Examining Dysfunction and Role Reversal in ‘Night Flower’
It’s about four in the morning, and Eva has invited Ben back at her place. The two emerge from the bedroom drunk, thirsty, and hungry.
Eva and Ben raid the refrigerator like rambunctious children.
The pair are barely able to stand and keep quiet, causing Eva’s daughter Adel to wake up.
This is the beginning of the play script, Night Flower.
The Mother/Daughter Relationship
In this play we come to understand what appears to be a role swap between mother and daughter.
Eva is the mother, but acting like an irresponsible daughter, and Adel is the daughter, but behaving like a responsible mother.
This dynamic between them begins right off the bat with Adel and Eva’s first exchange.
ADEL: What the hell are you doing, Mom?
EVA: Uh-oh. Here comes trouble.
Everything from the opening of the play to Eva and Adel’s first exchange of dialogue has set us up for what’s to follow in the story.
The Setting
The play takes place inside a rundown apartment. Painted chipped walls, rusty stove, and appliances. Greasy countertops and cabinets.
Dark green and black colors with minimalistic lighting silhouette the place.
Stage center is the living room. On either side of this living room are two bedrooms, one belonging to Eva, the other belonging to Adel.
The front entrance to the apartment is stage right (closest to Eva’s bedroom), and to the left, further upstage (behind the living room), is the kitchen.
Adding Layers (Relationship/Character Needs)
This isn’t the first time Adel has had to deal with her mother’s late-night antics. She is fed up and furious because she needs to wake up in a few hours for work.
Adel and her mother Eva survive on Adel’s minimum wage job as a cashier in a supermarket.
Eva doesn’t work for reasons that seem to allude to the fact that she has addictions keeping her from holding down a job.
Adel has been strained for years, working to take care of her mother and neglecting her dreams of going to school.
In Adel’s eyes, her mother has been a major disappointment for her. She’s never been there to lead them toward a more positive or ambitious life.
Eva’s need is the fact that she desires to run from whatever deeper issues she is keeping herself from facing.
Turning Point
When Adel slips on the apple and pulls her back out again, it serves as a turning point for Eva.
Even though Eva is under the influence, when she sees Adel get hurt, it forces her to confront herself and Ben.
This reveals Eva’s compassion and love for her daughter, despite her ongoing issues.
After Eva kicks Ben out of the apartment, her main concern is her daughter.
Even though Adel is furious with her mother, she inwardly responds to the fact that her mother took action against Ben.
Adel’s Back Injury
When Adel experiences her back injury, it is like opening up a previously healed wound.
A wound that symbolizes all the agony she has been undergoing for her mother.
Looking Over Adel’s Monologue
Adel expresses what she feels through a monologue that really caps the scope of everything she has been going through.
She has been sacrificing her own life to take care of her mother. This is not a detail unnoticed by Eva.
Adel has dreams of going to school and being something more in life, but she feels restricted and can’t break free.
It is clear that Adel needs her mother to be a mother, but what’s not certain is if Eva will be capable.
- To read the full one-act ePlay, find purchase link below:
In the one-act eplay, “Night Flower” Adel is woken up in the middle of the night by her mother and some random guy, causing a confrontation between the two women. 2 Women, 1 Man. Drama/Family Drama.
