Rare Earth Mettle

Al Smith

• Publisher: Methuen Drama
• Year: 2022
• ISBN:
  9781350176959
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: British Drama
• Index: Literature

You don't tell an American to switch off her light; you build her a better light bulb. A leading British doctor with a radical plan to save the NHS and a Silicon Valley billionaire with a radical plan to halt climate change, meet outside an abandoned train on a salt flat in South America. A landscape so bright in its whiteness that it isn't easy to look at, and so uninterrupted in its flatness there's no echo.
For Kimsa and his daughter who live there, the arrival of these strangers initially seems like an opportunity. Until they both stake their claim on the land, each following their ruthless pursuit of 'the greater good'. Al Smith's landmark play premieres at the Royal Court following his 2016 hit Harrogate which saw him nominated for Most Promising Playwright at the 2017 Evening Standard Theatre Awards.

Act One

March 2020

Scene One

A brilliant white saltpan crunches underfoot. It is so uninterrupted in its flatness that a lack of echoes is somewhat disorienting and so bright in its whiteness that it isn’t easy to look at. At the heart of the space corrupts a nineteenth-century British locomotive. A short awning protrudes from the train, underneath which sit some pots and pans and a tatty old TV. This is a home.

Henry approaches. He wears Bermuda shorts and a hessian shirt. He carries nothing other than a camera and a head full of ideas. From the guts of the train carriage Kimsa appears. He wears jeans and an old FC Barcelona shirt.

Henry Barcelona.

Silence. Henry takes a picture of Kimsa.

Kimsa I’m not showing people around today.

Henry Barcelona.

Kimsa If you want a picture it’s one US dollar. Ten pictures, ten US dollars. Chuck it in the tin.

Kimsa taps a rusty bucket. Henry takes another picture.

Kimsa Two dollars.

Henry Barcelona.

Kimsa Three.

Henry You like Barcelona?

Kimsa Yes.

Henry Also, I like Barcelona. Love me, Barcelona.

Kimsa (tapping a bucket) I’m not showing people round. Count your pictures. It’s a trust bucket.

Kimsa makes to go.

Henry How many is your respectful favourite?

Kimsa How many is my what?

Henry How many is your . . . respectful . . . soccer . . . actors?

Kimsa How many is my ‘respectful soccer actors’?

Henry Yes! For Barcelona! In respect of the number one.

Kimsa You mean Stegen?

Henry What?

Kimsa Number one for Barcelona is the goalkeeper, Stegen.

Henry And he is your most respectful, your favourite actors?

Kimsa Do you mean players?

Henry Yes, players. Apologise. My Spanish, is not, is not so clean –

Kimsa I like all eleven players.

Henry Onsay?

Kimsa Yes. Eleven.

Henry Onsay?

Kimsa Eleven, like everywhere else . . . Ten –

Henry Diaz –

Kimsa Eleven –

Henry Onsay –

Kimsa A football team has eleven players.

Henry I don’t know Diaz Onsay. Is he a new transfer?

Kimsa What?

Henry A new. Uh. Nueve?

Kimsa Nine?

Henry Yes, nueve actor? I mean player? Nueve.

Kimsa Barcelona’s number nine is Luis Suarez.

Henry Luis Suarez!

Kimsa Luis Suarez wears the number nine shirt for FC Barcelona.

Henry You like Luis Suarez?

Kimsa Do I like Luis Suarez?

Henry Yes, is he your very favourite soccer actor?

Kimsa Suarez is a piece of shit.

Henry I love Luis Suarez too.

Kimsa He’s from Uruguay.

Henry Yes, I love Uruguay. They is also the best. Success. World Cup number one!

Kimsa Gringo, if you mention those motherfuckers around here you’ll get your head kicked in. Luis Suarez is a bitey little rat and it shames this shirt that they stitch that fucker’s name in the back.

Henry I love him so much. Such good striker, that little pea. What is your name?

Kimsa Kimsa.

Henry Kimsa?

Kimsa Kimsa Apaza Flores.

Henry Kimsa, hello. Kimsa, my name is Henry Finn, Henry Finn. Do you speak English?

Kimsa Nope.

Henry OK. OK. Soy bean Americano.

Kimsa Soy bean Americano?

Henry I am American, soy bean Americano.

Kimsa You’re a black cup of coffee.

Henry Truthfully.

Kimsa Well, you should be careful wearing those.

Henry Apologise?

Kimsa You should be careful wearing those. Shorts.

Henry My shorts...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Rare Earth Mettle
• THE ROYAL COURT THEATRE
• ROYAL COURT SUPPORTERS
• SUPPORT THE COURT AND
• Contents
• Rare Earth Mettle
• Dedication
• Characters
• Act One
• Act Two
• eCopyright