

-Sorry.

-You already said that.

-I mean it.

-Say it two more times,

so I believe you.

-(INHALES)

-But not yet.

Catch me by surprise

with your sincerity.

Now, why don't you start

with why you're here?

I really do need a dress.

What, you don't have

a whole coterie of stylists

to take care of that for you?

No, I do. But it's not...

working out.

And this performance,

when is it?

The 31st.

-That's on Sunday?

-Yes.

And today is?

Thursday.

Well, that's impossible.

What's wrong

with the dress you have?

I'm assuming you have one.

It's just all wrong.

SAM: May I see it?

-So that's it?

-MARY: Yes.

SAM: It's not a dress at all.

Who made it?

Saracen & Pare.

SAM: Hmm.

Tell me three things

that are wrong with it.

It doesn't feel like me.

Okay. It doesn't

feel like you. That's one.

That's it.

That's it?

-Yes.

-So you,

who have been dressed

by everyone

and worn everything,

who once paraded down

a red... (CHUCKLING) ...carpet

wearing nothing

but freshly poured honey,

you have somehow found

the one outfit

in all of creation

that doesn't feel like you?

Yes.

And you've come

crawling back to me

because you know

I can do better?

-Yes.

-Because I, above all others,

know you?

Because I didn't know

where else to go.

Truly?

Yes.

Will you let me do

whatever I like?

Yes. But...

Will you do exactly as I say?

Yes, within...

And will you wear what I make?

Yes.

And can you stop time?

(SNAPS FINGERS)

Just did.

(CLOCK TICKING)

SAM: This is really

going to take some doing,

if we're gonna pull this off.

MARY: Just tell me

what I can do.

SAM: You can just

keep talking.

That's how this works.

You tell me something

like how you're feeling,

and I'll take those feelings

and turn them into a dress.

The transubstantiation

of feeling.

That's what we're doing here.

Here we are.

Now, as you can see,

I've entered

my Ms. Havisham period

very much ahead of schedule.

This is where I come to cry

my eyes out in the dark.

Stand here, please.

Now, uh...

I haven't had a new idea

in ages.

Not a good one, at least.

So if we're to do this,

I'm just gonna

have to fasten things to you

-until inspiration strikes.

-(METAL CLANKING)

SAM: There we go.

HILDA: Uh, can I take

your sweater?

Yes.

-Thank you.

-Mmm-hmm.

So...

So tell me more

about this dress we're making.

What do you see in your head?

Just...

me.

Just you?

MARY: But...

But all of me.

I was thinking more like,

"What color?"

-Uh...

-Hold still.

Whatever you like.

But no red.

Do you have to be able

to move?

-Yes.

-Dance?

-Yes.

-Any stunts or harnesses?

No.

Backup dancers?

-Nine.

-I'm not making

-anything for them.

-I know.

There's simply

not enough time.

I know. You don't have to.

Just me.

HILDA: Arms up.

What song are you singing?

Spooky Action.

Hmm. I don't remember

that one.

-'Cause it's new.

-Oh.

That explains it then.

Did you write it?

Yes.

I'll play it for you

if you want.

Yes, maybe later.

(PEN SCRIBBLING)

It's good.

I am sure it is.

It might be

the best song ever written

-in the history of songs.

-SAM: Mmm.

Lift your shirt up

for me, please.

You've gotten so tiny.

The tiniest intruder.

You're exactly the same.

Oh, no, I'm not.

You'll see.

You'll see how I've changed.

What the years

have made of me.

Okay. That's good for now.

Thank you, Hilda.

(SCRAPING)

-Hilda.

-Yes?

Hilda, would you run back

to the main house

-and grab a few things for me?

-Mmm-hmm.

SAM: What does this matter?

-You know what I need?

-Of course.

SAM: Uh, what about you?

Can we get you anything?

-I'm fine. Thank you.

-SAM: Okay. Good.

HILDA: Okay.

I'll be right back.

(DOOR OPENS)

(DOOR CLOSES)

She's not gonna tell anyone...

No. Don't worry.

There are no spies

in our midst.

I just need her

to bring me some things.

Some old bric-a-brac,

a few bolts of fabric,

and a good pair of scissors

in case one of us has

the sudden desire to...

-(GRUNTING)

-(GASPS SOFTLY)

-(SCISSORS CLATTER)

-Okay.

(FOOTSTEPS RECEDING)

How's your mum?

MARY: She died.

I'm sorry.

How are you?

Same.

You've been laying low.

Am I right that this will be

your first outing

-since...

-Since?

Since whatever happened

happened.

What do you think happened?

Well, I... I saw that video.

(CHUCKLING)

Everyone saw that video.

Is there more to it than that?

Yes.

And when it first happened,

people kept asking me,

what do I know,

had I heard anything,

"Did she trip, did she jump?"

What'd you say?

People... said

you had a breakdown.

I said, "No. She probably

just needed a break."

Yeah. That was part of it.

What are the other parts?

I don't want to tell you.

-Why?

-(INHALES)

Because you'd laugh.

-No, I wouldn't.

-Yes, you would.

-(SNICKERING)

-You're laughing right now.

(LAUGHING) I'm just...

I'm just picturing

the worst possible thing

that could have made you do

what you did.

(LAUGHING) I...

-What is it?

-It's not worth mentioning,

but it's very funny.

Well, that's why

I'm not gonna tell you.

Except you will.

Because you never would have

brought it up

in the first place

if you didn't want to.

No, you want to tell me.

You want me to know so badly,

you can hardly stand it.

But it's okay. I can wait.

Mmm. Mmm.

No.

No.

Mmm.

(MARY WHIMPERS)

(HEART THUMPING)

No.

Right. No red.

No red.

What about your hair,

what's going on there?

We should...

We should talk

about your halo.

No halo.

At all?

I want to get back

to the basics.

I mean, it doesn't get

much more basic than that.

It's sort of your thing.

It was never meant

to be my thing.

It was your thing.

That's... that's not

how I recall it.

But whatever the case,

you've done

pretty well with it.

-We'll do well without it.

-Will anyone recognize you

without it?

I don't know if anyone

actually truly comprehends

-the shape of your...

-They hurt.

Well, that's because whoever's

making them for you now

keeps trying to up the ante.

They're not doing it right.

I could make you a new one

-in two seconds flat...

-No.

-Right. But, don't you...

-I said...

Yes, I know what you said.

You don't want to wear one,

but what if I want you

to wear one?

(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYING)

MARY: I can't believe

what I found

I'm staring into the dark

so powerful...

My knees are pressed

to the ground

I'm holdin' on

for dear life

It's mythical

Are you there?

Are you mine?

Do you feel holy?

Are you real or divine?

Do you feel holy?

Are you there?

Are you mine?

Do you know?

-Your spirit is calling me

-(INHALES, EXHALES)

What are we doing here?

Are we reinventing you?

(MUSIC STOPS)

No.

No, I...

Just...

I... I want to be...

-Revelatory.

-No. I just, like... I want...

-Profundity.

-(SUCKS AIR THROUGH TEETH)

Mmm, more, um...

-Authenticity.

-No. It's like...

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

Clarity.

-Yes.

-Clarity.

-So, reducing?

-Yes.

-Peeling away everything...

-Yes. Yes.

-...that's accumulated.

-Yes.

-Old skin.

-Yes.

-Barnacles.

-Yes

Dead hair.

Yes.

All the old yous.

I want to be sharp.

You want me

to make you into a knife?

I want to have a point.

Got it.

MARY: If this were

the first performance

I ever gave,

how would you dress me?

I did dress you

for your first performance.

MARY: If it were

my last performance?

Is that what this is?

-Maybe.

-'Cause I could make you

a funeral gown,

if that's what

you really wanted.

I could build you a pyre

the likes of which

the world has never seen

if that's the way

you see things going.

I sort of do.

We are still speaking in...

abstractions, aren't we?

(MARY'S BREATH TREMBLING)

I think so.

Are you depressed?

-No. No.

-Is this a cry for help?

So you're not planning

on self-immolating

-on my doorstep?

-(INHALES)

-No.

-Good.

But if I did, it would be

kind of a great way to go.

No, not for me. I'd be the one

to have to clean you up.

-No peeking.

-(SNIFFLES)

If it's really that bad,

just quit.

MARY: I can't quit.

SAM: Yeah, you can.

People say

quitting is for cowards,

but it's actually

one of the bravest things

-anyone can do.

-No. (BREATH TREMBLING)

I can't quit. I don't know

how to do anything else.

(SIGHS)

I just wish

I was happy doing it.

SAM: Oh, yes, I remember.

Used to be so happy

singing sad songs. Well...

things are never gonna

be like that ever again.

Nevertheless...

you will go on.

This won't be

your last performance ever

but it will be your best.

You will be radiant,

and transcendent.

And when you open your mouth

and sing about your sadness,

it will be everyone's sadness,

and it will be writ

as large as the g*dd*mn sky

because that's

what you give people.

It's what

you can do for people

and since they pay you for it,

it's more or less your job,

so quit...

or do a good job.

See?

This is what you do.

This is why you have

nothing to worry about.

You give people the gift

of giving a sh*t about you.

I am humbled

by your munificence.

Uh...

Is someone playing before you?

Yes.

-Who?

-(INHALES)

(SIGHS) Miel Contrera.

What's she sing?

-Paper Moon.

-Oh, right. Yeah, I like her.

MARY: Everyone likes her.

SAM: You sound bitter.

No, I don't.

She's my friend.

-Is she?

-Yes.

-We sang together at the...

-Yeah.

But she was just a child then.

Now I see her

everywhere I look.

Her t*ts are spilling out

over Soho in Givenchy.

She's successful

and I'm proud of her.

And I'm very happy

to be in her company.

Good.

But?

You're going to lay waste

to her, aren't you?

-What?

-Oh.

Poor girl doesn't know

what she's in for.

Why would you even say that?

SAM: Because it's true.

No, it's not.

SAM: Oh,

it's already happened.

You don't even have to try.

This is what you do.

You're always picking

-and picking and scratching...

-It's part of my job.

I need to see

what I'm meant to cover.

You mean you need to see

what you want to find.

And if you don't find it,

you put it there

because it suits you

and what you want to make,

-which is why...

-Which is why I'm here

-and you're there.

-No.

I'm here because I want

what you want,

but I want you to want it

for the right reasons.

Which are?

I want you

to have an open heart.

-SAM: Mmm-hmm. Mmm.

-And no fear.

And what am I afraid of?

Of this.

-Me.

-Yeah.

Hey,

you're f*cking terrifying.

This is what you do.

This is what you do when

you don't know what to do.

This is what

you've always done,

which is why I'm trying

to lay it all out for you.

But I asked you

to lay it out for me

so that I'd know what to do.

-So, here it is.

-Thank you.

Miel Contrera

will sing before me.

She will sing Paper Moon,

and it'll be beautiful.

And then,

at five minutes to midnight,

the lights will go down.

And I...

SAM: Mmm-hmm.

(EXHALES)

I'll do whatever it is

that I'm gonna do.

Sing your new song?

Yes.

Maybe not.

-No, I'm gonna sing it.

-Oh, good.

Because you sounded

uncertain there for a moment.

No, it's just...

It's not good enough yet?

You want to hear it?

The... the song?

-Yes.

-No.

No. No music.

Not right now.

-Why?

-Because if I did,

I'd make a dress for the song.

And you want me to make

a dress for you, don't you?

So, better not to hear it.

(SCISSORS SNIPPING)

-You might like it.

-(SCISSORS CLATTER)

Mmm, I'm in an ascetic phase

right now.

I'm trying not liking things.

Why is it called

Spooky Action anyway?

Is it about particle physics?

Large Hadron Colliders?

MARY: No. It's more like...

connections we can't explain.

And what led you to write it?

I had a connection

and I couldn't explain it.

To a person?

Maybe.

Are you being coy?

No.

And you really can

dance to it?

-Yes.

-Hmm.

Show me.

-The dance?

-Yeah.

Could you?

Honestly, it'll be good for me

to see how you move

to make sure

I'm accommodating.

Okay.

I'm sure you're supposed to be

drilling it anyway.

(CLEARS THROAT SOFTLY)

(SHOE THUDS)

(SHOE THUDS)

Do you have a speaker

or anything I can plug into?

Yeah.

But do it without the song.

Why?

Because I told you,

I don't want to hear it.

-But it's all set to the...

-I'm sure you've got it down.

Why won't you just let me

play it for you?

'Cause I don't want

to break my streak.

Of what?

Of not listening

to your music.

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

-(INHALES)

-(TAPS FLOOR)

-(EXHALES)

-(TAPS FLOOR)

-(EXHALES)

-(TAPS FLOOR)

(GRUNTS SOFTLY)

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

Ooh. Okay.

-Well, I think that's...

-I'm not done yet.

(TABLE THUDDING)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(GRUNTS)

(EXHALES SHARPLY)

(BREATHING LOUDLY)

(GRUNTING)

(PANTING)

(MARY GRUNTS)

(BREATHING HEAVILY)

(GRUNTS)

(STRAINING)

(GRUNTS)

(PANTING)

(SAM BREATHES DEEPLY)

How on earth

are you gonna sing

while you do all that?

(PANTING)

Practice.

(EXHALES)

(SAM TUTS)

(MARY EXHALES)

You know,

if you're going for...

burn-it-all-down

last-will-and-testaments,

what we should do is

we should make you

a beautiful dress

that is simple and elegant,

and whatever else

it needs to be,

but attached to it...

is a train.

-(LAUGHING)

-You know how I love...

a good train,

and this one is, say,

um, just a quarter-mile long.

And maybe

most people don't notice,

but a keen eye will detect

that at a certain point,

the fabric of the gown fades

from one thing

into something else.

Something more familiar.

It's so seamless

you don't even see it.

But once you do,

you realize

the entire gown is made up

of every dress

you've ever

-worn.

-(EXHILARATING MUSIC PLAYING)

The story

of how you got to right here,

right now,

in this exact moment,

stepping out on stage,

Mother Mary... (GASPS)

...in the new millennium.

You walk...

(SUCKS AIR THROUGH TEETH)

...down the...

Where is the show?

-At the Palladium.

-That's perfect. So...

Miel Contrera

finishes singing,

and it's beautiful

and it's well-liked,

but now, here you come,

marching down that aisle,

marching

from far beyond the aisle,

from outside the theater,

coming down the street,

dragging your whole history

behind you.

The doors swing open,

and you enter the theater

and you walk up

the steps to the stage,

and when you get to the top...

What's this?

Something catches.

The train is pulled tight.

It's caught

on all of your history.

And as you take

your final step

and complete your ascension,

the entire gown,

we'll set it

so it just shears away,

and there you are.

You are standing naked

under the lights,

free of everything

you've been carrying,

of everything that's been

weighing you down.

And, of course,

the plugs will get pulled

and the broadcast would cut

but that's on them,

it's not on you.

Mmm-mmm.

You're doing

what you were born to do.

You open your mouth

and you dance your dance.

You sing your song.

Or maybe...

you don't even do that.

Maybe you don't need to.

You don't need

the song at all,

because this...

is all about...

you.

But...

isn't that kind of...

-obvious?

-No.

Mmm. This is...

clarity.

Bad conversations

Cigarettes

Words I don't mean

Empty threats

Chewing gum

I'm so empty

You're the one for me

You see

But it's been a while

My mouth is lonely for you

My mouth is lonely for you

You

My mouth

My mouth is lonely for you

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

(CHEERING DISTORTS, FADES)

(GASPS)

(PANTING)

(ENCHANTING MUSIC PLAYING)

You said go find

all the things that you want

Find all the things

that you need

If you can't find them in me

go find anywhere, please

Unroll the map

climb up the trees

Scale the mountain

do or don't breathe

But you must

fall to your knees

Don't cry to the stars

you must summon the deep

Lose all the people

you keep

Lose your will to believe

And once again believe

And if in the end

you're not free

Cut a deal, please

-(CLINKING)

-Used to walk with you

Till I saw

something bigger

I jumped

into the flames

And I shook hands

with forever

Had to cut ties

(SNIFFING)

To be star-light

He blessed me

with his gaze...

That was a very specific

moment in time,

wasn't it?

(HALO CLINKING)

Why do we say that?

Every moment in time

is specific.

Yeah, but it's hard to tell

one from the next. Mmm?

Every now and then, though,

something happens.

And it makes us

prick up our ears

and say,

"That was a moment."

And what I think

we're really saying...

-(HALO CLINKING)

-...is for that moment,

we were...

together.

Did you really mean

what you said?

About what?

About not listening

to my music.

-Yes.

-(HALO CLATTERS)

Is it a surprise?

I don't exactly see you

at the runway.

Did I really hurt

your feelings so badly?

Yeah.

And that's fine.

That's what feelings are for.

I just wish you would have

told me yourself.

Told you what?

(SMACKS LIPS) That, um...

That Mother Mary no longer

needed me.

-I did need you.

-No, you...

-And I did tell you.

-You told me

by not telling me.

You told me by saying nothing

and letting everyone

who suddenly had your ear

do all the talking.

I told you I needed a change.

Yes, but you didn't tell me

you'd already made it.

By the time

I figured that out,

you'd already closed the door.

The door was always open.

No.

No, it wasn't.

No, it wasn't. It was shut

and locked.

And you were

a million miles away.

And there I was...

who knew you and...

who loved you,

trying to pick up the pieces.

Except there weren't

even any pieces

'cause everything I had was...

wrapped up in you.

You never know

how little you matter

until you realize

that everything you've done

has been in the service

of someone

the whole world loves

just as much as you.

Oh, yeah. And tell yourself

you're doing good work.

Tell yourself

what you're doing counts

'cause you're the one

that's doing it,

but really, step by step,

stitch by stitch,

you're obliterating yourself.

I wanted you

to look like Joan of Arc.

When I heard you sing,

that's what I saw.

That's what I set out

to design for you.

And to that,

I added bits and pieces

of me.

Silly things,

like my holy communion

when I was seven.

Feeling like a queen

even though I'd spilled wine

all down

my beautiful white dress.

All of that

is in there.

That's my story.

And no,

I don't expect you to tell it.

But I... would have expected

a little bit credit.

-I didn't mean to cut you out.

-But you did.

MARY: Yes.

I did.

-But...

-What?

But I'm the one

who wore that dress,

who wore all the dresses.

I let you make

-something of me.

-No. No.

-We did that together.

-And...

And I liked it.

I liked it.

I liked how you saw me.

I liked how it felt...

when you dressed me.

But you were making

your own Mother Mary,

and she... (INHALES)

she was beautiful.

But I'm the one

who had to go out

in front of all those people

and sing my songs

and feel them, so, yes...

(SCISSORS SNIP)

...I wanted to change for her.

But I was never done with us.

You closed that door.

No, there was never a door

at all until you opened it.

The door doesn't exist.

(SCOFFS)

These metaphors

are exhausting.

(SCISSORS CLATTER)

You went somewhere...

-I couldn't follow.

-Yes, but you had all this.

Yeah, I had to build this

so I had something.

But that's good, isn't it?

Yeah.

Except that it took me

hating you to do it.

-Uh-uh.

-(SCISSORS CLINKING)

(SCISSORS SNIPPING)

(WHIMPERS)

(EXHALES)

(SNIFFLES)

You can't really hate me.

Oh, yes, I can.

It's very easy

to flip that switch.

Is that what we're doing here?

You're making me a hate-dress?

Maybe.

Maybe.

So what do we have to do

to flip that switch back?

I don't know. Maybe we can't,

maybe it's a one-time thing.

No.

You already have.

You wouldn't let me

in the door otherwise.

The real door

or the metaphorical one?

-Your front door.

-Oh.

Well... I didn't let you in.

Hilda did.

And why do I have to be

the one to open the door

or flip a switch or whatever?

Can't you do it?

Can't you do the work?

Make me love you again.

Can you let me try?

Can you stop putting up walls?

Can you let me play

this f*cking song?

Oh, you can't do

anything else?

I don't have anything else.

What else is there?

I can... send you flowers,

I can write you a note,

or I can buy you a house,

or I can sing you a song.

That's it.

(CRIES SOFTLY)

That's all I got.

Well, I could do

with a new house.

This one's falling apart.

Pick one out

and send me the listing.

Oh, you know, I think

I'll pay for it myself.

Thank you very much.

You see, the problem is,

and it's not a problem,

but the problem is...

I am very stubborn.

(SCOFFS)

Clearly.

And I don't...

I'm no good

at changing on the spot.

I'm not...

like you.

I can't be what other people

want me to be

at the drop of a hat.

Good.

Because it wears you down.

And I've been getting on

quite well without you.

If I hear you on the radio,

I change the channel.

If I see you on the telly,

I just turn it off.

All or nothing.

All or nothing.

Everyone else needs you.

I don't.

Would you like to know

what happened

the last time

I heard you sing?

Sure.

It's gonna sound

like another metaphor,

even though it's not.

Okay.

Do you remember

when you played in Hyde Park

at the beginning

of your Ecstatic Tour?

-Yeah.

-I was there.

Front row.

(AUDIENCE CHEERING)

SAM: I wondered

if you'd spot me,

but... you never did.

Or if you did,

you didn't let on.

And now I'm letting on now

you were amazing.

