Song & Dance of a 3-Time Cancer Survivor
Act 5
STILL DESIRABLE?
The heroine is unprepared for the disturbing and frightening scenes that confront her in the cancer ward, where patients carry the marks of surgery only too clearly. In spite of, or perhaps because of, their now blemished bodies some flirt with the male staff, angling for reassurance that they remain attractive. They compete too for the attention of the most senior surgeon. But is getting the top man so flattering, or does it rather reflect the seriousness of their case?
Heroine's opening speech:
What I saw and experienced when I was first put into a cancer ward deeply affected my subsequent actions and thoughts.
Heroine:
Why was I not warned
before they put me into a cancer ward
with about 20 women patients?
Many of them had already lost parts of their bodies.
The sight of them frightened me to death!
Chorus:
Medicate me,
Vali-date me!
Heroine:
I saw such a woman patient in this ward
making sexual overtures to a male nurse.
I did not consider this disgraceful,
but felt very sorry for her.
Male lead:
No, you should not have felt sorry for her –
she's brave to have done that.
Chorus:
Medicate me,
Vali-date me,
Date me
Please don't hate me
Take me, take me,
Take me as I am!
Heroine:
I saw this woman
being disagreeable
while waiting for her aftercare appointment.
Male lead:
She lost her job as Headmistress before the appointment,
'cause she couldn't cope with cancer aftermath.
Now she works as a receptionist…
She's frustrated and bad tempered.
Heroine:
I did not consider her behaviour disgraceful,
but felt very sorry for her.
Chorus:
Medicate me,
Vali-date me,
Keep me
Please don't spurn me.
Take me, take me,
Take me as I am!
Male lead:
Well, 'still desirable?'
is a very important,
and a specific question…
Heroine:
I survived cancer,
but it's not easy to overcome the aftermath –
a general loss of confidence,
a feeling of deficiency…
Chorus:
Still desirable!
Take me, take me!
Take me as I am!
Heroine:
Male consultants come for their rounds
with their entourage.
Male lead:
Women patients,
crave his attention –
One feels the power of the top consultant,
like the sultan in a Harem.
Chorus:
Women patients,
will the best consultant surgeon come to your bed?
Heroine:
And it's the locum who visits my bed –ah!
Because the team decides, wrongly,
that I have only a benign lump.
Heroine's final speech:
Funny thing –
after surviving cancer,
I don't care whether a man finds me desirable or not.
Quite liberating.
_ _ _
Who is the smiling surgeon who drops the bombshell?
Want to see doctors and nurses sing and dance?
Doctors sing!
Nurses dance!
Doctors and nurses sing & dance!
See next, Act 6: