“La Prière des Morses
Notre Saint Ourlet Sacré, qui est en La Défense,
Que vos nageoires soient sanctifiées!
Que règne votre Défense, que votre moustache soit peignée,
Pardonnez-nous nos pêchers –
Et donnez-nous ce jour notre poisson quotidien,
En La Défense, comme dans l’Arctique,
Agréable et juteux et salé, Amen.”
Conjoined Walrus Twins in existential maritime tragedy. Archimbald controls the twins’ only flipper and their blissful Arctic existence of swimming, fishing and lying on rocks is torn asunder when he has a vision in a fish-shaped cloud and becomes a devout Tuskerite in the hope of getting to Holy Tuscany when they die. Sadly Hiaweatha remains stubbornly agnostic and refuses to perform the prayers or comply with sacred rules such as only lying on uncomfortable rocks, no swimming except on Tuesdays, and fishes to be purchased strictly from priests. These twins share a stomach, so hunger drives them to their wits end as they battle what to believe — while they are utterly unprepared for other menaces lurking in their icy home…
First performed at The Loft Session, Paris 2016, subsequently au Chat Noir, Paris, 2017 and Theatre de l'Ogresse, Paris, 2017. French version, La Défense Sacrée, published in Le Farming Times #1.
Later performed in various English cities as part of the Paris Lit Up tour in Spring 2019, in the Irruzoni festival, Padova, Italy, in May 2019, and in Aubervilliers in association with La Petite Bête. In these instances Archimbald was played by Edward Bell.
Archibald: Antony Apostolov, Edward Bell.
Hiaweatha: Helen Cusack O'Keeffe