The whole crowd was crying.

You were crying.

And I was crying,

but for a different reason.

Because I was seeing

something beautiful

that I had once been a part of

and... never would be again.

You were radiant.

I was miserable.

(SAM INHALES SLOWLY)

And by and by,

that misery resolved

into a very sharp pain

in my upper mandible.

My jaws were clenched so tight

that my top left wisdom tooth

cracked wide open,

and the pain that it gave me

was pure

and sharp.

And I could think of no way

to describe it other than you.

(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

Oh, it was you.

And I had to cut you out.

So I fled.

Before the encore.

Before you played Holy Spirit,

the one song I thought

might make me feel better.

AUDIENCE: Mary! Mary!

(VOICE BREAKING) I ran home,

grabbed some pliers,

and...

(TOOTH CRACKING)

(MUSIC FADES)

See?

All gone.

Jesus!

(SNICKERING)

I'm only exaggerating.

I went to the dentist.

Yeah, they put me under,

and when I woke up

in the chair,

my tooth was gone.

And the anesthesia

was wearing off,

and I felt very sad.

Like I was...

in the midst of saying goodbye

to something dear.

You know, when I was little,

and we'd move,

and I'd feel myself

being pulled away from a house

I'd made time to love.

Hmm.

Now...

this is where it gets

strange.

That night,

I had a visitor.

I woke up very suddenly

to find that my gums

were bleeding again.

There was blood all over.

There was a little trail

of it, in fact,

streaked across the duvet.

It was like something had

crawled out of my mouth,

across the bedspread,

down onto the floor.

Now...

I've always been

open to ghosts.

If any house was haunted,

you'd think it'd be this one,

but I haven't seen one before.

Until now.

And I can say

without a doubt,

there was a ghost

at the foot of my bed.

What did it look like?

I couldn't say.

She was like

six different things at once.

"She"?

Yes. She was a she.

I think.

Or maybe the idea of a "she."

(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYING)

And she was red.

Not red like a color.

More like...

red like a feeling.

(WIND BLOWING)

SAM: Oh, and she was

the most beautiful thing.

I couldn't let her stay.

So I opened the door,

and I watched her go,

down the hallway,

out the house,

into the woods,

a smudge of red in the dark.

Oh, and with her goes

the pain in my mouth,

the knot in my stomach,

and the hole in my heart.

And after that I stopped

listening to your music.

I stopped thinking about you.

I stopped dreaming about you.

And everything's been better

ever since.

Where did she go?

SAM: Oh.

Oh, I don't know.

Where do ghosts go

when you don't

need 'em anymore?

That's where.

But are you saying that

this is just another metaphor?

Did you really see something?

Look, I'm not saying

that I saw the spirit

of some

recently deceased individual

or that my house

is haunted by an ancestor.

If someone else...

If Hilda, say, had been there,

would she have seen it?

Probably not.

But I did.

Whatever neurons

in my head differentiate

between imagination

and perception

tell me that I did.

And if you were

to ask me why I did,

I would say

because I needed to.

Perhaps I manifested her.

Perhaps she was

my subconscious,

sending me a message

in the only way

it knew I would listen.

Perhaps she was a ghost.

Yeah.

But she was my ghost.

Except...

I think I saw her too.

You saw what?

Your ghost.

(UNEASY MUSIC PLAYING)

-I saw her.

-I was being serious.

So am I.

So what?

You can't even let me

have my own ghost story?

No. No, it is yours.

It is, but I think

I might be a part of it.

You're making me feel

-very foolish.

-I promise I don't mean to.

(WHIMPERING)

I saw what you saw.

I saw a ghost or a spirit

and she was red.

And when was this?

-The first time was...

-Ooh. "The first time"?

The first time was in Dublin.

96th stop of the tour.

I was so worn out, but...

it was my birthday.

And I wanted to do

something special.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(CROWD CHEERING)

I love you, Dublin!

Goodnight!

(CROWD CHEERING)

(INDISTINCT CONVERSATION)

(MARY SIGHS)

(MARY EXCLAIMS)

-Thank you. (FLUTTERS LIPS)

-NIKKI: Here, here, here.

I've got it. I've got it.

I've got it.

MARY: (CHUCKLES) Careful.

(MARY SIGHS)

How does this keep happening?

Oh, sh*t. Um,

-there's blood on your...

-Huh?

-JADE: Hey, MM!

-Blood...

-Oh, um, yeah.

-JADE: Look who I found!

MARY: Ooh.

Oh, my gosh!

-Are you...

-Hi.

-(GIGGLING) Hi! Hi, hi, hi!

-I'm Imogen. Hi.

-(MARY SIGHS)

-Happy birthday.

Thank you. Thank you. Yes.

-So nice to meet you.

-So nice to meet you.

Yes. Oh, my gosh.

We are so excited for tonight.

-Me too.

-Everyone says

you are very special.

-Well, that sounds very kind.

-Okay.

JADE: She was sat

in the regular seat,

that's why PJ couldn't

find her.

-Ah.

-JADE: How long did you say

-you waited in line?

-MARY: Oh?

Only two hours.

But it's fine. I had fun.

-I met people.

-I'm so sorry.

Yeah. Okay.

-I like meeting people.

-Thank you.

Oh, well, now you're here

and you're with us.

Did you like the show?

-Oh, it was incredible.

-MARY: Mmm.

It was like,

like a religious experience

or like going to church,

-but in a good way.

-(GIGGLING) Yeah.

