Eli Gets Up Early, Act 1 Scene V

ACT I
SCENE V

Eli Gets Up Early

(Early morning at bunkhouse. Eli gets up early to go out to the orchard

to check on the money. Eli sitting at the table with his coffee, gets up and

starts singing a little ditty about “Feeling so Ire” places his breakfast

dish, cup and the frying pan into the sink and heads toward the door and

grabs Rueben’s hat and places it on his head by mistake. Hat music plays.

Eli looks puzzled and abruptly takes the hat off his head at the same time.

Hat music stops abruptly.)

ELI

What in Jah’s name was dat? Oh, dat's Rueben’s hat…

(Beat)

No wonder he so strange!

(Eli hangs Rueben’s hat on the hanger but the hat falls off the hanger as

Eli grabs his own hat and walks out the back door. He doesn’t notice

Rueben’s hat fall. Jonah and Rueben walk onto the stage. They have just

gotten up and look sleepy)

RUEBEN

Hmmm…looks like Eli already took off dis morning. Dat be early for Eli.

JONAH

Didn’t he take time to eat?

RUEBEN

Ya, he took the time to eat, but he left his dirty dishes in the sink.

JONAH

Sheesh, he could have made sometin’ for us, too! Sometime, dat Eli only tinks

of hissef.

(starts making coffee)

RUEBEN

Why’s my hat on da floor?

(picks it up and hangs it back on the hanger).

Maybe de wind blew it down when Eli left.


JONAH

You want some coffee and toast?

RUEBEN

Sure, tanks


(Scene ends with “What’s Inna Hat” instrumental or live drummers,

continues through the scene change and intermission.)