And at the same time,

all I could think is

when you have

that many people...

-Yeah.

-How many people were there?

Uh, 18,210.

There were even more

in New York.

-(MARY EXCLAIMS)

-And they're all there,

all at once,

putting out all that energy,

all of those ups and downs,

and all of it is

laser-focused right at you.

Mmm. It's intense.

How do you handle that?

(SIGHS) You don't.

Uh, I mean, you do.

But you just...

You sort of, um,

take it

and...

(EXHALES SLOWLY)

Yes, but...

what does it do to you?

It's like the same, same thing

over and over again

in circles.

GIRL: (GIGGLING)

Sounds like sh*t.

IMOGEN: Don't ask

why he chose me, but he did.

NIKKI: But you have seen

ghosts here before, right?

IMOGEN: Ah, yes.

There are spirits here

and I've met most of them.

But the walls here

are very thin.

You never know

who might come knocking.

Now, can somebody

get the lights?

Do ghosts really need the dark

or is it just

to make it spookier?

IMOGEN: Oh, it's not for them.

They're already here.

We're the ones

that are opening up to them.

(TINKLING)

(CHANTING IN IRISH)

What does that mean?

What does that mean?

IMOGEN: It means

-reveal yourselves.

-Reveal yourselves.

- IMOGEN: We mean you no harm.

-We mean you no harm.

Can I say it too?

Yeah, sure.

How does it go again?

(GIGGLES)

(CHANTING IN IRISH)

(CHANTING IN IRISH)

(CHANTING IN IRISH)

(IMOGEN AND MARY

CONTINUE CHANTING)

-(YELPS)

Sorry, sorry. That was me.

-f*ck you.

-Oh, my God.

I slipped. I slipped.

I'm sorry.

-I hate this.

-(GIRLS LAUGHING)

I hate everything about this,

Emily. Really?

-(GIRLS LAUGHING)

-Shh.

(SHUSHING) Wait, wait, wait.

What is it?

Is someone here?

Do you feel it?

I feel nothing.

What are we supposed to feel?

She's not from here.

"She"?

She's from somewhere...

far away.

But she's very nearly here.

Who are we talking about now?

Who is she?

Do you know?

No.

No.

-No.

-(DISTORTED VOICE) No.

Okay, we should...

Maybe this is just...

-It's not real.

-She's just f*cking with us.

No, she isn't.

(IN SING-SONG VOICE) Imogen...

(SOFTLY) What do you want

to tell us?

Do you have a message? Or...

What do you want us to know?

We're here for you.

I'm here for you.

(GASPS)

I've been...

looking...

for you,

my dearest one.

I've come so far.

(WHIMPERS SOFTLY)

I've traveled

across land and sea.

(IMOGEN GRUNTS)

-(TAPS FOOT)

-(BONES CRACK)

-(THUNDER RUMBLES)

-(IMOGEN GASPS)

-My feet are bleeding.

-MARY: ...bleeding.

My bones...

-MARY: Ache.

-...ache.

My head...

My head is heavy.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

-See...

-MARY: See...

in my hair...

-a braid made of woe.

-MARY: A braid made of woe.

See all your sorrows

-hang over my shoulders.

-MARY: Hang over my shoulders.

-And all of their kin...

-And all of their kin...

-...bite at my heels.

-...bite at my heels.

-(THUNDER RUMBLING)

-(GASPS)

(WHIMPERING SOFTLY)

(GRUNTS)

IMOGEN: (INHALES SHARPLY)

But soon...

soon my journey

will see me through.

And I will rest

on a bed spun of gold.

-(THUNDER RUMBLES)

-(GASPS)

(INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

For you...

are finally at hand.

(GASPS)

Listen.

Do you hear me?

Do you...

feel me?

Now...

you must open the door

and let my love...

-in.

-(MARY SQUEALS IN PAIN)

(SQUEALS)

(SHRIEKS)

-She stabbed you.

-(MARY GROANING)

No.

(SIRENS WAILING

IN DISTANCE)

She opened a door.

Everything was a blur

after that.

They bandaged me up.

Security did their rounds,

and eventually everyone else

went to bed.

(UNEASY MUSIC PLAYING)

I wanted to go to sleep too.

I wanted to.

I wanted to so badly.

But I couldn't.

Those words kept running

through my mind.

She was very nearly here.

She was very nearly here.

She was very nearly here.

She was very nearly here.

She was very nearly here.

(WHIMPERS)

And then she was...

(SQUELCHING)

(GASPS)

(GASPING)

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

(SCREAMS)

So I run.

-(MARY HYPERVENTILATING)

-(MUFFLED CONVERSATION)

(MUFFLED CONVERSATION)

MARY: Someone asks me

if I want to stop,

but I say no.

JADE: Hmm?

MARY: I keep going.

I sing my songs.

This is what I do.

This is what I do.

This is what I do.

This is what I do.

This is what I do.

(GASPS)

This is what I do.

This is what I do.

This is what I do.

This is what I do. This is...

(MUFFLED SPEAKING)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING)

(DRAMATIC MUSIC CONTINUES)

(CROWD CHEERING)

(INAUDIBLE)

(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

(HEART BEATING)

(INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION)

(INAUDIBLE CONVERSATION)

(MUSIC STOPS)

You got that cold feeling

Your sacred heart's blue

Do you know

what to pray for anymore?

Or if you can

make it through?

But me

I was raised up to believe

You could fill a cathedral

with what I thought was true

Those churches

all came crashing down

Those churches

all came crashing down

As they do

So now

I believe in you

Did you ever feel

you're holy?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel

you're holy?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel the sign

of your mind

Could match

the prayer of your lips

Lord forgive

our wasted time

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel

the sway of my hips

The press of my fingertips

No, I ain't gonna

win this fight

Did you ever feel it?

Babe, I spent my whole life

Praying for my whole life

I've never felt

like this before

Babe, I spent my whole life

Praying for my whole life

I've never knelt

like this before

Did you ever feel

you're holy?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel

you're holy?

Did you ever feel it?

So, come on, baby

Put your spirit in me

Tongue the fire in me

Rip me open, let me breathe

Come on, baby

Put that heart into mine

Press your knees into mine

Press my needs

into the ground

Did you ever feel

you're holy?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel

you're holy?

Did you ever feel it?

Did you ever feel it?

My sacred heart's

been feelin' blue

Should I have faith

in anything?

Oh, I'll cut myself

to make some room

And let out all

that wasn't you

MARY: I've watched

the videos of that night

a hundred times.

Thousands of cameras

all see the same thing.

I know she wasn't

really there.

But I also know what I saw.

(WHIMPERING)

And I think somehow...

all those things are true.

(CROWD CHEERING)

(FAINT SCREAMING)

(SCREAMING INTENSIFIES)

(CHEERING FADES)

Where is she now?

(WHIMPERS)

And I can't sleep.

I can't heal.

I'm on...

who knows how many pills.

And every minute

of every day...

I feel her...

inside me.

She's always there, like...

a cloud or...

a stone.

And I don't know.

I think, like...

maybe I'm supposed

to keep her there.

Like...

Like, that's

what I have to do.

That's my job now.

But I don't know

how much longer I can do it.

Do you believe me?

How far is it

from London to Dublin?

Five, six hundred kilometers?

How long would it take

to walk that far...

for a person?

You'd have to cross the sea.

I suppose the sea would

slow you down.

And how long was it

from the time you played

in Hyde Park

until your 97th show?

Four years?

Hmm?

I can't read

a single one of these.

Mmm-mmm.

None of them seem right.

-(NOTEPAD THUDS)

-Mmm.

Let's double-check.

(MARY SIGHS)

How long have

we known each other?

Twenty-four...

Twenty-five years?

That number seems so small...

when you say it.

So...

let's say there is something

inside of you.

It came from somewhere

and traveled across oceans

to find you.

And maybe...

that somewhere...

was me.

But if that's true,

it also stands to reason...

that all these...

coming and goings...

are just how our little minds

process the ebb and flow

of something

that's always been there.

Maybe...

we came...

to it.

And you think...

you need to hold it close...

and keep it inside.

But not me.

(MARY'S BREATH TREMBLES)

I want her out.

So let's stop.

Let's cast her out.

MARY: How?

SAM: It can't be that hard.

We've seen enough films.

(TENSE MUSIC PLAYING)

No. I don't like this.

There is nothing

to be scared of.

We'll stop

if it gets dangerous.

-(SWITCH FLICKS)

-(GASPS)

(SHUDDERS) I just...

I just wanna...

I just wanna work on my dress.

That's what I came here for.

This is working on the dress.

Because you want

the dress to look like you,

and this is a part

of who you are right now.

This spirit,

this woman in red,

she's who you wrote

your song about, isn't she?

-Yes.

-So...

let's make the dress

about her, too.

Let's see...

what she wants to tell us.

Now, do we need three of us?

Should I call Hilda?

-No.

-No, no, you're right.

The two of us must be

the ones to do it.

I don't want to.

You said I need

to open my heart.

So here I am,

opening it

as far as I can.

And I say to you, my friend...

(MATCH STRIKES)

...we are going to do this.

(MARY GASPS)

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

(GASPS)

(WIND BLOWING)

What's all that?

Offerings, totems.

Things to focus our energy.

There is nothing magical

about any one object

other than what we bring

to it.

In fact,

there is no true meaning

to any object at all

without our prescription.

So...

these shears are not shears.

They're a key

to open whatever doors

we may come to.

And this, this is a chain

to bind us

to whomever we meet.

And this...

this is a sword

for protection.

Hmm.

And this...

is the oil...

with which...

we will anoint ourselves...

as we await...

the day...

of our Pentecost.

(CHUCKLES SOFTLY)

(SIGHS)

Why are you doing this?

I'm not doing anything.

We are doing this.

Because if we don't,

we'll regret it forever.

When are you and I ever gonna

be in the same room again

after all this is done?

You'll take your dress

and you'll go away,

and I'll be here,

haunting my own house,

all alone.

We have to do this now

while we can.

Now... (SIGHS)

...what was that spell

you chanted?

(MARY EXHALES)

(CHANTING IN IRISH)

(CHANTING IN IRISH)

a rose is a rose is a rose.

Just give me your hands.

Yes.

(THUNDER RUMBLING)

Close your eyes

and breathe with me.

And out.

(BOTH EXHALING)

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

Breathe.

(BOTH BREATHING DEEPLY)

Spirit...

if you're here,

give us something.

Give us a sign.

(THUNDERCLAP)

SAM: Spirit...

if you are with us...

know you are welcome...

and well-loved.

Spirit...

if you are here,

know that you have a home,

but it is not within us.

We cannot be your respite.

Our house is full,

so let my voice be your light

as you make your way

towards the door.

Listen, as I name

the rungs of your ladder.

Come On & On.

Mother Mary.

Magnificat.

Abashed The Devil.

Poor Thing.

Cut Me Out.

Exhalation.

The Greatest Hits

from the years of Our Lord

2003 to 2015.

The Third Mary.

Past that...

is the door.

And it is open.

And the world outside...

is brighter...

and more beautiful than ever.

So come out.

Out.

Out.

Out.

Out.

Sam.

Out.

Sam.

Out.

Sam, she can't hear you.

She can. Just listen.

-Out. This is going to work.

-Sam.

-Out.

-Sam.

Clear your mind.

-She's coming.

-Sam.

-She's coming.

-You forgot something.

What?

She needs a way out.

(GASPS)

(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(BREATHES DEEPLY)

Now what?

I don't know.

Maybe she needs more.

A key...

to open the door.

-(GASPS)

-(MUSIC INTENSIFIES)

(SOBBING)

(PANICKED BREATHING)

(SHUSHING)

-(MUSIC FADES)

-(HEART BEATING)

(HEART BEATING)

(BOTH INHALING)

(MARY GASPS)

(HEART CONTINUES BEATING)

(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(DOOR SLAMS OPEN)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

Jesus f*cking Christ.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

(DOOR OPENS)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(HELICOPTER HOVERING)

(ETHEREAL MUSIC PLAYING)

(INDISTINCT CHATTER)

(PEOPLE CLAMORING)

SAM: Hey.

Get some rest, huh?

Get a nice bit of sleep

and when you wake up,

I might just have something

to show you.

You will.

And it'll be perfect.

(WHIRRING)

SAM: What's the time?

HILDA: Almost 12:00.

Tell me what's happening.

Well...

right about now,

Miel Contrera is probably

finishing Paper Moon.

(INAUDIBLE)

She's waving goodnight

to the audience.

(CROWD CHEERING)

-What time is it?

-HILDA: Darkness is falling.

All right, it's six minutes

to midnight, everyone.

-(MIEL GIGGLES)

-(CROWD CHEERING)

But then there's a light.

Not on the stage, but...

from the back of the theater.

Everyone turns to look.

There she is.

Mother Mary.

Shining bright.

She's coming down the aisle.

She's coming from far beyond

the aisle.

From across the ocean.

From another world.

Now she's taking the stage.

The light's in her eyes,

it's too bright.

She looks

to the audience and...

she says,

"I've missed you all so much.

It's so good to be back."

But what she really wants

to say is...

What she really means

to say is...

What she's saying is...

"This song isn't for you.

"It's for you."

(ETHEREAL MUSIC CONTINUES)

-Hey, what the f*ck?

-Wait, wait, wait, wait.

What is she doing?

And then she closes her eyes,

at five minutes to midnight.

She opens her mouth.

-She's gonna sing the song.

-She's gonna sing her song.

She's gonna sing her song.

And she sings your song.

And it's the greatest song

in the history of songs.

Hey, Sam?

Yes?

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

I'm sorry.

(THUNDER RUMBLES)

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody has a true angel

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody

has a dark cradle

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody has a secret

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody

has a dark cradle

Everybody hurts

Everybody crawls

Every heart will twist knees

to the stone

Dark eyes will cry

Everybody aches

Everybody writhes

Every wrist is blessed

Behind a back, then tied

We can never stop

the clocks on time

History is rooted

deep inside us

Intertwined together

Pass the blade

and make the sacrifice

Now I got the taste

of blood in my mouth

Hate the way you cut me

But I ain't gonna

spit you out

I've been running

but I fall to the ground

We go round and round

And round

and round and round

Now I got the taste

of blood in my mouth

Kiss me like you love me

While you're pulling me

deeper down

Tied together here

forever we're bound

We go round

And round and round

and round and round

Every tired cry

Every wild desire

Every moment feels

so brutal

When it's you and I

My whole body aches

Every single time

Every broken dance

we do brings me to life

We can never stop

the clocks on time

History is rooted

deep inside us

Intertwined together

Pass the blade

and make the sacrifice

Now I got the taste

of blood in my mouth

Hate the way you cut me

But I ain't gonna

spit you out

I've been running

but I fall to the ground

We go round and round

And round

and round and round

Now I got the taste

of blood in my mouth

Kiss me like you love me

While you're pulling me

deeper down

Tied together here

forever we're bound

We go round and round

And round

and round and round

All of the power in me

leads to the power in you

All of the power in me

leads to the power in you

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody has a true angel

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody

has a dark cradle

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody has a true angel

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody

has a dark cradle

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody has a secret

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody

has a dark cradle

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody has a true angel

Everybody has an obsession

Everybody

has a dark cradle

(MOODY ELECTRONIC

MUSIC PLAYING)

Blue flame

Is burning out

She's reaching out

She's reaching out

Your name

Was in my mouth

She took it out

She took it out

She took it out

Blue flame

Is burning out

She's reaching out

(VOCALIZING)

Your name

Was in my mouth

She took it out

Don't speak

Look at us now

Beautiful sounds

Above the ground

Oh, don't speak

Look at us now

She took it out

She took it out

(VOCALIZING)

Blue flame

Is burning out

She's reaching out

She's reaching out

Your name

Was in my mouth

She took it out

She took it out

Blue flame

Is burning out

She's reaching out

She's reaching out

Your name

Was in my mouth

She took it out

She took it out

(MUSIC FADES)